parole di china terry bertelli bertz

Interview for "Parole di China"

Milan

Data di inizio:10/18/2015

Data di fine:10/18/2015

I am proud to have been interviewed by "Parole di China" dedicated to artists who use art to express themselves and honoured to have worked with such talented people.



17 October 2015
Interview with Terry Bertelli - "Bertz", artist who colours emotions

[Q] First of all, thank you very much for having accepted to chat with us. So, tell us who you are but above all what your form of expression is. Would you be able to describe yourself in 3 words?

[A] I’m a whirlwind, that’s what I am: impetuous, bubbly, full of energy and irreverent at times. I’m vivacious; challenges excite me and bring me to life. When my inbred determination comes to the fore I push myself to my limit.
I’m curious, I love change and the new opportunities it brings. I’m instinctive, sometimes impulsive. It’s hard for me not to show my emotions so it’s easy to understand what I’m thinking: I’m an open book.
I’m romantic, in love with Love, and step by step I’m learning that loving yourself is the only way to fill the vacuum of the soul. My passion is painting; a world of my own… in front of a canvas, my brush and colours, time and space vanish. It’s as if I were confronting myself, my joys and fears, free to express my emotions without restraint.


[Q] Paint! Why, who for and where?
[A] I love to paint to express myself. Through my works I’d like to convey a message of hope and for this reason the subject of my first collection is stylised lotus flowers in relief. A lotus flower takes root and grows in sludge yet it is beautiful. That’s what happens in everyday life: we are faced with difficulties, setbacks and challenges and overcoming them brings out our inner beauty.


[Q] Modern art and classical painting. It seems that nowadays everything goes but nothing is ever enough. What’s your opinion on this?
[A] Art is very personal and subjective.
It is the essence of its creator and of who interprets it through their own eyes.
I personally think that to reach the heart of people, modern expressivity must necessarily pass through the study of classical painting, from that unique way of communicating forms, movement and grace.


[Q] When did you realise that you couldn’t live without your passion for painting?
[A] When I was 13 years old I decided that I wouldn’t paint anymore because my family didn’t support my dream of going to art school.
So for a while, in a fit of rebellion, I decided enough was enough and I put aside my passion. Then one day, a couple of years ago, I received a canvas, brushes and colours as a gift … and in that second the dam burst, the colours took form on the canvas and today I know that painting makes me a better person … I reflect myself in front of a canvas.


[Q] If I say “Parole di China”, what comes to mind? In your words
[A] Parole di China evokes lightness but at the same time the robustness of something that remains indelibly impressed in time.
Words can be fleeting but the power of India ink impresses them forever.


[Q] Who is your favourite artist and if there is one, what influence have they had on your art?
[A] Besides the famous impressionists and post-impressionists who lived in a period I find really fascinating, I have been inspired by Frida Kahlo and her works. By the energy she expressed through her works, by her ability to transform suffering, impressing it on the canvas, by the sign she has left of her soul, by the fact that she has written an important page in the history or women’s art.


[Q] What is the craziest thing you have done for or with your art?
[A] So far I don’t think I’ve done anything really crazy or shocking in the name of my art; I simply take a step forward each day towards my goals, taking part in contests, meeting gallery owners and artists, attending painting classes, seizing opportunities to exhibit.
The real madness was that for so many years I simply treaded water without ever doing anything.


[Q] What artistic projects do you see in Terry Bertelli’s future?
[A] Bertz has many projects, certainly that of continuing to express my passion, represent my inner world through my art, travelling to make my name known and getting to know impassioned artists and draw inspiration from them. Above all making sure that I seize any opportunities I am offered along the way and doing my best to express myself in a valuable way.


[Q] The emotion or word you would like to evoke in people who see your work?
[A] First of all let me say something: I use pumice stone, cement, modelling clay to give my works strength, solidity and energy. These materials are fundamental elements we hold in our hands every day: in the form of a house, a family. My works animate the materials that also the walls of our homes are made of. My art gives them pride of place, gives them a soul, bringing them to life in the fullness of colour.
They are shown in their splendid form, giving them value. Because stone and cement are the basis on which we build our foundations. That’s where we lay down our life: past, present, future … our memories.
So I want to give that highly personal emotion that stirs a memory which time will not change.


[Q] Where can we find you and your work? 
[A] On my website terrybertelli.com you can enter my world of art, discover my works and the cities in Italy and around the world where I have exhibited and where am present. And you can find out more about me, my world and even contact me.


[Q] Which of your works are you most attached to and why?
[A] “Essence” is the work I am fondest of because it is the expression of a newed moment of suffering, the re-blossoming of love. Besides being selected for the first collective exhibition in Brussels, it is the work I find it difficult to let go of.


[Q] Thank you for your time and now an obligatory “Marzullo” inspired question. If you were a painting or a drawing … which would you be and why?
[A] It’s probably a bit brazen of me to say Leonardo da Vinci’s “Lady with an ermine”  but just the thought of being able to watch the great da Vinci at work while he painted my face with such refinement and grace moves me. What’s more, the lady, Cecilia Gallerani, was a very strong woman, who overcame a very difficult life and managed, thanks to her love for art, to establish one of the first ever art clubs, in Cremona.