For five days, students of the Master’s programme in Fine Arts had the opportunity to express themselves creatively under the guidance of artist Mauro Di Silvestre.
The masterclass emphasised the importance of the authenticity of the artist, of the work of art, and insisted on the urgency of the creative act. The two key words were Urgency and Authenticity.
Two fundamental and indispensable concepts for an artist.
“The creation of a work of art, the choice to live an artistic life and the need for expression arise from an inescapable urge. And if it is a real need, we will find any way to express ourselves, in any medium, using any material and on any medium”.
Mauro Di Silvestre encourages students to break out of their comfort zone: to use colours and materials they have never used before, or to use them in a new way, twisting their natural tendency.
Based on the assumption that the creative side stems from an urge that no artist can give up, students must find a way to stop at nothing: it does not matter whether the ‘favourite’ colour is available, or the ‘right’ medium to work on, whether the studio is big enough or the light is right.
In the course of the masterclass, students train themselves to work with very little, with leftover paint, a few brushes and pencils, some broken.
Ample space is dedicated to the unexpected: mistakes are great opportunities for growth, and are not rejected, but welcomed.
Great things can be born from supposed mistakes.
Mauro Di Silvestre
Mauro Di Silvestre was born in Rome in 1968. Since then, he has studied and worked in Los Angeles, Rome, New York and other cities. Although creating artwork is his passion, Di Silvestre has worked in various creative positions. Having exhibited in numerous international and local galleries and museums, the artist currently works and lives in Rome.
Many paintings by Mauro Di Silvestre are featured in many theatre productions, television series and films. Furthermore, the artist was chosen by Steve McCurry to show his works and studio in an internationally screened Huawei commercial. The artist regularly speaks about his works as a guest of Italian and international art institutions.
See photos of the Masterclass
