Pictures and pedestals
- Stefania's drawings are made with graphite and gold leaf on paper
- She borrowed the gilding technique from art restoration
- Most of her subjects are represented on pedestals
Stefania Dei Rossi’s drawings are a creative universe of contrasts, where humble graphite meets pure gold, and roosters, hens and other common animals are solemnly portrayed on pedestals like important people. "The atmosphere of my works - still lifes and dummies included - is mostly inspired by Giorgio De Chirico’s metaphysical paintings, where inanimate objects seem to come alive," she explains. Yet, the strongest influence on her art comes from her mother who’s a restorer: she grew up in her workshop, surrounded by paintings, frames, golden cartouches and craft tools. She could have followed in her footsteps. But after studying restoration at the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice and working in the field for a while, she realized that drawing, her pastime since childhood, was what she really wanted to do with her life.
Interview
- What techniques do you use?
- I draw in pencil on paper and gild the background with gold leaf. Gilding is a restoration technique I’ve stolen from my mother’s world: when I first used it to enrich my drawings, I knew at once it was a perfect match for simple graphite. Together, grey and gold became my signature.
- Why do you depict pedestals?
- There were many in my mother’s workshop, and I’ve always been fascinated by their double function of highlighting and isolating what they support. By placing hens and other animals on pedestals, I can see and represent them differently, from a new and uncommon point of view.
- What do you enjoy most about your craft?
- Drawing eyes. It’s also the most difficult and delicate moment, because eyes are the mirror of the soul: that’s why I always take my time to delineate them in detail. Afterwards, the bulk is done and I’m no longer alone: my subject is finally out of my head, able to communicate and keep me company.
- Is there a place that inspires you?
- Both my hometown Trieste, where I share my mother’s atelier, and Venice, where I live and plan to open a workshop. The first is a border city, where people search for themselves like I do in my drawings. The second is the biggest and most beautiful archive of settings and decorations, which are essential to my art.
Stefania Dei Rossi is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2011
Where
Stefania Dei Rossi
