MICHELE SIMONETTI

Michele Simonetti is an Italian artist and architect based in New York. Inspiration for his work stems from direct observation of his surroundings. Using sharp lines and high-contrast color fields, Simonetti synthesizes the urban landscape into compositions of minimal purity. Through simplicity he is able to find a shared visual language that appeals to each individual’s cultural, social, or personal sensitivity. The forms are purposefully stripped of any identifying feature, becoming universal symbols that activate memories and responses and build an intimate rapport with the viewer.

Chromatic distortion is another trick used by the artist to divert the audience’s attention from the original reference. The buildings are painted in navy blue, cerulean, periwinkle, or gold, with ample negative spaces that invite the viewer to use their imagination and build unique narratives. As such, a pair of skyscrapers, which any New Yorker would associate with the Twin Towers, is perceived as the legs of a table by a European or the profile of a person’s nose by a doctor. Simonetti says “My work is an investigation on personal and collective memories, real and imagined worlds. I am looking for visual common grounds, investigating what makes us all similar.”

I paint minimalist abstract compositions that explore the relationship between real and imagined worlds, personal and collective memories. Living in New York City, my inspiration comes from my immediate surroundings: the corner of a townhouse, the curved edge of a rooftop, the silhouette of a skyscraper. The original urban references, however, are stripped of any specific feature to achieve purity of lines, colors, and geometries. In doing so, I seek to create generic and familiar landscapes that evoke memories that are intimate and personal. The use of ample negative space and stark chromatic contrasts are further invitations for the viewer to fill the voids with their own imagination and identify in each piece. By exploring a shared visual language, I discover the fascinating complexity of human perception.

ORIGINAL MICHELE SIMONETTI ARTWORKS ON

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