On le sait, la couleur est l’arme principale du peintre. Et Igor Moritz en est la parfaite illustration. Entre les couleurs expressives d’un Kirchner et les figures tourmentées d’un Francis Bacon, l’oeuvre de ce jeune artiste polonais a tout de suite retenu notre attention. Inspiré par son entourage et par les choses simples de son quotidien, ses peintures en révèlent pourtant une vision bien différente. Un monde qui semble irréel, suspendu, où la perspective et les proportions ne sont plus de rigueur. Cette semaine c’est dans les toiles très personnelles d’Igor Moritz que nous vous embarquons ! Vous êtes prêts pour le voyage?
Portrait d'Igor Moritz
Could you introduce yourself ?
I was born in Lublin, a city located in the east of Poland in May 1996. My childhood was pretty much split in between Poland and the UK, where I have also lived a big proportion of my life. I attended Norwid's Art High SchooL in Lublin at age 15, with the hope of becoming a designer and l Left a painter. After this I studied Industrial Design in Bournemouth, but that only cemented the fact I wanted to paint.
You depicte daily life scenes of different generations and make portraits of different people.Who are the models? How do you often process to make those portraits ?
The people in my paintings are all really close to me; my friends, family, and my girlfriend. I almost always work directly from life, so the people that I spend the most time with, are the ones that end up being depicted the most.
Clara with beer bottle, coloured pencil on paper, 28x40cm, 2020
2 am, coloured pencil on paper, 28x41 cm, 2019
You depict some portrait of people alone or with others. When the person is alone, he is depicted in lass position. What are you interested in those representations ?
The reason I paint a lot of people in resting positions, might simply be as a result of the fact that it's the only time they are ever still enough to paint. My friends don't particularly love to pose for me, so it's a perfect time for me to sneak up on them. I also think these are the moments that take up quite a significant and meaningful amount of time in our lives, and yet leave little to no trace in our memories.
Escaping the human condition, 2018
Odourless stars, 2018
We notice that the interiors, the fournitures, the patterns seem to take a big part in your representation of the portrait. You even paint still life. What are the role of them for your depictions in general? And how to you see the empty interiors ?
Objects and interiors are very important to me, they set the scenes in a time and place. This can open the paintings, by creating a world that expands past what is visible in the work. They are also a perfect place to source for forms and colours.
2- Scarlett, oil on linen, 76x86 cm, 2019
Still life on balcony, oil on linen, 60x80cm, 2020
What are your main inspirations ?
I love peoples facial features as well as the colours of their clothing, beach towels, trees, flowers, old paint on shop facades, folk sculpture. Painters such as Matisse, Degas, Gaugin, Kirchner, Freud and many many more!
Self portrait with paintings, oil on linen, 50x70cm, 2020
George, coloured pencil on paper, 29x43cm, 2019
Bubble Bath, oil on linen, 66x86cm,2018
Despite the situation do you have any projects ?
My Solo Show "Wiosna 2020" is currently on at Nil galley in Paris, I'm also taking part in a fantastic group show "Nudes & Dudes" at Lundgren gallery in Palma de Mallorca. Oh, and I will have some really exciting news about a book coming out very soon.
Hipnagogia, 2018
Clara reading, oil on linen, 50x65 cm, 2020
Juliette in pink, oil on linen, 65x92 cm, 2020
Emma painting mountains, oil on linen, 60x92 cm, 2020
Clara, coloured pencil on paper, 2018
Self portrait in july, coloured pencil on paper, 29x43 cm, 2019
Model making, 2018
Retrouvez l'ensemble des oeuvres d'Igor Moritz sur son site :