PAOLO BARBIERI

He’s one of the most important artist in fantasy illustration and books, from his collaboration with writer Licia Troisi to lots of Mondadori’s artworks.
Now the Italian illustrator Paolo Barbieri comes out with his own first book, “Favole degli Dei”, for which he’s written the story and created the art-characters too.
We’ve met him for a chat on his art, story, inspiration and projects, discovering his passion for Japanese manga and his methodology in working.

– “Favole degli Dei”: you’re the solo-author of this brand new project.
What about the idea behind, the story, inspiration and the next release at Lucca Comics 2011?
– Over an year ago I started drawing a warrior, trying to elaborate the particular style I’ve developed with some other artworks before. I didn’t know what I was going to create, but this character got his shape little by little.
When I was creating his helmet I understood that this image was actually representing my personal view on a particular mythology, which is a mixture between dark, fantasy, steampunk and science-fiction with artifact settings coming from my past works on pre-production in digital art for cinema: Ares was born, the God of War.
The illustration looked great for me, so I tried to draw another character, Afrodite, the Goddess of Love, and then Medusa, which look transferred enemies in stones.
I thought on some stories to be the connection between these images and to penetrate into their own minds, with an enlargement of my mythological visions of a pantheon suspended between heroism and reality.
A few months later I offered the project to my publishing house, Mondadori, the one I collaborate with for Licia Troisi’s books. The idea wowed them and so here we are!
The book is divided in two different virtual parts, one with color images, born in digital, from drafts to coloration, where I put the line on pencils and then digitally colored with my Mac programs.
Lucca Comics & Games asked me to be the Guest of Honor of their next 2011 edition, and this coincides exactly with the release of “Favole degli Dei” that will be out in bookshops from October 18^th.
In addition there will be an anthological exhibition at Lucca’s Palazzo Ducale, with lots of my past years images, for different projects and publishers and coming  from my mythological view too.

– Let’s discuss about Licia Troisi: what about your collaboration and its evolution from book to book to the today mainstream success?
– I started collaborating with Mondadori in 1999, with some covers for “Urania”, the legendary science-fiction press magazine. For them I had to create in 2003 a draw with a black crystal sward with the watch by dragon wings: this image had to be used for Francoforte’s fair of that year to introduce the first book of a fantasy trilogy.
Only some months later I had to create the cover of “Cronache del Mondo Emerso – Nihal della terra del vento”, the real first book by that debuting writer, Licia Troisi. Her success was immediate, and my cover’s one too.
My collaboration with Licia is full of empathy: we have a symbiotic view on fantasy’s world, and so we’ve always found mutual approval for our works.
Then we worked together for the illustrated book on the “Cronache del Mondo Emerso” in 2007 and then for “Guerre del Mondo Emerso – Guerrieri e Creature” in 2010.
At the end of next November 2011 Licia will be out with “I Regni di Nashira – il sogno di Talitha” too.

– Working as an illustrator, today: what about the past studies and the new technologies?
– Being illustrators, cartoonists and today’s artists need to be supported by the talent, first of all, adding to specific studies and mostly by an unknown number of hours spent in drawing.
In my personal experience my studies have only gift me the prompt to understand some basic techniques (for example the airbrush), then I studied self-taught, from Bruce Hogarth’s books, learning to use brushes, acrylics, watercolors and oil paints.
I also discovered amazing some collections of illustrations by the most influent artist for me: Rodney Matthews, Boris Vallejo, Giger, Chris Foss, Michael Whelan, Tim White, Todd Lockwood, Keith Parkinson, Brian Froud, Alan Lee, Brom.
Only in 2005 I approached with digital techniques, although I was surrendered with acrylics, trying to use Painter program. These new technologies have so many features that enable you to do experimentations without limits.
I think that digital works are irreplaceable: you have to understand your personal style firstly, and then to apply to digital.
You have to understand your own way to draw too, from real surfaces and textures: for me it’s an extension that have enhanced my talent.
And, we have to admit, it enable you to be faster and easier to be correct.

– Your illustrations are full of influences from Japanese culture. Why?
– When I was 7 years old I felt in love with Goldrake’s story, on TV. His world of robots, cruel aliens and emotional stories from distant planets made my story!
Then arrived Mazinga, Jeeg robot, Daitarn 3, Starblazers, Tekkaman, Gatchaman, I-Zemborg… An invasion of Japanese culture that involved me to draw firstly copying then trying to invent my own stories  with this influence.
Japanese culture sparked my imagination!

– An artist from the past and from today, that inspire you most…
– It’s so hard to say! From the past I must say Alma Tadema so dreamy and Spartan at the same time in creating settings fixed in time but frantic in the nostalgic faces and his lavish painting technique.
Today (although already dead) I admire first of all Zdzisław Beksiński: he was able to communicate with his incredible artworks, from surreal scenes coming from another future: a narrator by art.
And then Rodney Matthews: he’s an illustrator able to make me transport in his art, full of love for nature.


“Favole degli Dei”
Paolo Barbieri
– Mondadori –
[A little italian synopsis of “Favole degli Dei”]

“All’ombra delle gesta più celebrate

degli antichi eroi scorrono

storie che nessuno ha mai raccontato

e che svelano sfumature

sorprendenti e scorci invisibili.

Queste storie vengono ora alla luce

grazie ai disegni e alle parole di

uno dei più importanti illustratori

italiani, in una reinterpretazione

vibrante e personale delle creature

che popolano il pantheon delle

leggende greche. Dei, Titani, ninfe,

mostri, ma anche uomini coinvolti

per il volere del fato nelle vicende

degli immortali vengono raccontati

e disegnati attraverso un nuovo

immaginario che fonde testo e illustrazione,

dark fantasy e poesia,

modernità e mito.

Le antiche leggende diventano così

favole oniriche e sensuali: Poseidone,

Zeus, Medusa, Atena, Afrodite,

Pegaso, il Minotauro e tanti altri sono

ritratti come mai prima d’ora, in

un’opera originale, provocatoria e

unica.”

For more informations:
www.paolobarbieriart.com
(images credits Paolo Barbieri, Mondadori)

by Ilaria Rebecchi