Tony Curanaj

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Tony Curanaj

Interview: Tony Curanaj

 

• Tell us about your background: did you come from an artistic family ? How did you become an artist?

 

I didn't really come from an artistic family, but I was encouraged to continue when they saw I was interested in art.  I'm first generation American but my family is traditional European. I think that old school European culture is very encouraging when it comes to the arts. 

Art was something I just always did even when I didn't know what I was doing. From drawing throughout my school years on everything I can get my hands on, to doing graffiti and murals all over the world in my teens and 20's and studying the Old Masters after college, art was just a part of my life thankfully.

 

 

• What studies did you do? Where? 

 

I went to art college in New York City and studied illustration because that was the only avenue one was able to take to learn how to draw and paint. Art schools in the 90's where lost when it came to teaching high artistic skills and that was what I was interested in. I wanted to learn how to draw and paint properly. I graduated and started illustrating book covers and ads. I ended up working in animation with MTV for a few years then eventually on to Disney.

I met Jacob Collins, a great artist and teacher who was starting a private atelier with a few likeminded people willing to study in the tradition of the 19th century Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He asked me to join and I studied very intensely for the next 3 or 4 years. I was really into classical art and wanted to be a fine artist. So I left my job at Disney to pursue my education in the traditions of the Old Masters. The others students were all so talented and it kept the level high. I knew it was going to be a unique and special place. 

 

• You worked at Disney as an illustrator, please tell us more about this

 

I was hired at Disney to paint and design animation backgrounds. I would read the scripts and story boards or have background layout artist’s sketch out some ideas. I would then refine them, make color studies and style ideas and eventually create finished background paintings. Other artists would use my paintings as the bases for scenes. Later I started doing more conceptual work for their upcoming movie pitches and pilots which was really cool. But that was about the time I was getting anxious to spend more time with my personal work. 

 

• What was the most important thing you learnt working at Disney?

 

I think responsibility as a young artist was an important lesson working there. How to be professional as well. There was a lot to do with pretty strict deadlines and I had to figure out how to make things visually interesting and hopefully beautiful. I wanted to design a convincing and creative world for the characters to living in. Also, when you're around a team of artist working on the same projects, you're exposed to thoughts and ideas you may have not come up with otherwise. That was good to be exposed to especially at a young age.

• Today contemporary painting may be abstract, inspired by painters such as Pollock, Rauschenberg or responding to an ephemeral trend. What is your opinion on this?

 

 I like some abstract painting and I can't be bothered with some also. I think anything that's done to the highest level regardless of style should be considered and looked at. There is a lot of abstract art out there and a majority of it is pretty awful. I know the expression has been used a lot, but some really is the “Emperors new clothing". A lot of the time, if it's a scribble on a canvas, it's just a scribble on a canvas if you know what I mean. I often tell people that it's ok to not understand or dislike abstract art even though it's the norm. It's also ok to like it if one is moved by the work or finds it honestly interesting. Just don't follow the crowd. It's rather common to make complete nonsense and deem it important by using words like "conceptual" or "challenging the viewer". It seems like a majority of abstract painting is about the art of abstract painting as opposed to art about life. Nevertheless there's some great work out there. I've come across work that made me think or see in a different way and that's great. Abstract art has influenced so many aspects of the arts. I'm a huge fan of graffiti and I think there's a lot of abstract influence in its form. It could be very skillful, beautiful and thoughtful. 

 

• Has working at Disney had any impact on you being taken seriously as an artist? Or has it helped?

 

 Most people didn’t know what I did in the past, either graffiti or cartoon stuff. I think it’s because I didn’t really mix the styles. I don’t have a problem crossing genres; I just didn’t do it often. I’m not an over purist.

 

 

• You have a background in graffiti yet your work now has a classical slant. Is this a ‘growing up’ process or a natural progression? And did you ever get caught?

 

I don’t think it’s growing up. I still do it when I can (unfortunately that’s not a lot).

Back when I was very active, it was for the adventure or maybe I thought I had something to prove. But it was always combined with the desire to make something artistically impressive in different unregulated locations in a large, in your face format.  Art was always a factor even if there were other motives. It used to be very underground and that was very alluring and crazy at times. You had to be careful where you were, who you were with and where the police were. You had to be on your toes! It's really hard to have the time to do it now and that’s regrettable because I still love it. But the motives are different now. I’d rather paint in low traffic, legal and private areas with no stress. When I do paint walls, it’s usually with friends and other graffiti writers I admire. I want to paint in good company with good conversation and hopefully quality results. 

 

• What would you need to say to painting students today?

 

Study and work really hard!!! I've taught some very naturally talented students who didn't work very hard and taught other students who may not have been as talented but worked incredibly hard and they would become some of the best. Now if you are very talented and worked your ass off, well that's beautiful! Be open and curious, but also very specific about your education. Do not let trends influence you, remember to be honest.  Become very skilled because regardless of trends skill will always be important and have a place in the arts and in your life. You should learn all you can when you're inspired to make something special. If it's simple or if it's ambitious, it is tooled by your hand and that means it's special. Learn the ins and outs and become familiar with the tools and techniques that build it. Think of having an empty tool box and your job as an artist is to fill that tool box with techniques, experiences, thoughts and methods that you can call upon when creating your art

 

• I read an article whereby your painting, your set up and your thoughts appeared to be of scientific origin. You spoke of kelvins and spent a lot of time setting up lighting. Can you paint freely and with expression when restrained by scientific principle?

 

Actually I think you are far more free! When you are able to think your way through a problem scientific or one does a fair amount of “setting up” prior to digging into expressive work, it frees you up to concentrate on the artistic and creative parts. Order enables you to improvise. A great Jazz musician can improvise an amazing amount, but he or she does it around a very specific structure and with skill.  I try and eliminate potential problems so they don’t interfere with my painting experience. Collecting knowledge is imperative! One should never be afraid of knowledge. I say that because I remember being told to stay ignorant and to not search out skill in early art school if I wanted to make “real” art. That's 100% wrong!!! I want to know about life and science and whatever I can learn. That's how one can learn how to express one’s self....by “knowing” and being curious.

 

• What do you love most about realistic painting?

 

The honesty. When it's done well, you don't need an instruction manual to understand the art. It should feel real and not copied. A very skilled and emotionally brave artist can weave deep feelings into their art without the need for a back story, title or some gallerist having to explain what you are looking at and why it's "important". I do want to add that I think there are a lot of bad "realistic" art too. Just making something "photographic" looking isn't enough for me. It should be poetic or thoughtful or evoke life in some way. I work from life and painting in this manner connects you with the subject directly. It's hard but worth it to me. The process of making a painting becomes as important as the result. I've seen some people blindly copy photographs resulting in pieces with little life to them. I'm not saying everyone should not use photographs because I know a lot of people who use photo reference and make very fine work. But it's incredibly important to experience and infuse real life in your work, especially while you're still studying.

 

• What is your greatest source of inspiration? Your favorite painter/artist?

 

I still get inspired by the work and philosophies of the old masters. With the amount of information available now on the internet, I'm discovering amazing works and artists from the 18th, 19th and 20th century that I've never seen before. It's as if they were still alive turning out new paintings to the public. There where so many good artists in the past. I also think there are some really great artists living today as well. There are a lot of creative people out there doing interesting work. 

 My friends and colleagues are inspiring. It's motivating to see someone in a similar situation as you're in.  People in the arts going through struggles and successes, working to create and discover and hopefully elevate art to higher standards by which everyone steps up. And a little friendly competition never hurts.

 

 

• If you had to give a definition of ‘Modern Classicism’ what would it be?

 

I'm not sure. Definitions in art "movements" have changed a lot lately and I don't want to commit to an interpretation. 

 

• What role do you reckon painting has to play in today’s world?

 

I think it's more important than ever. Modern attention span is so short, it's mind boggling. We are bombarded by dumbed down commercials, TV, media and people getting famous for nothing. I've read that the arts in public schools are in jeopardy of being cut because of budget issues. The arts in general are so important to the development of an advanced modern society and its citizens. In the past, drawing, painting, sculpture, music, writing, etc was held to the highest standards by the education system. To degrade it will be devastating

 

• Your work is a superb media for the internet. This allows millions of people to access you and your works. Ignoring the positives for a moment, do you have an opinion on those that say the web is destroying the experience of seeing the work ‘up close and personal’?

 

I agree with that statement. Although it is great to be able to find art on the internet, it cannot take the place of experiencing fine work up close. Beautiful art is meant to be experienced in person. A great painting for example is ALWAYS so much better in person. Im sure you’ve heard the “you have to see it for real, the photos do not do it any justice...” etc. Most things in life are like that. Seeing photos of the Grand Canyon is nothing to the experience of being there or seeing a video of someone skydiving on your Iphone isn’t like jumping out of a plane.

 

• How do you relax your mind when you are not painting?

 

I'm always thinking about art in general. I'm a huge fan of the arts. I think it's important to have your mind open to life and influences even when you're not working. It builds taste and ideas even if it's unintentional. If one is dedicating their life to something like art or anything worthy, I think you should always have your mind turned on. 

 

I teach with my colleagues at the Grand Central Academy.  It's a great and unique art school in New York City. Teaching is demanding but very rewarding. 

 

I like to snowboard in the winter and skateboard when I can (I'm getting old and it hurts).  Cooking great meals is fun and I admire the culinary arts. My close friend and great artist Edward Minoff and I just started a podcast called "Suggested Donation" that will be taking up some time. We talk to artists, artisans and generally interesting people about their craft and experiences. It's really fun and super interesting to us. Hopefully the podcast will be available by the time this interview is out so please look for it and email us your thoughts.  Also my wife and I have a beautiful 2 year old daughter so I dedicate a lot of time to them. Watching a child grow and develop right in front of your eyes is incredible. 

 

'’Buck Rogers’....Thank you for immortalizing the wonderful Buck, Dr T, Wilma and Tweaky. A hidden classic. Using this example would you give us an insight into the workflow, how you create from concept to completion? And can the publisher have an autograph?

 

For whatever reason, ill come up with an idea that’s interesting to me. That can come from anywhere so I try and stay “awake” because they leave as quickly as they come in. With the Buck Rogers Atomic Disintegration, I just happen to come across some really cool Buck Rogers comics from the 20's and thought they were amazing. I love the “future style” from the early 20th century and that Americana ideal of this great hero. So I thought it would be cool to make a painting as a homage. I researched for a while and found the beautifully designed art deco toy gun from the 30's. A good collector friend of mine happen to have one in his collection and he let me use it for the painting. I spent a lot of time on the drawing because it had to be exact. It's a famous design and I can get called out on it if I was off. I wanted to keep the painting simple because the ray gun itself was enough. I added the metal frame and rivets background as a design element but also as a “time placement”. I wanted it to feel like it was actually Buck Rogers' gun on his spaceship wall.

 

 If I have a concept, I try and figure out how to set it up if it’s something that I will have better results doing it from life. So I build or collect materials and start playing with them in my studio. I do many little thumbnail from my head or in front of a subject because I like to force myself to break out of the idea I may have stuck in my head. If I keep going back to that original idea, hopefully I won't hate it halfway into the painting. Also, you often think of better solutions when you’re sketching or playing around on paper. Once I know what I want, I set it up carefully and start drawing until I have a good drawing that i transfer to canvas. I do color and value studies or sometimes close up studies of parts of the painting. Those are essentially “notes” I use to go into the final painting. Then I just paint. I keep it open and add things from my head if I feel like it.

At times, i just go into a painting without any prep work. Just pop a canvas on an easel and go. It’s good to do both. Having a method is great, but it’s nice to have different approaches. Keeps its interesting. Sometimes I get stuck on concepts when all I really want to do is have fun painting. I have to tell myself that sometimes.

And it will be my pleasure to provide the publisher with an autograph… haha

 

 

• If there is something you would like to share with the reader of L’Artiste, please feel free to do so.

 

Thank you for reading. Be very curious and have high standards.