Interview with the spanish artist viclade master

Javier Denia Valls, founder of Barcelona Atelier of Realist Art

1. Javier, you are not only an artist, but also a teacher and founder of the private art school - Barcelona Atelier of Realist Art. Do you really see interest from others in contemplating and creating objects in an academic manner? Why did you choose this particular niche for the development of the school, and not for example, contemporary conceptual art?

First of all, I would like to say a few words about my teaching and artistic practice.

Most of my free time I teach and do organizational work at school. During the educational process, I also manage to make film short videos (which makes me very happy). Also, part of my time is spent creating diagrams and diagrams for the educational process - to explain the body or face structure in a portrait. This is very helpful for both my students and me. I understand that working hard on the same thing over and over again gives me the opportunity of getting the higher level of understanding, which means that I try to learn through teaching.

Staging from nature. Barcelona Atelier of Realist Art

This means that I am probably more of a businessman, teacher and student than an artist. I don't generate a lot of artistic content (unique, commercial, large projects). But I hope that in the future I will have a lot of time for this. At the moment I am satisfied with the educational process and I don't have time for anything else.

I think the academic manner gives you some guidelines, rules, answers that help you figure out how it actually works, which gives you clues to understanding art. These are the rules and guidelines of other people who have devoted their whole lives to this, and this is the knowledge that can enrich your artistic experience. You can spend a lot of time trying to figure it out or refer to someone else's previous experience and save a lot of time. This does not mean that there is no place for experiments, there should be comprehensiveness. The more you know and use different tools, the more opportunities there are for refuting them or conversely for implementing them into your own practice and at the end creating your solid foundation.

Yes, I am interested in realism because it helps to understand how an important part of our world functions. I am interested in the figure, which means I am interested in anatomy, proportions, planes, shapes... I am also interested in collages, calligraphy, abstract art... this is more on an emotional level. In my own works, I do not have enough narrative, compositional complexity, symbolism, I always remember about it and work even more. I love conceptual art - performances or installations, but this is different from what I do (it's like driving a car and running - somewhat similar processes, one is no worse than the other, but different). Perhaps there are installations close to realism, but I don't know such artists.

I have been studying at the “contemporary art” university for 4 years and even have a degree, but I'm not really a fan of this. It lacks discipline and orderliness for me. I understand that for many, conceptual art can be interesting and I respect their seriousness in this.

In the early stages, organization is very important. As in music, sport, martial arts, driving, learning languages ​... You don't start with the general, you start with the basics and gradually grow. I prefer this kind of mastery of art - it's some kind of unwritten rule of the universe. In contemporary art, it was difficult for me to grasp that process line, no one explained “what” and “why”, in the end it had no meaning for me (I had no understanding in this), in realism everything is clearer.

In realism, you start with a base, with something easy, and then you realize that things can be more complicated, at the same time you will look for ways to simplify, level the complications. The level of sophistication can be super high and simple at the same time. As one of my teachers said, for him the designation of art is the variability of a unit, a fraction. Everyone has to find their own definition of art, but I really like this expression.

Works by Javier Denia Valls

I perceive my idea of ​​art as my philosophy or religion, I try to solve problems in such a way as if I solve a problem in drawing. I am confident that finding universal connections between other disciplines and fields is the right way.

2. You have studied in different places around the world (universities, workshops, courses). Perhaps you can highlight some trends in contemporary art education? What approaches are trending now from your point of view?

Different schools apply different approaches. I have visited amazing teachers, listened to what they tell during the educational process. And the opinion of one teacher could be completely different from another. This gave me the understanding that there is no single right path. There are so many different techniques, and it only matters who uses this or that technique. And the more you learn, the more freedom of decision-making in your own work it gives.

I recommend everyone to try learning with different people, they inspire to open up to new opportunities. If you choose an artist whose work you like, but the method is different from the usual, this will turn the art into an interesting side.
 

The educational process at Barcelona Atelier of Realist Art 
 

 3. In Ukraine, it is still very important to have a formal education and a document, which confirms professional suitability. Sometimes this is even more important than the knowledge itself. Is the situation in Spain the same?

I don't think that the document is very important in art until the moment you want to work in the public industry, which is very difficult now in Spain.

As a student, I believed that knowledge is the most important thing, but I also understood the laws of the art world and the importance of formal education.

When you have finished your studies, the work you demonstrate is more important than the knowledge you gained. Some artists have a lot of knowledge and skills, but produce boring content. This of course reduces the chances of success and sales of works. And for others it turns out the other way around even without deep knowledge.

And I also consider the ability to make contacts to be a very important skill.

4. Please tell us about your teaching technique, is there any specificity? Why should it be interesting for your future students in Ukraine?

I will talk about the basic shapes in the construction of the head, how to simplify, how to feel the material you are working with, how to find different options for solving problems. We will also talk about similarity, how to achieve it, about the volume and effects of light, the importance of building small forms.

The educational process at Barcelona Atelier of Realist Art

My technique is a mix of various small concepts, sometimes they look contradictory. Anyway, we will talk about basic rules. And with those students who better understand basic rules, we will move on and work, depending on their level. I teach what I am good at. This intensive course will be interesting for people who like my approach to work and those things that I also achieved through training.

 5. Which artists inspire you (old or modern)? Are there any Soviet or Ukrainian artists among them?

There are a lot of them. And I admire each of them for one reason or another. I've studied with artists like Nick Alm, Sean Cheetham, Robert Liberacy or Gilberto Geraldo and I am delighted with them. I love Sargent, Rembrandt, Fortuny, Miquel Blay, Ramon Casas, Madrazo, Sorolla, Fechin, Repin...

Ivan (author's note Ivan Pidhainyi, Ukrainian sculptor) gave me some books with Ukrainian artists and some of them are fantastic, but I don't remember all the names. Now there is a great opportunity to follow everyone on Instagram, you can find something new every day.

           6. What tips can you give aspiring artists to develop their skills?

I'll tell you from my own experience. I started out with picture, drawing and sculpting tutorials by Richard Schmid «Alla Prima Painting», Harold Speed, Edouard Lanteri...
 

The educational process at Barcelona Atelier of Realist Art

I attended art schools with professional teachers, like some of you who study with Ivan in the «Sculpturnyi tsekh» (Скульптурний цех), whose approach is close to me.

The internet is full of wonderful teaching materials and you can learn from many amazing artists for free or for a reasonable price.

Also take time to study marketing tools and presentation art, as well as selling your art, communicating with other people, because sociability is a separate art form that is important for building a professional career for everyone.

Interviewed by: Kateryna Pidhaina, art critic, «Sculpturnyi tsekh» school

In September 2019 in Kyiv in the school «Sculpturnyi tsekh» will take place weekly and intensiv course of academic drawing portrait and from Xavier Denia Denia Valls .