“Шахматный набор” воспроизводит руки его младшего сына. Идея скульптуры – из детства, когда Лоренцо и его брат, будучи детьми, стояли по одну сторону шахматной доски, а их отец, как мастер, по другую. Лоренцо никак не мог научиться играть в шахматы, или ” игру жизни”, как их называют. Теперь же, когда он наконец постиг ее и стал мастером, он победил своего отца, и стоит здесь как отец троих сыновей. Теперь он учит их играть по правилам жизни.

 

 

– Каждая работа имеет цель. В чем общая цель работ Лоренцо Куинна?

– Работы Лоренцо несут чувства людям, которые в них нуждаются. Его цель – не в художественном исполнении работы, а в наполнении. Как только он рождает идею и находит пути к ее воспроизведению, исполнение происходит очень быстро.

[quote style=”boxed”]«Вечная любовь – это любовь вне границ, это полная любовь, это всепринимающая и всепрощающая любовь, – любовь без условий.»

Одна из главных скульптур Лоренцо  – “Отдавать и Брать”. Ее копию в размере 25 футов он подарил Барселоне. С тех пор под ней прошло несколько бракосочетаний. Скульптура не задумывалась как алтарь, но была адаптирована под него. Лоренцо был невероятно тронут тем, что его чувства были настолько позитивно восприняты.

[quote style=”boxed”]«Необходимо найти баланс в жизни. Природа пытается научить нас этому с начала времен. Все противоречия и крайности сходятся. Ты не можешь в полном объеме насладиться тем, что получил, если ничего не дашь взамен. Невозможно насладиться подарком, если ты дорожишь только тем, что трудно получить.»

 

 

 

На выставке представлена “Идеальная история”. Мужчина и женщина внутри книги. Идея такова: парень встречает девушку, они влюбляются, женятся и…. начинаются проблемы. Финансовые проблемы, проблемы со здоровьем, детьми, возможно, измены… Большинство людей, которые доходят до этой границы, разводятся. Эта пара выдержала все испытания и прошла этот период. И как результат того, что они остались вместе, их жизнь и их мир – это идеальная история.

На Арт-шоу в Маями ко мне подошла группа женщин, человек восемь, на вид за тридцать и попросила меня рассказать об этой работе. После услышанного, одна из них разрыдалась и проплакала на моем плече пять минут. Когда она, наконец, пришла в себя, ее подруга рассказала, что вызвало слезы. Эта женщина сама проходила в те дни такой же период. Рассказ принес ей долгожданное облегчение. Реакция зрителей для Лоренцо – самое важное. Смысл его искусства – в глазах зрителей. Мы с женой счастливы быть частью этой работы.

[quote style=”boxed”]“Каждые отношения проходят через испытания и перемены, у них случаются взлеты и падения, но важно в тяжелые периоды держаться за свои счастливые, золотые моменты, ведь именно они помогают вам держаться вместе. Только тогда, после шторма, снова и снова на вашем небосклоне будет　появляться радуга.” 

– Лоренцо Куинн называет себя последователем школ Микеланджело, Бернини и Родена. А какие новые, характерные для него элементы, внес он в скульптуру?

– Во-первых, это стихи. Лоренцо с самого начала размещает их рядом со своими скульптурами, чтобы объяснить свои идеи. Позволяя себе быть уязвимым, он хочет быть понятым. Идея сама по себе уникальна, так как большинство художников не пускают публику в свои мысли. Лоренцо пишет поэму к каждой своей скульптуре и не выставляет ни одну работу без подобного сопровождения.

Еще один важный для Лоренцо момент – разница текстур. Он хочет, чтобы зрители трогали его работы. Играя на контрасте текстуры, шершавой и гладкой, Лоренцо напоминает, что в человеческих отношениях есть хорошие времена и плохие. Когда ты просто смотришь на скульптуру, невозможно ощутить более глубокий смысл в нее заложенный. Множество эмоций передается через тактильные ощущения. Это можно сравнить с чтением книги. Прочитав “Великий Гэтсби”, ты получишь удовольствие, но если понимаешь символизм каждой отдельной детали, ты получаешь более глубокое понимание. Это трогает тебя на другом уровне. Для Лоренцо важно, чтобы люди получали такой опыт.

Ну и, конечно же, движение, передающее динамику человеческих отношений. Элементы скульптур Лоренцо можно и нужно трогать и приводить в движение, что тоже необычно, так как вносит интерактивность, не характерную для большинства скульпторов.

– Расскажите о Вашей любимой скульптуре Лоренцо Куинна.

У него есть чудесная скульптура “Это не игра”. Это реальный русский танк, обхваченный огромной рукой. Вокруг него в разных положениях – 4 игрушечных солдатика ,типа тех, что продаются в супермаркетах по дюжине в пакете. Вторая рука держит одного из них. Выглядит все так, будто ребенок играет в свои игрушки, но призыв противоположный, “это – не игра”. Монумент был установлен в 2011 году перед входом в Венецианский Биеналле, и туда можно было попасть только пройдя мимо него. Улицы в Венеции очень узкие, скульптуру невозможно было доставить поездом и решено было отправить ее по реке. Люди собирались вокруг, фотографировали, снимали на видео. Лоренцо сидел сверху на монументе и писал “Это Не Игра” краской из баллончика. Это был хит, который попал во все медиа от Эл Темпо до ABC News World Time. Смысл скульптуры – призыв не забывать о боли прошлого и думать о будущем.

[quote style=”boxed”]«Я не верю, что какой – либо художник удовлетворен своей работой до конца. В тот День, когда ты решишь, что перестал развиваться, познавать, эволюционировать, когда ты почувствуешь, что удовлетворён тем что сделал, ты умрёшь как художник.»

Интервью вела Ольга Третьякова

Использование текста интервью возможно только со сылкой на источник и с разрешения автора проекта.

Благодарим галерею Halcyon за предоставленные фотографии.

Lorenzo Quinn

Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn is one of the most recognizable figures in contemporary sculpture. His dramatic monuments are located in different corners of the world. ‘I make art for myself and for people who wish to come along for a ride through my dreams’, he says – and skilfully throws down a challenge to awaken emotions of the audience. Among his commissions is The Tree of Life, produced for the United Nations and issued by the organisation as a stamp in 1993. The following year the Vatican engaged him to sculpt the likeness of Saint Anthony for the Basilica del Santo in Padua, in commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the Saint’s birth.  The sculpture and its creator, who was only 28 then, were blessed by the Pope John Paul II in front of a crowd of 35,000. One of Quinn’s monumental sculptures entitled The Force of Nature II, has seen placements around the world,  located in England, Monaco, and Singapore, and was recently installed in New York City on 6th Avenue. This sculpture was established as a joint project with Petra Nemkova and her charity, the Happy Hearts Foundation. It represents a fragile, but astrong woman – the mother of Nature. You can see a strong wind flow movement looking at this sculpture though the object was created as absolutely static.

 

This year, Halcyon Gallery from London presented 18 sculptures by Lorenzo Quinn at the International Contemporary Art Show SCOPE in New York.

Our interlocutors are the representatives of Halcyon Gallery and long-time friends with Lorenzo Quinn, Grant and Aileen Reinhard.

– Lorenzo Quinn is the fifth son of the well-known American actor, Anthony Quinn. How has the popularity of his father affected his childhood and formation?

– Lorenzo was born in Rome in 1966. His childhood passed in New York and Italy. Since the early years, Lorenzo was surrounded by celebrities. He told me a story of how actor, John Wayne once put him to bed as a kid. There was such a pedigree and so many privileges that you would have thought such guy would grow up arrogant, but Lorenzo has not been jaded by that. Thanks to the opportunity to travel with his father, Lorenzo was wise beyond his years. One of his first works, Stairs of Life, which the artist created when he was 23, opens a rich inner world of the young sculptor. Four steps: two conduct up, two down. At the top step there is a man with a hole in his stomach because he was hungry, above there are lines of pennies representing wealth and another man, his foot on a second step and another foot on the bottom. This man has a hole in his heart because he compromised himself for money. Then on the bottom step which is lined with poverty, a man is sitting and urging the others to stop, telling them not to trade themselves for riches. Universal dilemmas, the fight of good against the evil, preservation of cultural values – all of these topics became main subjects of inspiration for Lorenzo Quinn.

– Quinn is a graduate of the American Academy of the Fine Arts. While studying, he planned to become Surrealist painter. What led Lorenzo to begin sculpting?

– Lorenzo began his career 25 years ago in New York. Without having a clear idea of what he wanted to do, he tested himself as an actor, a singer, an artist, a poet. As a son of an actor and having been very artistic since childhood, he started his acting career first.

Among his roles, the young Antonio Stradivari and Salvador Dalí. He received an award of the International Film festival in Biarritz for the role of Dalí.

At that time, Lorenzo started to develop the first significant sculpture, The Hand of God here in New York. Having successfully replicated the human hands, a very difficult element for artistic reproduction, Lorenzo was convinced that sculpture was his future and he would be able to transfer his energy and originality through it. The Hand of God is one of his most recognizable works. It has been displayed in many cities of the world, including on Park Lane in London and The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The human hand became a main element in Quinn’s work. He refers to huge powers that are concealed in the hand – the power to love, hate, create, and destroy.

– When we started to work with Lorenzo’s art, he had only eight small sculptures. We packed them, leased the U-Haul truck and went from exhibition to exhibition. At that time, we completely relied on friends who were so kind and provided their houses and guest rooms for the first shows. We began to sell, but people had to wait for two months before they could take away their purchases because the sculptures were needed for the following shows. I don’t know how today’s success measures by Lorenzo’s expectations, but for me – it is beyond.

– Why did Lorenzo Quinn leave New York for Barcelona?

– He left when his first son was born. Life here became too difficult with a child and his work. It was impossible to find a foundry to support the continuation of his career. Everything was too expensive. The choice fell to Spain, as Barcelona was known for its creativity and suitable conditions, there Lorenzo could develop as the sculptor, and all necessities for life were affordable. It was the common decision of him and his wife, Giovanna Cicutto.

– Let’s talk about the family theme in the art of Lorenzo Quinn.

– The family always comes first for Lorenzo, he receives support and inspiration from them. He is very proud of his wife Giovanna who was with him before anything was established. They celebrated their 25^th wedding anniversary last summer. They are an absolutely undefeated couple. In many of his works – he uses his hands and the hands of his wife. In the Love Series, Lorenzo describes different stages of their relationship as an ideal cycle.

In the first figure the people have only met, in the following they merge into one when their hands connect, then the circle comes to an end, and the love becomes infinite, while the relationship is still dynamic – the circle moves and they develop as a couple. The last sculpture is called Eternal Love, and is intentionally deprived of movement because this love has hardened and they have become one. However, now the love is open – the couple shares it with others, building a family.

 

 

 

[quote style=”boxed”]The sculpture Tight Ropeindicates the need of man for a strong woman. If you are lucky enough you will be able to find someone who will balance you and help you walk the tight rope of life.

 

 

 

 

 

[quote style=”boxed”]Keeping Me on My Toes symbolizes that women have become stronger and literally keep men on their toes. Lorenzo is definitely referring to his relationship, as his his wife is a strong Italian woman. At the same time, some men will look at this sculpture and say that without a man, women would fall down.

 

 

The idea behind Lorenzo’s sculptural Chess Set comes from his childhood when Lorenzo and his brothers as children stood at one side of a chessboard, and their father as the chess master, at another. Lorenzo could never master a game of chess or a game of life as some people call it. So now, when he finally mastered it and beat his father, he stands as a father of three boys, teaching them how to play by rules of life.

 

– Each work has a purpose. What is the general purpose Lorenzo Quinn’s artwork?

Lorenzo’s art tries to convey an element of feeling and emotion to help people that have a need for it. His dual purpose is in the execution of the work, but also the idea behind the work. Once he comes up with an idea and he finds a way to express it, the execution is very quick.

One of Lorenzo’s popular sculptures is Give and Take. He made it 25 feet in diameter and presented it to the city of Barcelona. Since that time there have been several weddings held underneath it.  It was not given as an altar, but it was adapted as one by quite a few people. Lorenzo was incredibly touched that his idea was so positively taken.

The Perfect Story is also presented at the exhibition. A man and a woman stand in the book. The idea is as follows: guy meets girl, they fall in love, get married, and problems start.  Financial problems, health problems, children, probably infidelities… The majority of people who reach this border, get divorced. This couple passed all tests and have overcome this period. As result of remaining together, their life and their world is a perfect story.

During another Art Fair in Miami, a group of about eight women in their mid-thirties approached me and asked me to explain this work, and so I did. One woman started crying. She cried in my arms for five minutes. When she composed herself, her friend told me what had caused the tears. This woman herself was going through the same period in her life. The story gave her long-awaited relief and comfort. The reaction of the audience means more to Lorenzo than anything. That’s the whole intent behind his art. Both Art and Beauty are in the eye of the beholder. My wife and I are so blessed to be a part of this artwork.

 

– Lorenzo Quinn is a follower of Michelangelo, Bernini and Rodin. Which unique elements and characteristics does he introduce in his sculptures?

– With each sculpture he writes a poem. Lorenzo has done this since the beginning. It allows people to see the deeper emotion, gives some insight into his thinking which is unique because a lot of artists don’t let the public into their thoughts – for some reason they don’t want that. By allowing himself to be very vulnerable, he wants people to understand. It is a very large part of identification, now people take pictures of the poems as well because it means a lot to them.

The difference of textures is also an interesting artistic element. Lorenzo wants the audience to touch his works. Playing on contrast of texture, rough and smooth, Lorenzo reminds that there are good times and bad times in relationships.  When you simply look at a sculpture, it is impossible to feel the deeper meaning he puts in it. The set of emotions is transmitted through tactile feelings. It can be compared to reading a book. You will enjoy reading The Great Gatsby, but if you understand the symbolism of each separate detail, you walk away with a deeper understanding. It touches you at a different level. Lorenzo wants people to experience his art in this way.

One other unique element to some of his works is movement. He puts it to his works to show the dynamics of human relationships. It is possible and necessary to touch many of Lorenzo’s sculptures to set them in motion. He introduces an unusual aspect of interactivity.

– What is your favourite sculpture by Lorenzo Quinn?

He has a wonderful sculpture called This Is Not A Game. It is an authentic, decommissioned Russian tank with a giant hand around it. There are four life size toy-soldiers like you would buy in a bag in a supermarket in a various positions around it. Another big hand holds one of them. It’s like a child playing with his toys, but the message is ‘This Is Not A Game.’ The monument was put in front of Venice Biennale in 2011, and you couldn’t go into Biennale without seeing it. Streets in Venice are very narrow and it was impossible to deliver the sculpture by train, so they had to float it down the river. People gathered around, took pictures, and filmed it. Lorenzo was on the sculpture writing ‘This Is Not A Game’ with a spray paint as it was floating down the canal. It was a massive hit that was in every media from Al Tempo to ABC News World Time. The meaning of this sculpture is not to forget about pain of the past and to think of the future.

Olga Tretiakova