One Minute Sketch With Artist Federico Pietrella
- Words
- Yasmin Poloczek
We’re always interested in seeing how artists work and their creative processes. That’s why we’d like to introduce the ‘One Minute Sketch‘, a behind-the-scenes video series where we take a look over an artist’s shoulder and get a glimpse into the creation of an artwork. For our first installment, we asked Berlin-based artist Federico Pietrella to interpret the topic of ‘Time’ with his style of creating intricate paintings made with date stamps. We teamed up with HUAWEI Watch for this feature, a smartwatch that combines classic design with innovative technology. It’s a sleek modern piece that can be easily integrated into your own personal style.
See Pietrella’s interpretation of ‘Time’ below…
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When and how did you come up with the idea of using stamps for your artworks?
Federico Pietrella: It was in 1997, during an Erasmus project in Antwerp. I was looking for a simple tool that I could use to keep track of the time in a foreign city. Then, while working on other kinds of work, I continued to make paintings with date stamps.
"The idea to use this tool probably comes from an old stamp my father had that I still have in a drawer somewhere."
What does time mean to you?
Federico Pietrella: I like stories that unfold over the years. I’m thinking of novels or movies, or even songs. In this sense, I also really like to see retrospectives of artists who have worked and produced over several decades. I don’t really know how to answer this question, but I can say that I like to fill time, even with a kind of slowness.
Why did you decide on this subject for the One Minute Sketch?
Federico Pietrella: I chose a portrait of my wife from a picture that I took last week in London in a room of the Tate Britain, where there was a beautiful show from Frank Auerbach. The light was very good, it was coming from above and the shadow on the face was interesting for me. Then I chose to use the color red, maybe inspired from Berlin’s colors in autumn.
