Simona Fedele
Simona was born in 1967 in Udine, Italy, where she still lives and works today. Despite the geographical distance to the world's art metropolises, she has succeeded in presenting her works worldwide. Twenty years ago, an Italian gallery made sure that its art made its way to America. Today she exhibits worldwide and is particularly popular on the European art market. The self-taught artist did not attend art school. She has been painting since she was a child and began painting her younger siblings at an early age. Simona never wanted to be an artist and says modestly that even today she would not call herself one.
“The face expresses many things that cannot be said. Every expression, every detail speaks about us,” explains Italian artist Simona Fedele. She mainly portrays women and manages to transport a special mood and sensuality through her works through the expression of honest emotions and a keen sense for the choice of her materials.
"The self-taught artist knows how to capture sensuality, beauty and self-mockery on canvas," says the owner of "eine art Galerie" in Koblenz, where Simona has been exhibiting since 2017. In her works, she combines reality and fiction through the photorealistic depiction of women. Colors and materials overlap. Parts of the canvas have been torn and reconstructed. Although a lot is happening in the pictures and there is a lot to discover, they radiate harmony. They raise the question of who these portrayed women are. "I think ordinary women are also extraordinary," explains Simona, quickly making the image of women in her art clear.
Portrait painting has been one of the main themes in art since ancient times. The way, the style and the intentions behind it have changed through the epochs. This was always connected, among other things, with the discovery of new techniques and materials. An example is oil painting, discovered in the Renaissance. On the basis of this, what is probably the most famous painted portrait of a woman was created: Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. One of many depictions of women in art history. Mainly painted by men. Various exhibitions and those interested in art today deal with the development of the image of women in art. In particular, how the view of the woman in a portrait by a female artist differs from that of a male.
Simona doesn't think much of artistic references. "As Francis Scott Fitzgerald wrote in The Great Gatsby, you can't repeat the past," she says.
Statements like this demonstrate expertise and her awareness of history, but at the same time show that the artist is aware of her own art.
The approach to her work has changed, especially in the last two years. Before, every portrait started with a drawing. Today she has learned to use photographic basics. "It's not always satisfying from a personal point of view, but it is in terms of sales," explains Simona. "There's little art in those words, I know," she adds. In a conversation with Simona, it quickly becomes clear that art is not just passion, but also hard, serious and professional work. Again and again she mentions her family and in particular her three sons, whom she has to support financially through her work and which is why passion and love are not always enough.
The 54-year-old experiments a lot with different materials. Canvas, cloth, stucco, cement, leaves, flowers, paper and cardboard of all kinds served as materials. It is important to her that these are as recyclable as possible and do not contain any environmentally polluting substrates.
The answer to the question about her source of inspiration is not easy for Simona. Nevertheless, her answer is clear: love. "When I'm alone in my studio, I think a lot, I write a lot, I read a lot before I draw. And I love everything intensely. My sons, nature, my work. I love and suffer for many things: everything, even the little things, takes me away, involves me, enchants me.”
Simona ends the conversation with warm words: "I hope that the future will bring us all great things, always with love and respect for our work and for the people who work with us." (Text: Selina Hofmann in an interview with Simona Fedele June 2020)
