Gianpaolo Alexander

Your works often feel like scenes from a strange theatre or a dream. How do your images usually begin — with a story, an emotion, a memory, or a visual idea?

Usually, they are visions that I’m not really sure where they came from. At times, they are a result of a strong feeling, as though they get translated into the visual but have been brewing inside for a while.

Gianpaolo Alexander | Сity At Dawn

In your artist statement, you mention painting what you feel or encounter. How do everyday impressions transform into the surreal worlds we see in your paintings?

They transform through time. What may begin as a view of a park, as I continue to work, seems to absorb whatever I am going through, good or bad. It’s not really intentional, but part of just continuing to dream through that vision. It’s also important to contain this, if that’s the right word, because it’s easy for it to slip into something else entirely.

Many of your paintings contain figures that seem mysterious, masked, or ghost-like. What role do these characters play in your work?

The images of people are also seen often through a lens. The lens being life, memory, and dream. So, for me, it’s almost more important to allow this to happen than to capture the way the thing actually looks.

Your urban landscapes feel both familiar and imaginary. Are these cities based on real places, inner visions, or a combination of both?

The places go through a similar process. We have all seen millions of places, and this influences the way we see the world that surrounds us. I am not attempting to be free of perception.

Gianpaolo Alexander | Company

There is often a strong sense of tension in your compositions — conflict, anticipation, or something about to happen. How important is narrative drama in your painting process?

Narration is everything for me. I can’t help being interested in that. Everything is in constant movement and changing, so for me, it feels like the most genuine way to develop an image.

Gianpaolo Alexander | Bloodsport

You write about searching for things that cause wonder. What does “wonder” mean to you as an artist, and how do you know when a painting has captured it?

Wonder for me is the unknown and its effect on perception. Wonder can also be negative. Often, I am battling with myself in order to make this turn into something positive or good. Even the most haunted or sorrowful feelings offer a glimpse into the unknown, so I just try to keep that very much present.

Gianpaolo Alexander | Oliver’S House

Looking at your recent works, what direction do you feel your painting is moving toward now — more narrative, more atmospheric, more personal, or something else entirely?

I would say that the paintings are going towards the breakdown of forms and things, so in a way, the atmospheric. In painting, you are wondering about every element of reality and finding a way to make that all work together. It’s all really just a feeling for things. As I change, the paintings change as well. I am always trying to be as honest as I can, I suppose.