CLAUDIA MARCHETTI

DRAWING & ILLUSTRATION | ROME, ITALY

read our interview with Claudia below

HOUSE OF THEODORA CHATS TO CLAUDIA MARCHETTI

CLAUDIA MARCHETTI IS A CONFERENCE INTERPRETER & ARTIST WHO DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM HER BEAUTIFUL ROME AS WELL FROM THE LIKES OF THE GREAT PAINTER, EGON SCHIELE & FILMMAKER, DARIO ARGENTO.

Can you describe the style of your art?

It is symbolic, full of archetypes that mask some things while revealing other things. It is a shy way to be daring, to express my fantasies in a veiled way and my fears in a pleasant way. Through my art, I have found out that my fantasies and my fears often coincide. In the same way in which my mind and my body coincide, and there is no separation between the two.

How did you begin your journey as an artist?

I am a conference interpreter, I translate simultaneously during meetings. Because of that, I have always expressed other people’s ideas and thoughts. Then, all of a sudden, four years ago I felt an urge to express myself, to perceive myself and turn my inner chaos into tangible forms. Also, I wanted to inhabit a more beautiful world, the one that I draw every day, and to feel pleasure alone while drawing and imagining bodies, encounters and forms.

What’s your artistic process?

I draw without thinking, one image leads to the other, just as we dream. It is a way to let out my subconscious world, to look inside myself. I like to think that some invisible energies or gods guide my hand, and I never ever let rationality influence me.

Your beautiful art features many nude women. What is it about the female form that inspires you?

I like the fact that our body, its shape and the way in which it moves, the way in which it lays down or stands still, expresses our feelings, our mood. At the same time, the female body can almost immediately inspire fantasies in the mind of the viewer and ignite a desire. It is a way to express my desire and get in touch with the viewer’s desire.

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The art world is incredibly competitive. Does that change the way you draw? Do you feel a pressure to DRAW something that you think will sell?

I wish I had that kind of control over my drawings, but I don’t. I tried to censor myself in the past, or to be more daring, and the result was depressingly plain. Drawing is like playing with my toys, I do it freely and absentmindedly.

What’s it like being a female artist in RomE?

Rome is a privilege. It is the possibility of experiencing beauty and being surrounded by beauty continuously, and that is inspiring. All that beauty changes the shapes and the lines in my drawings. I soak in the light and the shapes of Rome and then I let them out in my drawings.

What does pleasure mean to you?

Pleasure is what I pursue every day, even tiny bits of pleasure, pleasure that is only evoked, the pleasure of somebody looking at me or the pleasure that I feel when I look at a bold fashion photo. I feel pleasure while I draw alone in my room and I wish that the viewers could feel that same pleasure. The deepest pleasure is generated by things that are hidden, forbidden, unattainable. And at times, it is provoked by things that are scary, or simply very pure and immaculate.

Who or what has been the biggest influence on your work?

Egon Schiele taught me that the female body can express our feelings and our pain too. I have been watching Dario Argento films since I was a teenager and I was told - by a man who loves Dario Argento even more than I do - that his films are similar to my art. I surely noticed that some of his obsessions are my obsessions too.

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What are you currently working on?

I am printing some of my drawings on silk scarves and we chose Chuchotage (“whispering” in French) as the name of the brand. I am collaborating with Edward Gucewicz, who is the creative director of this project and matched every drawing with lyrics of dance songs from the 90s and just made everything look more modern and elegant at the same time. The scarves are being printed in Como and sewn by hand, and will be available for sale from next week. I love the idea of women wearing the wildest dreams and the most intimate feelings on their shoulders, head and skin.

Who are your favourite female artists, living or passed?

I love Louise Bourgeois and Niki de Saint Phalle, for their explicit and splendid exploration of the body. I also love Sofia Coppola for the atmosphere she creates, and atmosphere is more important than concrete objects.