Giulio Iurissevich

Balancing on the blurred boundaries of illustration and painting, the work of Giulio Iurissevich places a question of origins, categorisation and definition. What the distinctive difference is between applied and fine art? Is it the means – handcrafted versus computer generated? Is it the quantity – singularity versus reproduction? Or is it the locus – art gallery versus lifestyle magazine? Passing through the era of ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ (Walter Benjamin), we now live in an era of electronic reproduction, an era where everything is considered content and is electronically distributed within the context of globalization. Art itself faces an identity crisis. The early 20th century modern art delineated the end of the category of art per se, leaving it void of its subliminal context. Art is now about value, commercial value that is. A singular artwork, a one-off, gains value because of its rarity. On the other hand, works like those of Giulio Iurissevich are made to be public, they are made for the public to enjoy and contemplate on. This is the quality that makes them so valuable.

Written by: admin on May 2, 2013.on February 19, 2014.