Florencia de Palleja is an advanced student of the Bachelor's Degree in Design and Visual Communication, born in the city of Rivera on March 20, 1996. She lived there until she was 17 years old and then moved to the capital, Montevideo. She works as a teacher at the Taller de la Buena Memoria.
Interview by Shirley Rebuffo
Shirley Rebuffo: How did your path in art begin?
Florencia de Palleja: Art was always present in my life. As I grew up it evolved into different languages. These made it possible for me to express myself in that continuous need to create and communicate. From an early age I attended different workshops, the first one was Gustavo Alsó's in Rivera, when I was between 3 and 4 years old. There I had my first contact with plastic arts in experiences such as ceramics, papier-mâché and painting. Although to be honest, the memory that remains most latent in my mind from that time is eating popcorn and listening to Juanes while we shared those creative moments. Likewise, my professional path in art began 3 years ago.
SR: Despite your young age, you have gone on to two university careers. Could you talk a little about how the changes came about?
FdP: The moment of choosing a university career was a great challenge that I think most 17-year-olds face. I liked and was interested in subjects that, at the time, I thought had no common ground between them. I was always a lover of mathematics and physics, as well as philosophy and psychology. Dedicating myself to art professionally was not a viable option, I suppose because of prejudice and ignorance as well. For that reason I leaned towards engineering, I spent two years in the Faculty of Engineering. They were difficult years, since I faced many changes all at once, moving to a new city, facing a career and the study method, living in a student residence, even learning to use the most complex public transportation, and added to that, at the end I realized that I had made a mistake in choosing a career. Although I learned a lot and enjoyed it, I felt that it was not the place for me, it was a very cold career, from the building to the classmates and teachers themselves. There were days that, if I did not coincide with a friend, I could be all day in the faculty without talking to anyone, I felt that there was no interest in the human and social, that many were there for the pure and hard knowledge leaving aside the rest, I do not know if it is the best way to explain what happened to me, but I can say it that way.
I noticed that change the first day I went to the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism, when I changed to the career, which I am studying today (Bachelor of Visual Communication Design). The building welcomed me with another warmth, the classrooms had huge tables where we sat 5 students at a time, in the corridors of the inner garden there were tables available to study in the sun surrounded by that spectacular landscape, the teachers had a much more direct and close relationship, and I felt at home.
I discovered design when I was 15, researching on the internet I came across this career that at that time I thought it was a mix between knowing photography and using Photoshop, and since I liked photography and I knew how to handle Photoshop I thought it was a good option. Today I realize that I couldn't have been more wrong, that visual communication is something much deeper.
Currently I am studying the Final Project and the Degree Thesis, studying this career I discovered that I am interested in linguistics and communication, and also gave me the tools to achieve the search I am doing now in art, I learned that all those things I liked and my concerns I could include them in my creations.
SR: You like to play with textures. Is this a recurring technique in your paintings?
FdP: As a texture in my work, only the trace of the brush when mixing the paint on the canvas counts, and this can be seen in the passage of color and in the punctual lights.
SR: How does your creative process work, do you see the figure first or do you start from the idea to find the form? Basically, what inspires you?
FdP: My creative process is diverse, there are times when the idea comes to me and then I look for the shape, and other times I see the image and then build the concept. Even when I paint with a preconceived idea, I have changed things and given another direction to the work. Over the years I have learned to give importance to the things that happen randomly; I understood that, although at that moment I cannot internalize it, it has a reason and it is connected with what I have already done and with what I will do in the future because it comes from me and it is built on the basis of a trunk of information, feelings and emotions. Whichever path I choose to follow before starting to paint or record, the result is the same, an encounter with me.
SR: Tell us about the metal engraving technique you are working on. How did you discover it and with whom have you worked on it?
FdP: I discovered engraving with Pedro Peralta, I went to the workshop initially with the idea of going deeper into painting and when I arrived I discovered a world from which I can't escape now. Engraving caught me in such a way that I'm doing my Career Final Project on that subject: engraving.
I find it an incredible and infinite technique in terms of possibilities. The process of creating a work in engraving is magical: you are working blind until you make the state test and only then the image is revealed on paper. I also believe that the engraving itself is in the block, in the matrix, that with time and experience we are able to see the work right there.
SR: Although some of your works take place in nature, they have an intimate vision. Could you explain the intentionality behind them?
FdP: I am particularly interested in this question because you managed to capture the essence of my work. At the moment I am in a personal search and the objects I choose and the shape of the landscape are highly related to each other and have an intentionality. In my work I try to capture my concerns, experiences and emotions, sometimes I achieve it more accurately than others. Most of the objects that we can see are my own belongings or those of loved ones.
In other opportunities I have told where the story that I am handling now in my work comes from. It was through a photographic exercise in Rivera, I was interested in knowing what would happen if I removed some objects from their usual context and I relied on the nearby landscape I had: afforestation forests. With the passing of time, and some study, I realized that those objects spoke about me, and that I could use them to put together a kind of personal puzzle.
When choosing what to do, I not only take into account the conceptual factor but also what I enjoy doing, I think there are some things more enjoyable to paint or engrave than others. Recently while reflecting I found a syntagma that I like to use to describe what I am looking for in painting and that is to create something "piercingly beautiful". Piercingly in reference to experiences, truths, emotions, for the feeling itself, and beautiful for the subtleties and harmony.
SR: What materials do you like to use the most?
FdP: Currently in painting I am using acrylic. In engraving the support I use are copper or bronze plates, the magic I put in the tools, which are the extension of my hand to create, I like to make the tools from scratch and with each one I have a special bond.
SR: How does the pairing of photography and painting work for you today?
FdP: Regarding photography, I can't conceive a way of working without it, it is already part of my creative process and of my life. I worked professionally with photography for three years, but I also believe that it is present in all creative processes as an inspiration, as a reminder, as a reference, sometimes as a final product and sometimes as a means to an end, whether it is painting, drawing or engraving.
I also find interesting the fact that many times what others receive from my work are photographs, since it is not always possible to see it live. I think it is important for artists to learn to show their work through photographs and videos, since they are tools that go hand in hand with social networks, today more than ever.
SR: When you take on a play you have an initial project, but you also leave room for spontaneity and improvisation. What is that dynamic like?
FdP: Yes, it's the most fun part. Although I rely on photographic sketches when creating, I take them only as references for composition and form. The magic happens when I transform that reference into painting or engraving, because my work acquires pictorial and graphic quality when it is rich in strokes and brushstrokes. This, together with personal changes during the process of creation, which can last between a week or a month, a period in which the way I conceive it, the work I am doing, also changes.
I have a curious anecdote that happened to me recently. I was finishing the painting "From me, for me", I had it almost ready, and suddenly a light came through the window next to where I work, which generated the shadow of the grille and a plant. That light fell on the painting, and I loved it, I decided to take a gamble and paint that shape on top of what I had already defined. The result could be great or terrible, but I would only know if I did it. I did it, and I was super satisfied with the result.
SR: What is your biggest weakness when facing a new creation?
FdP: In the beginning it was being demanding and overthinking everything. I'm pretty hard on myself and sometimes it's hard for me to respect internal times and processes. It's something I've been working on. I used to spend hours, nine or even more, sitting in front of the computer, writing and sketching and nothing would come out. I wanted it to be the perfect sketch and the best work of my life, and of course that meant that nothing convinced me. Until I learned to stop and think, to realize that maybe I left out good ideas because I was looking for that unattainable perfection. I guess age plays against me with that rush.
Now I try to mentalize that I have a lot ahead of me and more to learn. I believe that in the process of creating, I will get better and better. Undoubtedly that was the biggest learning I had last year: instead of being stuck thinking about "the big idea", it is better to do several small things while it doesn't come up and understand that sooner or later it will undoubtedly come.
SR: SR: What are your artistic tastes, in general?
FdP: It's as diverse as there are artists in the world. I don't necessarily like the work of artists whose work is similar in style to mine. I have been very interested since I was young in the poetic and atmospheric that William Turner generates in his work. I consider Rembrandt a great master in everything, composition, handling of light, drawing, materiality of the work, in short, everything. Within Uruguayan art, among the old masters I admire are Leonilda González and Luis Solari, both great engravers. Carlos María Herrera has some impressive pastel works. Carlos Federico Sáez seems incredible to me, his work has great precision in the brushstroke and character. Nelson Ramos with the works of the domes and skulls, the oil paintings of Lacy Duarte, the paintings and sculptures of Gurvich in his last period. The color palette of the artists of planism seems to me hallucinating, it is magical since they managed to create portals of light in simple landscapes. And among the artists who are working today I really like the work of Pollo Vázquez, Pedro Peralta, Ignacio Iturria, Margaret White, Álvaro Amengual, Eloísa Ibarra, Rogelio Osorio, Sebastián Sáez, among others. I could go on and on with the list, but I think that with those artists I named, you get the picture.
SR: What does it mean to you to enjoy what you do?
FdP: I can say that I enjoy everything that my job entails, I love what I do and I put all my energy into it. So, for me, enjoyment simply means having the possibility to do it. That enjoyment has many stages, from the conception of the idea, since I love to study and research, the sketching can be the most cumbersome stage, but what I rescue is that when I finish it I am super excited and eager to materialize that sketch. The process of carrying it out whether painting or engraving is magical, there is no other word to describe it. And after the work is finished, there is the whole part of sharing it on social networks, receiving the look of the public and opinions of colleagues, taking the work to the gallery or to an exhibition, and even having interviews. From the moment I decided to dedicate myself to this, I can say that I am free and that I feel complete and happy.
SR: You have dabbled in a few workshops, perhaps looking for styles. In which one or ones have you felt comfortable and why?
FdP: Where I felt most comfortable was where I set the anchor, and that's where I work now at the Good Memory Workshop. Pedro [Peralta] is an excellent teacher and a super open person, willing to help you find your own path within art. I fell in love with the philosophy of the workshop: it is to give importance to find and work on the language that represents each one of us, instead of teaching generalities and creating copies of the master or other masters. I had the opportunity to attend other workshops and specific courses. Among those I felt more comfortable with, they have a common point: making art is not taught, it is guided and that guidance, in my opinion, has to include more than just knowledge of the subject, it has to go a step beyond the question of knowledge to delve into more psychological and perhaps philosophical aspects.
SR: Are you methodical in your work?
FdP: At the moment I'm still exploring techniques and methods, but I can say yes. I stick to whatever method is working for me at the time, then as I'm doing it I figure out what steps to take to achieve what I want and that's what I base my growth on.
SR: How much do you worry about how others look at your work?
FdP: It depends. I take the viewer's look as just another opinion, since the contemplation and reading of a work is a matter of perception. But that is unrelated to the value of the work for me. I also confess that I am pleased when someone reads or interprets what I deposited in the work when I conceived it.
On the other hand, there is the commercial issue, which is like a world apart that nobody wants to talk about, and I think that here it can affect the view of others, since it is often a matter of taste whether an artist is successful or not.
I guess all artists seek to escape the trend to be true to what really makes us unique. But keeping the balance between being true to oneself and making a living out of it can be difficult, there will be moments of greater fidelity and moments of slippage.
SR: What concerns do you have now, what are you reflecting on?
FdP: I can say that I am constantly reflecting on everything that comes my way. The art world is new to me and there is still a lot to know. But right now I'm analyzing and studying some theory, I'm reading a very interesting book "El arte en cuestión" which is a dialogue between Felipe Noé and Zabala. It has made me think about what makes a work of art and the artist's path.
SR: What do you have in mind for the near future, in relation to your art?
FdP: I started the year with several projects that were thrown off by the health situation, but they are still in the works. Among those projects is my first solo exhibition in Montevideo.
