One Minute Sketch With Artist Federico Pietrella
- Words
- Yasmin Poloczek
We’re always interested in seeing how artists work and their creative processes. That’s why we’d like to introduce the ‘One Minute Sketch‘, a behind-the-scenes video series where we take a look over an artist’s shoulder and get a glimpse into the creation of an artwork. For our first installment, we asked Berlin-based artist Federico Pietrella to interpret the topic of ‘Time’ with his style of creating intricate paintings made with date stamps. We teamed up with HUAWEI Watch for this feature, a smartwatch that combines classic design with innovative technology. It’s a sleek modern piece that can be easily integrated into your own personal style.
See Pietrella’s interpretation of ‘Time’ below…
When and how did you come up with the idea of using stamps for your artworks?
Federico Pietrella: It was in 1997, during an Erasmus project in Antwerp. I was looking for a simple tool that I could use to keep track of the time in a foreign city. Then, while working on other kinds of work, I continued to make paintings with date stamps.
"The idea to use this tool probably comes from an old stamp my father had that I still have in a drawer somewhere."
What does time mean to you?
Federico Pietrella: I like stories that unfold over the years. I’m thinking of novels or movies, or even songs. In this sense, I also really like to see retrospectives of artists who have worked and produced over several decades. I don’t really know how to answer this question, but I can say that I like to fill time, even with a kind of slowness.
Why did you decide on this subject for the One Minute Sketch?
Federico Pietrella: I chose a portrait of my wife from a picture that I took last week in London in a room of the Tate Britain, where there was a beautiful show from Frank Auerbach. The light was very good, it was coming from above and the shadow on the face was interesting for me. Then I chose to use the color red, maybe inspired from Berlin’s colors in autumn.
