
Carlo Benatti
Born: 1965
Hometown: Verona
Based in: Grezzana
Born: 1965
Hometown: Verona
Based in: Grezzana
I was born in Verona in 1965, Italy.
In 1987 I moved to Milan to study Architecture at the Politecnico where I got the degree in 1990. Encouraged by the artist Ada Zanon Marisaldi, who appreciated my early paintings, I went to Berlin to meet and know some German artists among the Neuen Wilden. During those years I travelled all along Europe to discover the great art Museums.
After my first solo show at Galleria Ferrari, in 1990 I moved to New York to attend the School of Visual Arts. I had a show at the Cristopher Leonard Gallery and at the end of the 1992 Tompkins Square clashes I came back to Italy settling in a large run-down building in the old town of Verona. For a few years I hosted several local artists deciding to offer them a space to work.
In 1992 I collaborated in the realization of "Invita" - a cycle of exhibitions - curated by Erno Vroonen with artists such as Anish Kapoor, Giuseppe Penone and Julian Opie.
In 2005 I found an old farm on the slopes of the Lessini mountains, near Verona, where I moved to live in Nature with my family.
Please take a look at my CV at the www.carlobenatti.com website
What inspires you?
It is not the color, the shape or the light. The theme of my painting is the breath that passes through them. I'm not interested in telling or representing reality, but lighting up the gaze. The impossible challenge of capturing what cannot be seen and understood.
Describe your creative process.
I work on the color with many different techniques. Each technical choice contributes to building the final result: the wooden support, the primer, the transparency of the color, the glazes, the pure pigment.
What are 3 words that best describe your work?
Open, clean, deep
Who are some artists that have influenced your work?
Tiziano, Monet, Rothko.
What is the most important tool when creating your work?
Hard to explain, but more than brushes are rags.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
99% of the work is taking out what is not essential.
Where do you go for inspiration?
I live in Nature because my inspiration is not focused in the society but in the mystery of beeing.
Education
Polytechnic University of Milan. Degree in Architecture
Italy, 1990
Awards
36th International Chelsea Art Competition/Honorable Mention
2022