"I was born in Santiago, Chile. My relationship with art began at a very young age, while watching my mother develop as a visual artist. It grew in two stages; first through music, to which I dedicated several years of my life studying and participating in various bands as a bassist. Then, since 2010, I have focused on painting."
Read a Q&A with Domingo Donoso
What themes does your work involve?
I am mainly interested in addressing aspects of the inner world of human beings and their psychology. I try to represent, through figurative symbols, characteristics of my individuality.
Describe your creative process.
Generally, I am motivated to visually represent ideas, thoughts, feelings, and sensations that naturally begin to appear as mental images, which increasingly gain strength and definition. I believe it is very important, in my case, to let these images build as much as possible in my head so that they are organic and honest, without being influenced by the immediate work of turning them into a sketch or plan on a canvas. I really enjoy working in series, as it allows me to delve deeper into how to communicate a concept or idea and realize that visual language is infinite. I believe that the development of the work must always adjust to the creative intention, and that technique and methodology should serve this purpose.
What influences your work?
What inspires you?
Why do you make art?
Nature and those who inhabit it primarily inspire me; our way of relating to the world will always be stimulating. As I mentioned earlier, I am also interested in the inner world of human beings, the relationship between the conscious and unconscious, and the infinite search to represent our personal universe visually. The main challenge consists of finding ways to represent abstractions, concepts, such as feelings of fear, the memory of a scent, etc., figuratively through recognizable objects. I am also a lover of art and good artists, who will always be an inexhaustible source of inspiration.
What is good art?
What makes a piece of art great?
From my perspective, good art is born when artists commit to themselves and to what they seek to create. I greatly admire the artist who strives to have a personal search for those themes and concerns that define his thoughts and mobilize his sensitivity. To me, a piece of art that is worthy of observation and enjoyment comes out of working creatively, lucidly, with good technique and the right use of language. I appreciate the artist that never tires of pursuing what makes him unique and who, with mastery and wisdom, is able to show others his way of seeing the world.
What is the role of the artist today?
For me, art has been an incredible therapy through which I have come to know myself more deeply. Although many times it is painful and uncomfortable to enter the internal world, it allows you to improve as a human being. I feel that, in the same way, the persons that enjoy art enrich themselves immensely by finding out how an artist perceives and interprets reality from his particular viewpoint. It would be wonderful if we were surrounded by artists who aim to seek their own identity and thus enrich our relationship with what surrounds us; ultimately, reality is built from ideas.