DANIEL VICTOR’S SHADOWS AND LIGHT!
“Night time leads the Artist’s hand towards the lines of his imagination and when he awakes, the colours and feelings of his inspiration take shape.”
What a perfect way to describe Daniel Victor’s masterpieces then with his own words. Looking at his art leaves me in awe, unable to do anything except open wide my eyes and see… see the intensity, the same intensity that is reflected in Daniel’s gaze.
Daniel Victor, welcome once again! It is a pleasure and an honour to publish this article once again with a few additional remarks. Thank you for allowing us a glimpse into your world.
1) What is art for you? 
To give a definition of what Art is would be presumptuous on my part…
Art is vast.
But, to me, Art is the personal expression of the world rendered thru the eye of one individual.
We all perceive and interpret the world around us with our own personal vision of things.
Each our very own.
But, sometimes, comes along a creator, writer, singer or poet that touches us with a universal, yet unique vision of things… Da Vinci, Spielberg, Mozart, Disney, only to name a few. These Artists are remembered mostly because they have shared their unique visions of things with us, and, we recognized it. Sometimes, the creation is purely universal (1) and other times, it is more subtle…it wakes up hidden emotions …Confronted with it, we react one way or the other…
A few years ago, at an exhibition in New York, I met with hundreds of people, young and old, from all walks of life. I was showing some pieces inspired by Dante’s Purgatorio(2). These pieces were so strong emotionally and visually, that they acted like a mirror. Each individual that came across them had a very different impression and interpretation of the various pieces. They made me realize, after many years of practice, that the way people perceive a piece of Art tells a lot about them and their state of mind. A painting or any creation reflects on you, like a mirror. I see it one way, and you may see it in another, totally different way. A love song can be harmonious and soothing to one individual and, just sad, tacky and boring to the next. Same goes for most artistic creation. They touch our soul differently. A true Artist is someone who has a Universal vision to share.
2: What inspires you the most to paint?
2- I get most of my inspiration when I dream. I always have some pencils and a sketch pad beside my bed. So, after a dream, I awake in the middle of the night, and I do some quick sketches to remember the images, to remember the essence of my dream. Would I wait until morning to do it, and all would have vanished from my memory…like most, we forget our dreams.
So, I find most of my themes and subject in my dreams.
Also, but, more rarely, a face, an expression or a model can inspire me.
3: When you are in the process of painting, where does it take you? I mean where does your mind travel?
3-There are two parts to your question.
First, I have to draw, to study and to sketch the future painting that I bare in my mind… This takes more time than the actual painting part. Sometimes weeks. Months. The drawing part, to find the right angle, the right detail, the right choices for composition, is the structure and soul of a painting. I have this image in my mind, and, I have to put it down, but, it is not an exact science.
It has to carry the feeling, the emotion I had when I dreamt it, so, it can sometimes be a long way to get from a blank canvas to the vision of my dreams.
Secondly, when the actual drawing is completed on the canvas, and that I am satisfied with every detail, I can proceed to finally paint it.
When I am in the process of painting, I am very enthusiastic, very lively, because it is the fun part of painting. I close all phones, and I listen to very loud music. My mind is in a state where I feel very comfortable, spacey, to be honest, I feel liberated from the image. I feel free. I would compare it to meditation, where no thought or worries exists. Only the joy of being. Of Creating. Of letting go…
5) Do you feel painting, music and health are related and in what way? Have you witnessed a good example of it?
5-Not only do I think they are related, but, I believe everything is related.
I have to admit that I share some recent physic’s research toward the tissue of life.
So, yes, they are all related, simply because we are living beings, living things, extremely limited to our few senses and perceptions. As physician David Bohm puts it, matter is light, and matter is, simply explained, condensed light!!
6) You say you get your inspiration in a dream, sometimes but rarely in a face, or an expression. Do you identify with your subjects? Obviously it is part of your subconscious expressing itself or recognizing itself in another face or emotion when it happens. Would you say your art is the expression of your “higher self`”?
6- I often take part in the dreams, but I very seldom identified to the subject. I am a witness. I don’t know about higher self. The field of dreams is way beyond my comprehension of things…but I can say I have.
7) You say you put on loud music and paint to your heart’s content, how does music help you paint?
7-Music is an Art that helps you go with the flow when it is used the way a monk would do a mantra. The mantra is the oriental version of the our prayer.
The state of mind I am in is very similar to that when I paint.
Music is essential to my work. I carefully choose the music that will suit best with the thematic of the painting I am working on. It can be Rap, Gregorian, Glazounov, Cirque du Soleil or U2.
I relate very strongly to music.
In fact, I think I would have been a better musician than a painter.
But, again, it is all about the emotion carried.
Music has a direct, subtle or not, effect on the listener.
I try to get the same blunt effect in my paintings.
That is why I rarely do a scenery, or paint a décor for my figures. I paint the figures’ universe, not the universe of the figures!!
Painting any kind of backgrounds would be so much simple to do, but, I believe I would over stimulate people’s senses… I prefer bluntness in the impact of the painted eyes, the emotion in a twisted finger, or the sadness in an embrace….Like music, painting offers different choices, in tones, colors, dimension, proportions, etc, etc.. that are all aimed at getting the emotion thru.
8) When do you do your best work?
8- I do my best work when the image has matured and is ready to be drafted. No specific time is required, but, certainly not when I just woke up!!!
No. 9) Some people are of the opinion that school systems kill creativity. How do you feel about that?
Well, I really believe that everything that is governmental or institutional is made for adults so I don’t think it’s suitable for children… and so the fact that everything is becoming “digitalized” I wonder what will be left of their childhood in a few years, they’ll have nothing to show like drawings or arts and crafts… no trace… nothing to show their own children later on. I find this sad.
No. 10) What would be a simple solution?
The solution would be to hold good old fashion art classes. I teach youngsters to draw and they enjoy it immensely. Children are interested in drawing, and they are surprised at what they can actually do with their own hands. And the sparkle of pride in their eyes cannot be denied. So why not teach them the basis first rather then assimilate them to machines at the onset?
No. 11) Do you feel that humans are evolving rapidly in this period of time?
Technology evolves, humans regress. With all that we have a tour disposal, why is it that some children die from lack of food and water? Or that some people are without shelter, medicine, education… Or for that matter that we still have wars? Our societies are so machine oriented, we are loosing our human qualities and becoming more and more like robots, indifferent to the suffering of the poor and the helpless. Our relationship with others is biased due to our ever growing greed.
So are humans evolving? What do you think?
Daniel, I want to thank you again for participating in this project and especially the last few questions which we’ve had to do by phone because of technical problems. I hope I’ve relayed the essence of our conversation correctly.
I wish you bonne route et bonne chance in all your endeavours and our paths will cross again soon. Be blessed my friend!
TO THE READER :
You are invited to visit Daniel’s website and see more of his incredible art! Your comments are truly appreciated. ENJOY!
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Comments
You probably would be a good musician, there is rhythm in your art. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your talent, very much appreciated.
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