Felice Varini

Felice Varini (born in Locarno , March 6, 1952) is a Swiss born contemporary artist, now living in Paris, France, who was nominated for the 2000/2001 Marcel Duchamp Prize. He is most well known for his anamorphic geometric paintings that are only visible from a one-point perspective, thus drawing the viewer into an interactive experience to find the proper vantage point. Varini works in both open urban spaces and enclosed spaces, using the architectural elements of a space as his canvas, primarily using bright, striking primary colors that stick out in the space. “For me a viewpoint is a point in the space that I choose carefully: it is usually situated at my eye level and preferably located in a key passageway, for example where one room leads to another, a landing,” says Varini

Felice paints on architectural and urban spaces, such as buildings, walls and streets. The paintings are characterized by one vantage point from which the viewer can see the complete painting (usually a simple geometric shape such as circle, square, line), while from other view points the viewer will see ‘broken’ fragmented shapes. Varini argues that the work exists as a whole - with its complete shape as well as the fragments. “My concern,” he says “is what happens outside the vantage point of view.”    

In 1979, Varini completed his first painting in a small apartment in Paris, France, he then moved on to painting entire street blocks, covering all sorts of architectural landscapes, across village windows, spanning museum rooftops, and down abbey archways. To begin this process, Varini will first find a vantage point, using photographs and composites he’s made that he then uses to define the geometric pattern or design. To then complete his work, Varini will use projectors to superimpose images onto the surfaces he wants to paint, that he will trace over the projections with pencil, and then finish with color. “In general, I go through the place by highlighting its architecture, its materials, its history and its function. From various spatial data with reference to the last piece I have produced, I define a point of view around which my intervention takes.” – Felice Varini

Mostly known for his geometric perspective-localized paintings in rooms and other spaces, using projector-stencil techniques, according to mathematics professor and art critic Joël Koskas, "A work of Varini is an anti-Mona Lisa.

The end result we see a flat two dimensional image in a three dimensional plane.  “Varini makes us believe that the figure appears on a single plane. It tries to cancel the depth by widening the lines as they leak backwards. The binocular view allows the synthesis of the information provided by both eyes, and in particular the perception of depth. Looking at the reconstituted figure, we have no way of defining how far it is.” – Sébastien Bazou http://www.artefake.com/FELICE-VARINI.html

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