I came across the work of Maurizio Anzeri like I do with many of the artists I discover and later admire, searching the internet. As a photographer who does a fair amount of portraiture I was drawn to his enhanced art creations from portraits he collects from many sources including flea markets. My fascination with masks of ones identity weather it be a real mask or behavioral drew me into his layered portrait work. Anzeri takes found, often vintage, photographs and creates his embroidered patterns by sewing directly onto the anonymous portrait. He begins the process by first sketching out his pattern idea's on tracing paper placed on top of the photograph.
“Photographs from the 40s and 50s have a totally different quality from photos we’re used to today. We don’t recognize them as photographs now, they really look like watercolours or drawings. The images I use are anonymous, I find them everywhere; I’m really into flea markets and car boot sales, when you enter you have no idea what you’re going to encounter. In everything I see there is something I am interested in, but I try to look at them as plain canvas. Art history is very important to me, it’s all been done before but it’s never been done by you: if you don’t look into the past there is no chance to go into the future. The surrealist movement is important to my work, but I don’t become obsessed by it, it’s not dictating rules. I understand history in a formal respect, and think of past artists like traveling companions – making work is like going for a walk with them. At the end of the day it’s about humanity.” (excerpt from the artist's profile on Saatchi Gallery website)
When I view portraits I'm always trying to discover something about the individual(s) in the photograph. What is the photograph revealing that can help me make those judgements/discoveries? What Anzeri does with his portraits adds another dimension to this puzzle which I find very exciting. His work makes me wish you could find out more about the persons he chooses to render with his embroidery to see how close or far he comes to their real persona with his creative embellishments. Has his interpretation mimicked their persona or has he made them sexier or moodier, more introverted or extroverted? As fun as it would be to know, I think it's even more fun to imagine for yourself who that person may have been. Anzeri's work doesn't answer any questions but creates even more.
