Painting
Paul Cosquieri was born in Gibraltar in 1963, and from a very early age he showed a keen interest in drawing and painting. In early Infant School Paul showed a predisposition to conveying ideas and concepts in the form of drawings and paintings. Later on, in secondary school, Paul won a great many competitions in the field of art and design, including his first commission for an 11 X 3 ft canvass depicting a sea battle involving Nelson's Victory. This painting is now on permanent display on board the British Navy's frigate RFA Olwen.
In 1982 Paul was awarded a scholarship from the Government of Gibraltar to study at the prestigious Chelsea School of Art in London, where he undertook a one-year foundation course in Art andDesign. Following this year, during which he experimented in many different aspects of Art and Design, including Fine Art, Product Design, Fashion and Textile Design, and Graphic Design, he decided to concentrate on Graphic Design, which had always been one of his key interests in the varied spectrum of the arts field. This decision was also greatly influenced by the better job prospects offered by Graphic Design as opposed to Fine Art, and by the fact that he was contractually obliged by his scholarship to return to Gibraltar once he'd finished his B.A. Hons. Degree Course. At the time, as is still the case today, Fine Art did not offer the same job security as an applied Graphic Design course.
Paul returned to his native Gibraltar in 1987 and began working in GBC Television as a Graphic Designer, following this with employment as senior designer for a local advertising agency. Deciding to go into business for himself,in 1991 he set up123 Printers, a company specialising in design and printing. During these years Paul concentrated, and indeed channelled, his creative instincts into his design work and the day to day running of his business. The years from 1991 to 1997 can be described as Paul's 'dry period' in relation to Fine Art and Painting. It was in 1997 when Paul again put paint on canvas, producing "9 Rocks", which he entered in the Gibraltar International Art Exhibition. However, it was 2002 before his business and family commitments finally permitted him to devote some time to his lifelong passion. From 2002 to the present day Paul has been actively involved in painting, and has also dabbled in sculpture.
Paul first received recognition for his work in 2004, when his painting "The Smoker" was highly commended in the 31st Gibraltar International Art Exhibition. Later that year Paul won second prize with his painting "Rock Formations 5" in the 2004 Spring Art Festival in Gibraltar. 2005 has already proved to be highly successful for Paul, when in February his painting "Rock Formations 3" hit the jackpot and obtained the much coveted First Prize in the 32nd Gibraltar International Art Exhibition. This competition was judged by the world-renowned UK artist Anthony Whishaw, who also studied art in London's Chelsea School of Art, where Paul undertook his foundation course.
ABOUT HIS WORK
Paul's work is characterised by his many influences and by his innate desire to push the boundaries of whatever he is doing. If what you are after is a pretty painting, then forget about Cosqui. His work has more to do with experimenting than with reproduction. Paul's art can be divided into three different categories: Painting, Sculpture and Life Drawing.
PAINTING
In painting, Paul is currently engrossed with texture and moulding, using a wide range of media. His Rock Formation series, which uses the Rock of Gibraltar as the major theme and starting point, is a clear example of what Paul is trying to achieve. He uses the structure of the Rock as a foundation from which to embark on one of his many different quests into texture, form, shape, colour, line, or a combination of all of these, nearly always resulting in a representational, yet abstract painting. Paul's paintings are abstract paintings in their purest form that somehow manage to maintain an umbilical cord to their original subject. His current influences range from Picasso to Miquel Barcelo, Manolo Valdes and Antonie Tapies, amongst others.
SCULPTURE
Paul's sculpture is quite unique in that he uses the medium as a transitory one. He does not use sculpture for sculpture's sake, but rather as a quest into form and shape, which he then uses for his paintings. His few sculptures show a clear search into pure form, primarily concentrating in the human body as a starting point. The work of Italian sculptor Brancussi is perhaps Paul's greatest current influence. His sculptures also reflect his great passion for anatomy and the study of the human form as a means of expression.
LIFE DRAWING
This interest in anatomy comes vividly to the fore in Paul's life drawings. All his drawings demonstrate his quest to understand what lies beneath the skin, as if in so doing he might gain a deeper insight into humanity itself. Paul's life drawings are seldom 'nice', and more often than not present a crude and harsh representation of the human form in a stark and uncompromising way. It comes as no surprise then, that Paul is an admirer of the work of Egon Schiele and Lucian Freud.
© 2008 COSQUI | cosqui@cosqui.com | lasiestacreativa | Valid CSS 2.1 | Valid Xhtml