A closer look at Andrea Ravo Mattoni's creative process

As a center for urban art, Fluctuart takes you on a journey to meet the artists and better understand their creative process. Meet Andrea Ravo Mattoni today.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your artistic practice? 

My name is Andrea Mattoni, aka Ravo.

I'm an Italian/Swiss artist, born in Varese on April 7, 1981, and I paint in spray.

Credit: Gorgo Magazine

What is your background and how did you get into design? 

I started out as a writer in 1995, but in 2000 I left graffiti and enrolled at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, where I learned oil and acrylic techniques.

In 2003, we founded The Bag Artfactory with other artist friends in Milan's Bovisa district, becoming a magnet for many artists.

I then collaborated with various galleries and began experimenting with the techniques I'd learned at the academy, painting on walls too.

In your day-to-day work as an artist, what inspires you? What triggers the creation of a work? 

My real inspiration came in 2016 from a project entitled "recovering classicism in the contemporary".

I began to reproduce on large walls, visible to all, the paintings of classical art.

The idea is to bring the great painters of the past directly into the street, giving viewers the chance to rediscover some of the works usually kept in museums.

Can you tell us how you go about creating your work? What are the different stages of creation? 

First of all, I choose to paint on a wall a painter linked to the territory or tradition of the place.

The technique used to reproduce the works is the same as that used in Antiquity. I always start from the drafting of a brown background color, which aids depth and the realization of skin tones.

To begin with, I make a grid and then spray the drawing. Once the preparatory drawing is complete, I start coloring the work. At the end of the work, I often apply a transparent anti-UV varnish to ensure that the work lasts as long as possible.

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