Interview with fine artist Michael De Brito
Michael is a contemporary figurative painter represented by Eleanor Ettinger Gallery in NYC.
This is an excerpt from our interview.
Q: What do think the difference between art and design is?
A: I think design is very similar. Maybe design is a little restrictive in that you have a client and you may have the freedom but then a client says, “I like this font better” or “I want this image to be up here as opposed to down there.” But ultimately you’re still expressing yourself. You can tell a good designer from a bad designer.
Q: Are there any specific movements in art today or trends that you see?
A: For now I’ve started to see a strong figurative movement and when I was in school I was kind of going against the grain. Everyone was saying, “you’re going out into the art world doing this representational painting and it’s not really what’s in right now.” Now I’m starting to see a lot of big big guys coming through opening the doors for everyone and that’s something I didn’t see even 10 years ago.
Q: Why do you think that is?
A: I think the art world is open to any type of style you want to use it’s not like before where you were a minimalist, an abstract expressionist. Now if you want to do very figurative representational work it’s ok, you’ll still be accepted in the art scene.
Closing words: For me I love the design side of my work too. I paint but I know how important it is for design to expand on my career. If you put a crappy book out of the work it doesn’t matter how good the work is. If it’s not designed well or laid out properly, it’s not going to look good for the artist. The website, business cards, all that has to look beautiful to help everyone else in the gallery.
