GIULIA QUARESIMA
Contemporary artist specialising in figurative drawings and paintings
Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2024
Episode 4
"It has been a challenging, surreal, but absolutely marvellous experience, a milestone in my art career, a dream came true.
I have loved every minute of it, since the moment I received the phone call: from the pride in my children's eyes, to the stress to get everything ready the weeks before; from the train journey to London and waking up very early in order to promptly be at the Battersea Art Centre, to be surrounded all of a sudden by cameras, audience, members of the filming crew, and the pressure of the four hours time-limit to produce my best portrait".
Portrait at the age of 39,
charcoal and coloured pencils on paper, 2024
"It is a sort of study in stillness and movement.
And my goodness, the reflection in those glasses: incredible".
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- Kathleen Soriano, Independent Curator and Portrait Artist of the Year Judge
"It has been a joy and an absolute pleasure to have comedian and actress Rosie Jones as my sitter. Since she mentioned at the beginning she would have preferred not to be portrayed as a serious Mona Lisa, I have been nothing but eager to create a jolly contemporary version of the Da Vinci's painting that could capture her enthusiasm and infectious positivity. I've decided to include Rosie's hands to best echoing the composition.
Her reaction when she first saw my drawing after turning my easel was priceless".
Portrait of Rosie Jones,
charcoal and coloured pencils on paper, 2024
"The great thing about Giulia's work is this level of stillness that you have
in the skin when you have all this movement around it.
And of course, Rosie, she isn't still.
So, I think Giulia did really well to capture both sides".
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- Kathleen Soriano, Independent Curator and Portrait Artist of the Year Judge​