[ in conversation ]
painting. Once decisions are made, if I examine them rationally I will find the reason why I chose to do this or that. It is really surprising. FM: Why is the NIKE logo painted so awkward? CM: The actual Nike logo comes from the idea of the Greek deity Nike, god of speed and victory. That is why it has that stylized wing shape, which gives a sense of forward movement. It is very hard to draw a perfect Nike sign, I don’t really know why. In Nike Painting the logo has the opposite features of the real one; it is really chubby and rudimentary, but does it still represent the actual one? It is claiming its dignity as a painting. FM: Do you consider painting as another form of existential philosophy? CM: Oh yes. Paintings are based on personal experiences and offer a subjective way to perceive reality. I think painting can’t escape from containing any kind of existential statement because it is conceived from the uniqueness of the individual. It is implicit in its own nature of human expression.
Intuition is so powerful. There are so many things we don’t notice –rationally–that are there! I do believe that intuitive decisions are the essence of painting. FM:What is the drama of human existence for you? CM: The fact that we are each a self-contained unique universe, makes every second so rich. It is inconceivable how easily time vanishes. FM: Do you like Nietzsche? CM: I’m not very into Nietzsche. But I’m truly inspired by what he says “He who has a ‘why’ to live can bear almost any 'how.'” FM: Do you have a mission and what is your mission? CM: Yes. and I think we all have a mission. Mine consists of going every day to the studio to paint. FM: Do you believe in God? CM: Oh yes. I believe that God is with and within every person in the form of love. I also believe in Jesus. All what he said and did amazes me. I wish I could always act as he suggested in his teachings.
[Top] Cristina de Miguel, Cheap Dripping or Starry Night, 2012. Acrylic on canvas, 96 x 84 in. [Bottom] Cristina de Miguel, New Yorkers Seeing a Painting Show, 2012. Acrylic on canvas, 96 x 84 in.
FM: What is painting for you? CM: It is a lifestyle. A way to live and understand life. FM: Tell me in a sentence who you are. CM: A painter with pimples. * Summer 2013 19