LebArtFt: Rudy Chidiac's Detail-Oriented Phenomena

The first Bananapook artist profile features Rudy Chidiac, a graphic design student at USEK.



Rudy's works are crafted in a style that seems to be disappearing with contemporary approaches. Modernity brought forth a need for speed, or perhaps a need for chaos - where such fine details may seem out-of-date and too time-consuming.  



I find it impressive that a 20-year-old is so engrossed in an artistic period that he wasn't around to appreciate. Generation Y tends to drag its feet through the Louvre, playing with the catalogue as though it is an opportunity for origami. They're there to merely cross the must-visit-before-you-die event off their list. 

I chatted with Rudy on the topic of his works. 

Bananapook: What are your primary materials?
Rudy Chidiac: Graphite for drawing, gouache for painting.

B: How did you learn?
RC: Own experience; I'm still learning.



B: Do you feel as though your university major is a barrier to your work?
RC: They're actually very close, but no - my priority is my own work first. I'd ditch a project to work on a drawing!

B: You have a lot of mythological images in your work. 
RC: I was really into Greek mythology in 2009. I did a series of twenty Greek mythology drawings. It took me nine months. But I changed now. I used to be so into classical-renaissance styles.



B: How come? Did the change naturally develop?
RC: Yeah. I used to be into anime, then classical, and now I'm into surrealism. But I don't see myself changing [now]. It's a very deep style, unlike the two others.

B: Have you ever experimented with contemporary techniques?
RC: I did, but this shading technique in drawing expressed my ideas best. Other  techniques change the whole style. 

B: Do you find the Lebanese community to be supportive of our youth's art?
RC: Not at all. Lebanon is not a good place for artists, and I'm not willing on staying here. 



B: What do you think we can do to change that?
RC: I guess we should have more art-related competitions and contests. We could be helped with finding jobs.

B: I agree. Who are you inspired by?
RC: Salvador Dali! I guess that's obvious.* Other than Dali, I really love Michelangelo, William Adolphe Bouguereau and René Magritte.




B: How much time does it take for a single drawing? Do I want to know?
RC: For an A3 drawing - approximately eighty hours. 

B: Wow. Don't you get frustrated or bored?
RC: If i really like the concept, no; but a lot of the time I stop working on some drawings because I either get bored or I don't get what I really want.

*


If I had to come up with such detail-oriented images, I'd probably rip my tear-soaked drawings out of a bad case of frustration. I am teal from envy from those who conjure up some sort of divine patience to fill in every fiber of the paper.

I don't know how he gets the shadings to be this right-on, and more so - I cannot comprehend how he comes up with such surreal compositions. Patience and will have obviously taken him far in both skill and concepts alike. 

He seems relentless to stop practicing - even if it means shading the feathers of a peacock, the scales of a fish, or the flesh of a woman with little conceptual benefit. It seems as though all this practice finds its way into his more puzzling works - and the constant practice appears to be more than worth its sweat.


The works I have displayed here are only a microcosm of his capabilities; See his online portfolio. 

To show your support of this artist, like his Facebook page. 

You can also follow him on Twitter.


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