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Dario Argento was born in Rome on September 7th 1940 (his father Salvatore is a producer, his mother, Elsa Luxardo, a famous photographer) and after a long journalistic experience as a critic for "Paese Sera"*, writes, together with Bernardo Bertolucci, the subject for “Once upon a time in the west” directed by Sergio Leone.
In 1970 he directs his first film, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, which becomes a blockbuster and determines his success worldwide.
After “Animal Trilogy", a television interlude with the series Door into darkness and the historical film The five days, Argento returns to thrillers with Deep Red in 1975.
The international success of the film and his following release, Suspiria (1977), have led to him being given the title of “master of horror”. With Dawn of the dead (1978) - as producer - he lays the foundations for the zombie genre, still very popular to this day.
Inferno (1979) and Tenebrae (1982) are also very popular with the public and in 1985 he directs another one of his best-known films, Phenomena, which brings his work closer to younger audiences.
At the same time he produces more worth mentioning cult films such as Demons (1985) and The Church (1989). With his works, Opera (1987), Sleepless (2001), Mother of Tears (2007) he continues experimenting with new technologies which lead to the use of the three-dimensional technique with Dracula 3D in 2012.
In 2013 he returns to television on Rai Movie* to present “100 pallottole d'Argento”* and in the same year he signs his first staged opera production, Macbeth, at the Coccia Theater in Novara.
His autobiography, published by Einaudi with the title “Paura” (transl. “Fear”), has also recently been published in France. The director will soon return to set to direct an old project of his titled Black Glasses.
*Italian daily newspaper (1949-1994)
*Italian tv channel
*Tv show, literally "100 Silver Bullets"
For kindly concession
Name: Dominic Murphy aka Homelyvillain
Place of Birth: Sheffield, England
Black Cat aka Didi: Do you remember the first draw you made? Tell us about your daily life and your life as an artist…
Dominic Murphy: My first drawings were scuba divers and a sperm whales. I used to bite my sandwiches into the shapes of animals. My daily life as an artist? Is an hour by hour rollercoaster of emotion. One minute high joy the next failure and depression. I battle this by trying to focus on the present moment.
B.C.: What is your creative process to design an idea? And what is the painting techniques you prefer?
D.M.: I only paint watercolours. This is not by choice . I have spinal damage that crushes the nerve in my painting hand and watercolour is all I can do now. But I love watercolour and it is very British… don’t you know?
The painting process is to allow an idea that is floating around in the ether to drift through my head and be translated into art.
They are out there - you just have to catch them. My work is a bit too controlled at the moment and I want it to become more abstract and free to let go and paint with my left hand instead of my right.
B.C.: How do you define your style and how would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?
D.M.: I would describe my style as macabre with a smile. Tongue in cheek but totally serious - My favourite comment about my work is: "I like the painting but I wouldn't hang it on my wall."
Name: Larkin
Place of birth: Syracuse, NY, USA
Black Cat aka Didi: Who are you Larkin?
Larkin: I’m a mad shadow dweller in a vile modern dystopia. I seek the darkest secret of the human soul and lay bare its terrible beauty. I can’t quite grasp the joke that holds the universe together, but I find myself laughing anyway.
B.C.: What is your most defining characteristic?
Larkin: As an artist? I have a deep love for the natural world, which I filter through dreams and nightmares. My interests and inspirations include the prehistoric world with its transition from domination to extinction and finally into stone for all to see. I love life in full bloom and I’m fascinated by its decay into death. Some of my friends over the years have included rabbits and snakes, which have been great art models. I enjoy portraying the human face and figure sometimes. Ancient and modern mythology also feature symbolically in my work sometimes, that’s pretty dark stuff.
B.C.: You create also the frame of your paintings. Which materials do you use for them? and is there a particular meaning about this choice?
Larkin: For the frames I crochet a mix of reclaimed fabrics, macramé cord, plastic and filaments into an organic looking rope or a baroque style border. I embellish them with small sculpture, textures and metallic dry brush techniques.
I really like the wild yet formal appearance of this choice, each frame is an original like the painting it encompasses.
Name: Dean McDowell
Place of birth: Northern Ireland
Black Cat: Hi Dean, please introduce yourself. Could you tell us where you’re from and how you got started in the field?
Dean McDowell: I was born and currently reside in Northern Ireland. Art has always held a fascination, from an early age I was forever doodling or creating some sort of imagery but it wasn’t until I got my first taste of American comics that I started to really get excited about the possibility that art could be a career choice. Growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of the bomb and bullet years I found art somewhat of a release, a diversion to what was happening around me at that time. Art almost seemed to remove me from that situation but inevitably the ‘troubles’ would seep into my work giving that darkness that is now commonplace in a lot of my paintings.
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