*the-surreal-arts is honored to present this amazing interview with Gromyko Padilla Semper:



Founder of ~EmptyHeads, Administrator of *the-surreal-arts, he´s one of the most unique and original artists on DeviantArt.

PART ONE. INTERVIEW

Give a brief summary of your artistic history

In the Beginning was the word, and the word is that Gromyko will be Born. At the time he was born was another word born. A prophecy to be fulfilled. When I was 3 years old I use to draw recollections of what I saw coming from a visit wherever place my parents took me to. This was a prophecy that was told to me by my Aunt. I do not have a formal training in Art except that the earliest thing I remember was drawing cartoon characters I saw in the TV, Comic Books, and Books. I use to copy Manga Characters, and I dare say I’m good at it. My Grandmother enrolled me into a local Art Gallery, the only one we have here in the City. It was there that I was exposed to the Basics of Art, the creation of Portraits, Basic Painting Techniques in watercolor, Acrylic, and Oil. Being a rebel, and a Deviant Soul I extended my studies of artistic technicality by reading Art Books, Encyclopedias, and Artists Monographs. It was then that I was illuminated; it was then that I decided I was to become a creator (I dispose the term Artist since it is too Bourgeoisie.) of Visual Expressions. That was when I’m 15. At 16 I was teaching at the Gallery. At 17 I was Senior Artist specializing in Portraiture (back then I was very fond of academic portraiture, graphing the minute details of a person’s face), at 18 I encountered the works of Salvador Dali and the cubist works of Pablo Picasso, (including his Blue Period creation, The Old Guitarist) while browsing a book about Psychology(My other Interest among dozens).It was then that I was inclined to study Surrealist Art. I spent months researching the Basic Tenets and the Manifestoes of this “Enigmatic” Art Movement. I digested every piece of information I could lay my eyes with about every artist and writer who was in one way or the other belongs to the Surrealist/Visionary/Fantastic Art Circle. This coincided with my affiliation to the Baptist faith, and Religious Studies. My life was then focused on three things, Life, Art, and the search for the Truth. Age 21 was a turning point in my life. I was hooked into computer graphics. I look forward to this new technology with hopes that one day I will be able to create using this “mechanical helper”. Age 22 I was infested by Roberto Matta’s Psychological Morphologies. My Passion also engulfed me in the form of Philosophy (I was once the most “revered” Philosophical theorist back from College, My Professor and I have been talking “ Philosophical Beliefs ” whenever Time permits). Metaphysics became my friend. I studied different cultural and religious, socio-political beliefs and my search for the Truth was broadened evermore. My other Interest includes Botany, Genetics, (I however strongly detest Evolutionism), Music Theory, Quantum Mechanics and Relativity and Spiritualism. I was appointed secretary artist in a local based Artist club, the defunct Nueva Ecija Creative Artist Guild, and later up to the present, The Nueva Ecija Visual Artists. I served as curator to 71st C Street Gallery, owned by an Art Collector who supported my then nicknamed “Mentally disturbed” Works. I broadened my Artistic Experience by becoming friends with Famed and Acclaimed Filipino artists who commented and mentored me, particularly Nil Sencillo Perez, who Taught me Impressionist Sketching, and Edgar Tulusan Fernandez, who showed me Social Realism. Famed watercolor maestro Jun Martinez also praised me. I also got deeper in my studies of religion and art history(one artist commented me as the Pablo Picasso of the Philippines because of my Broad Knowledge in Modern and Traditional Art). I familiarized myself with the works of Cusi, Magritte, Manansala, Pollock, Cacnio, Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Velasquez, William Blake, Rothko, and Robert Motherwell. I was widening my influences when I got hooked on the Internet. It was then that I became involved with Deviant Art. Through it I met James Koenhline and Livia Alessandrini who showed kindness and friendship to me. I became exceedingly addicted to the community at the same time benefiting from my conversations with them and other artists who commented and critique my works and my philosophy. I joined the surreal arts club a year ago. I became active in my investigations of surrealist methods not only in the visual but also in the literary and theoretic realms. Currently I am practicing a combinatory method utilizing Automatic Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism as well as the Metaphysical methods in expressing my “ Periscopical Visions ” about the Truth, The Truth that I continue to search.


What is Art to you?

Art is everything; it is a Duality of Being. It is Life: Dark and light at the same time, and the expression that resulted from the transmigration of energies; it is the truth, at least the truth that one is exposed to, his passions, his darkest and most brilliant sides, his soul, the reflections of his spiritual being; His connection with God through his Talent. It is Death: The evil that constantly thrives, the chaos that permeates, the negative space, It is the ugliness of Life, and the Beauty thereof. The Painter is the Creator of Visual Expressions; The Artist is the creator of manifest expressions of this Duality. It is the duty of the Artist to show both the beauty and ugliness of the dualistic nature of reality. Art then is the direct manifestation of creative and destructive impulse that resulted from the limited interpretation of Man and his Universe.

What is Surreal to you?

Everything and Nothing. Surreal for the Bourgeoisie is a derogatory term for mentally disturbing and degenerate works of Art. I would to a point of debate contest that “surreal” before the word itself was invented is the true “reality” because when one looks beyond appearances, when one strives to get out of conventional tradition, when one gets tired of seeing and showing the things that one sees, when he deviates from normalcy he is already stepping into the doorsteps of the Surreal. Surreal from a literal point of view means beyond what is real; meaning to say one has to look beyond what is normal cognitive, brain-washed, and traditionally based perception of what is real. Breton called it “ pure psychic automatism over which it intends to create works free from the control of logic and of the conscious mind ”. But the absence of conscious control would result from the lack of interpretation, and delving into the subconscious required the action of conscious thinking, therefore this is quite a fatalistic declaration from the “ Pope of Surrealism ” himself. But in a poetic and metaphorical view point Breton must have been referring to spontaneous creation (automatism) and relying on chance production, dreams, and premonitions, visions and psychological investigations as sources of inspiration. But then again such act could not be achieved without the action of conscious thought. One cannot deny that tapping from the illogical requires logic. Surreal then exists in a purely temporal state, that is they are only existing in the Mind, and an Actual “Surreal”, like an Actual “Abstract” entity does not exists in Material or Actual Reality. There fore surreal is everything and nothing.

At what point did you recognize that you're an artist?

When I decided to.


What does Surrealism means today?

The same that it was before the term was called and beyond.


What’s your favorite part or role of the surreal arts?

The part where you provoke, stir up, and shock/surprise the viewers, and the role of the spectator of the surreal spectacle.

What media do you work with, and why?

I usually work with ink. Majority of my works are ink on paper. I love to use this particular media because it allows for fast and spontaneous creations. A sudden pressure, swift slashes and slashes of the brush or a pen captures the energy of the moment. I love to capture these lines of energy (Matta calls these Traces of Psychological Morphologies) and record them as visual manifestations of automatic action. One might liken my methods to the Abstract Expressionist, particularly that of Kline, Pollock, Motherwell, and Masson particularly with their spontaneous application of the Media.
I use Acrylic paint because I have an allergic reaction to Oils. The spontaneity obtained from Acrylic is very effective since it can easily be worked with and is easy to dry.
I am also fond of photo manipulations and digital effects using Photoshop CS, reasons for this is because Recent Times requires Me to do so…I need new media to express my visuals.
I also apply the techniques of decalcomania, surautomatism, and collage.

What contemporary artists and old school artists have influenced your work and thinking?

Old Masters includes Titian, Michelangelo, Archimboldo’s double figures, Heironimus Bosch’s fantastical visions, Velasquez, Rembrandt and Da vinci. I also admire the Classical Works of Tintoretto, Anibale Carraci, JAD Ingres, JL David, and the realists Courbet, Millet, and Bougeureau. I particularly adore Da vinci’s figure sketches, and the Muscular Anatomical superiority of Michelangelo’s figures, specially his “Last Judgement”.
I am also influence by the Post Impressionists such as Van Gogh, Gaugiun, and Degas.
I am, from the very beginning of my career as a creator of visual manifestations, was influenced by the works of Pablo Picasso, specifically his Blue and Rose Period Works, Salvador Dali, with whom I credit my discovery of the Paranoiac Critical Method, Roberto Matta’s Psychological Morphologies, Pollock and Motherwell’s Abstract Expressionism, Max Ernst Collage and Decalcomania’s, Giorgio De Chirico’s Metaphysical Works, and Rothko’s Color Fields.

I also admire the works of James Koehnline *james119, who taught me some tricks in digital art, Livia Alessandrini’s *liviaa etaphysical creations made a mark on my ouvre as well. I learned some techniques in watercolor by befriending and familiarizing myself with the works of Babar Moghal (a.k.a. nunwhorecommando ~nunwhorecommando), and the digital masterpieces of Dave Senecal `Senecal.

Others are too numerous to mention.


Your work is quite expressive. How do you expect your viewers to read it?

I expect the viewers to open their minds a bit wider in order for them to fully understand what I am trying to convey through my works. My works are likened to visual paradoxes, a labyrinth of images wherein the viewer must learn to explore in order to fully realize the glory of it…the meaning of it.

Different people have varied reactions as to what they are seeing, I love to hear what they say no matter how good or bad they are. I keep an open mind to suggestions as well as critiques. A healthy ego is necessary for an artist to develop more and more. If one is convinced of his work and doesn’t take other people’s opinions, one is like a solid statue that resists change and is prone to decay…I keep a flowing mind, and open cage, I love to learn…it makes one fresher, makes one adaptable to the present conditions, makes one contemporary.


What do you feel is the overall character or essence of your work?

My work is a simple statement of my interpretation about the nature of Reality, a challenge to those who are familiarized with the “illusory states of mind” of the century.

The essence that my works exudes is purely on a personal level. What my works mean to me is different from what they mean to the viewers. I believe in the independence of the individual to perceive differently what was presented before them.

One may see that my works are generally about the conditions over which the Human Being is experiencing. I am a painter of Human Existence and the Enemy of Nihilism.
My works are ironies, they are metaphors, riddles, they provoke, they stir up the sleeping child within us, they call upon the darkest recesses of the mind making one realize the evil in order to change it for good. My works epitomizes the highest and lowest levels of Life, the darkest and most dazzling light of Existence: I am the enemy of false belief, of religious nonsense, of the parody that is civilization: I am the critic of Capitalism and its cronies, the defender of the Truth.
I am not concerned about the formal qualities of art, color, texture, perspective, illusions: but I use them to convey what I am trying to express, they are conduits of my psyche, the telephone line of my beliefs, hopes, and aspirations, and all that is positive in me; the channeling device of my passions, frustrations, anxieties, neuroses, lust, sin, and all that is dark in me.

I am what my works are.


Religion is a common theme in your work, why?

From the very beginning my works had been focused on Religion. I could give you a thousand-page description as to why, but the main point of it is that I am the seeker of truth; it is a personal crusade that I am trying to show the evils of religion. I do not condemn religious groups or cults but I strongly detest their teachings and practices, their falsehoods…I am a seeker of truth and whenever I see such falsifications I am compelled to express myself against it. You would notice my hard rock inquisitory expressions about the Catholic Church, The Pope, particularly Benedict the XVI, and the whole Catholic Dogmatic views and Teachings. Benedict is my alter ego (as loplop is to Max Ernst), a complete ejective of my war against blasphemy. I am a student of the Bible, and as far as my limited, yet deep knowledge of it, I find the Catholic Church and all its dominions as the “Champion” of dogmatic, blasphemous, irrational, non-biblical and paganistic belief of all religions. If you wish to know more about this just note me and I will be happy to send you links as to why I am doing this.

How do you think the surreal arts will evolve with the technology and media?

Things change, and hopefully the Surreal Arts would go into this direction for the better. We have access to almost everything with just a click away. It is a privilege that none of the original surrealist Group had, back then. It is our duty as descendants of the surreal order to continue the legacy by utilizing whatever new technology comes out. Let Surrealism live Forever.

Is ready the people to buy digital art in the net? How does this new scheme change or is different to buying traditional art?

I believe so. The difference is that of mere acceptability. Bourgeoisie Society has always regarded Digital Art as inferior to that of Traditional Art done in traditional media. This narrow mindedness is the continuing effort of those that are still “clinging” to their traditions, those that are static and never responsive to change. Change is good if it is for the better. When used with the right mind and passion to create and with the right method, a digital art could rival the paintings of Picasso or Rembrandt in terms of visual concepts.
However as a traditionalist myself I still favor traditionalism over digitalism because, as a good painter said, “I like to create works with my own Hands, feel the Paint, be dirty with it…” I would finish by stating that it doesn’t matter how a work is done, what matters is why the artist created it and what the work is trying to express. I look for the subjective (the illustrative, the meaning, the content) first then the objective part (the composition, color, form, medium, etc), only then could I decipher the true meaning of a work of art.


Choose 3 favourite pieces from you gallery and say a little more about them.


Ethnosphere
This piece is about the unification of all cultures, “Ethno” meaning races, hence this represents the whole sphere of culture before the destruction of Babel’s Tower, and before multi-lingual tongues had been dispersed.


The Pope and His Nunwhore
The piece speaks for itself


The Heretics

The Heretical truth is the truth that causes death...but this truth i shall fearlessly show...the truth that the Catholics keep within their dark archives...this is what they do to the saints...even into this later days!!!


You’re a young artist, What will Gromyko be doing and dreaming in 30 years?

Hopefully, alive, and not yet hanged by the Inquisition nor murdered by the Opus Dei.
I wish to contribute myself to the better understanding of the truth at least that truth that I have known and shared through my works.



Interview by Héctor Pineda




PART TWO. LETTER OF COMMENDATION

Letter of Commendation for
Gromyko Padilla Semper
By Adrian A. Smith



In the kingdom of fine art there are many pretenders to the throne. It is the duty of the art appreciator and the art critic to determine who is a passing fad and who is a genuine monarch. Caravaggio was real and so was Rembrandt. The recent decades have brought imposters like Kincaid. I take this opportunity to nominate an artist who is genuine art royalty. I pass the crown to Gromyko.

It has been my pleasure to discover the work of and make the acquaintance of Gromyko on deviantART.com. I was first reminded of Matta, one of the best and most beloved surrealists. It may be because of this that I here refer to him only as Gromyko rather than Gromyko Padilla Semper. I suppose all great artists are destined to be referred to by one name, first or last being incidental.

Gromyko is first and foremost a surrealist, but not just a surreal artist. Aside from drawing, painting, and composing poetry, he also a philosophical and spiritual historian. He takes his subjects beyond passing fancy or obsession and brings them to bear as a way of life. While I never met with him in the flesh, I’m convince that if this isn’t the case with Gromyko the man then he has created the most meticulous online front I’ve ever heard of, much less witnessed.

He brings with him a learned link with the original surrealist movement and the conflicted universe of religion, hypocrisy, and power. He has more than willingly spread the mania of his source material in lengthy descriptions that remind one of the poetically long titles of Salvador Dali’s paintings. Every poem and painting is as deeply rooted as he is.
This connection to the past and to history and all it’s ideals is most essential. In truth the fact that he work in the digital medium proves to be merely incidental. Gromyko continuously proves that he can work without it and that his works, nearly any of them, would be at home as much as fifty, a hundred, or perhaps more years ago. His paintings and photomontages inspire a fiery excitement, which I believe is universal to any period of great art. I felt this the moment I stumbled upon his digital painting “Rembrandtation”.

Rembrandtation

Gromyko is one of the most feverishly prevalent creators of new works I’ve known. I imagine his online gallery could fill whole museums and could be printed into multiple hard bound volumes. I know I’d buy one. Still, I feel I’ve just glimpsed the tip of the ice burg that is his imagination.

Naturally there is a way to become familiar with him. An art lover needn’t worry that Gromyko will be Michelangelo one day and Basquiat the next. His works share a simple controlled color palate dominated by yellows reds and greens. They commonly share a petrified or sun-baked texture. Many of them are populated by popes, dictators, and nunwhores.

The condemnation of the iniquities of the church is perhaps the most daring and endearing aspect of his work. The universe Gromyko has created, or perhaps reflected, thrives on celebrating the sacred and even more on smearing the profane. Good and evil relate like matter and antimatter. They rarely share the same canvas, tough. He once told me that we know the devil is real because of his effect on humanity. His art and life are a clearly stated crusade.

Perhaps the reason I pursued Gromyko as an interest and as a friend is the degree of interaction he employs. He is not an “ivory tower” artist, as in; he does not place himself in the clouds above his audience. DeviantArt is littered with many highly skilled artists who couldn’t be bothered to favor their hundreds of admirers with returned page-view, a reply, or even a description. It is enough for them that they are good. The acknowledgement of others is thought obvious by them. Gromyko is not satisfied with simply being good. The fact that he does not ignore praise or criticism makes him better. Not only does he relate to it intellectually, he also offers his own wise advise to his fellow artists.

He also frequently collaborates with others on works of art. I was once lucky enough to collaborate with him on the picture “Edible Vasectomy”. The process was simple and mutually enjoyable. I found a picture in the scraps section of his gallery called “Reign of Fire” of red saturated orchids and fire. I delayed a long time on getting started, feeling a little bit intimidated by his talent. Days later I meekly sent it back to him added figures and textures. He politely asked if he could re-saturate it. When I said yes he submitted it with a photo of male lovers in the foreground and a trademark Gromyko finish. When I read his description and saw my credit next to his I realized with some amusement that my mere collaboration had become part of the actual subject. Gromyko is an artist with a healthy ego and it seems he wishes to inspire the same in others.

Edible Vasectomy

Gromyko reminds me of several artists. I have already mentioned Matta. There is also Salvador Dali, to whom he has made several homage and portraits, Max Ernst, and Andre Masson. He probably wouldn’t admit the influence of more than two of these, but I’m reminded just the same. He shares Dali’s boldness and belief in the paranoiac critical method. Many of his works remind me directly of Masson in energy and content. The Gromyko universe is a textured one and almost a reflection of Ernst’s frottages. Matta is, of course, an admitted influence and perhaps even an idol for Gromyko, so the influences and similarities are easy to find.

His picture “Cadaver Synod” is a triptych depicting a historical event in which the corpse of a pope was put on trial. Apart from demonstrating a connection with history and the darker side of religion, it displays his talent for abstract surreal art. He posted this in a series, accompanied by a description of what happened to Pope Formosus. These poetic, sometimes informative, descriptions are a great example of his sincerity and humor.

Cadaver Synod

Aside from the paintings and the photo collages come Gromyko’s chaotic digital work. His digital paintings exist without a horizon line, or perhaps are beyond such a line. One might compare him with Tanguy in this respect. Although, unlike the great Tanguy, Gromyko is not limited by the plastic. These pictures are beyond even primitive perspective. I dare say that they be beyond most surrealists’, most artists’, imaginative scope. Nearly primordial forms defy physics on a plane without room for such forces. Comparison allows room for Gorky or Miro here. Gromyko himself could give a hundred reasons why these pictures are not mere abstraction. I’m inclined to agree with him, as these works rank among the most surreal of surrealist art.

While Gromyko is acutely aware of and even rooted in a movement that is 80 years old, his art itself is something other than historical or nostalgic. Considering his method and for his sheer ambition, I dare say that his body of work is a leap forward. Gromyko’s periscopical vision transcends time. As I stated before, it would be a challenge to date these images. The themes and images are topical and relate fluidly to the present. If pressed, one could relate these works to the human condition itself. This could be because Gromyko maintains his morality. The least contemporary thing about him is this lack of nihilism.

It might be his caring and the skill to express it that adds to his timeless appeal. For an artist at his relatively young age, it is quite surprising the breadth of work, the level of maturity, and skill that he has. I will here admit to being a trifle jealous. At the same time I must say that he deserves all the attention he gets, and more. Gromyko is a human artist whose humanity remains appealing. He is warm and I have treasured his advice.

Our Gromyko has a voracious fascination for things different. In my limited experience of him I’ve seen his mind delve into several things. Recently he’s artistically tackled the subject of homosexuality (the concept, not the act). This being my central subject, this re-drew my interest. His collages began to include early 20th century erotic photos. The subject was used to comically deride despots in pictures like “Homoerotic Hitler”. This illustrates the broad range of the artist’s head as well as his heart.

Homoerotic Hitler

I must bring up the paintings again. Being a fan of Giger and Dali myself, I have always enjoyed the feast for the eyes, which Gromyko dependably presents on deviantArt. Most of his finished works are layered. Like an elaborate puzzle or a big meal, it takes time to fully take in and to fully appreciate it. Likely my favorite picture of his is “Globular Warmer”. He submitted it as part of a contest for images of global warming to the DA Surreal Arts club. The picture itself is fascinating with or without the topic. From far away the viewer simply sees an appetizing arrangement of yellows, reds, and greens. Even at a distance one can feel the warmth. On closer inspect the viewer may feel a bit different. A cornucopia of textures and forms unfold and snares the eye with the jolt of a drug needle. “Globular Warmer” might almost be described as a collaboration between Max Ernst and Bosch, yet greater than the sum of its parts. An endless, breathless pattern gives a real sense of burning. The jagged horizon borders a melting earth, full of burning and unrecognizable forms beneath a fiery sky equally crowded with chaotic shapes. This is an attractive and repulsive ruined world that Gromyko conveys. It is the real thing.



Other works exist in versions, illustrating that the artist is not satisfied to let a theme die with a single canvas. In the months I have known him, Gromyko has run through perhaps a dozen series. I can’t yet claim to fluent in the language that is Gromyko, but I like the way it sounds. He has made a lot of progress in that time as well. His body of work has become so vast and complex that it feels almost like a wonderful dream I’m trying to commit to memory.

His drawings could stand alone without the support of his paintings (something I wish I could say for my own art). They all appear to have been made in calculated chaos. Gromyko employs the classic surrealist technique of automatic writing. One knows just what one is looking at in these drawings, but the lines are not as certain. Picture a perfect Dore, which on closer inspection proves to be composed entirely of scribbles. His “beggar” series is a good example of this. Another series, which is elegant and almost Dali-esque is “Figuring Velasquez”. These are created with elegant scrags of line and suggest to the pre-surrealist masters. In one of his books, Dali said never to let contemporary artists take the place of the old masters and here Gromyko seems to take the advice. The central figure is framed in what could be a window frame. Also framed is his similarly styled “Misfortune Teller”. Apart from being outlined in ink, as the other drawings are, it is distinctly fleshed out in ballpoint pen. I discovered this to my delight, both because I am an artist who prefers pen over pencil and because this is another example of Gromyko’s versatility.

Nothing seems to be beyond him. If pressed he might even find a way to create fine art out of a coloring book. With a personality like his, Gromyko could easily shepherd his fellow artists into a mainstream resurrection of the surrealist movement. Given half a chance he could at least write his name in history.

All this is, of course, simply my testimony. I am not a paid critic or a certified scholar of the arts. I am only a student (but aren’t we all as we live?) and an artist. I know something about art and I know what I like. The camp appeal of “bad art” is not something one will find in Gromyko’s gallery. Neither is one likely to find the stinging presence of pop or anti-art. This is the real thing. Although the definition for art and fine art changes with time I think Gromyko will always fit into it.


Long live surrealism!

*the-surreal-arts