Vitto Esso’s abstracts juxtapose urban forms against interpretive constructs, combining academic learnings with creative inclinations. Having engaged with geometric, freehand shapes and lines since architecture school, he employs these rudimentary images to render expressionistic depictions of the built-up environment’s occupancy of space and experience. His works are equally systematic as they are improvised, literal as well as figurative, and representative of both the raw and refined nature of his subjects.
In the preliminary stages of the creative process, Vitto Esso gives early consideration to the base coat colour and subsequent layering. Many of the colours utilised are impure and largely theoretical, concerned primarily with the theory of his subjects as opposed to their realistic portrayal. Punctuated colour accents are added in higher chroma or saturation, activating an area which creates visual harmony and vibration. Chosen for their similarities, as well as their dual contrasting and harmonising capabilities, these colour depictions often have the added potential to reflect the interconnectedness between natural and urban landscapes. In a manner that is randomly methodical, thought is given to the composition immediately after the paint touches the canvas. It’s at this point he becomes conscious of his brushstroke and line work, preferring to alternate between hard and fading edges, and openly displays imperfections in an effort to reminisce earlier sketches and add distinctive attributes.
Intrigued by the manner in which space can be perceived and interpreted, Vitto Esso’s abstracts aim to increase the collective awareness to the ways we construct the world around us by simple observation. Whilst initially influenced by his architectural insight and appeal for complex street patterns, the configuration of spaces and the light and shadows cast by buildings, it is the structure and sensation of the human experience within these places that propels his work. Additionally, the exploration of depth via colour and shape by German expressionist Hans Hofmann, and the simplistic elegance executed by Italian collagist Italo Valenti, have made further impacts on his artistic application.