Cenk Duzyol
Istanbul, Turkey
Website
https://cenkduzyol.com
Social Media
Instagram
How would you describe your work?
I paint figurative compositions of scenes from everyday life, with a focus on storytelling. The dynamics and elements of dark humour is what I am trying to explore.
I can say that, they are mostly optimistic stories of characters in trouble.
In order to help convey this feeling of optimism, I am using a technique that is sliding towards caricature, with a naive and childlike accent, along with a bright color palette.
What inspires you?
As I am mostly painting everyday scenes of modern life, an idea for a new painting can be triggered simply anywhere anytime when I am observing.
I am motivated with the elements of dark humour, as said.
More particularly, I can say that I really enjoy going through the older caricatures, which I find very funny and naive. Adapting the mental set of the 70s, 80s to our modern world is usually a fun practice and helps with new ideas for paintings.
Can you speak about your process?
I use spray paint, acrylics and oil pastels on canvas.
When I am starting a new painting, first I make a few sketches on small scale to determine the composition. And then I make a rough digital painting of my favorite compositon, as it is much more convenient and faster to play with colors and shapes on a digital painting app.
So, when I know the general layout and color palette, I then take the work onto the canvas.
Though, fun part usually is to find the finished work quite different than initial sketches. Many things change on the way, which makes the whole process a lot more exciting for me.
How did you become interested in art?
As far as I know, I have always been interested in visual arts, practicing filmmaking and photography for long years as hobbies.
Specifically for paintings, I have actually been a collector before I was an artist myself.
It was just before the pandemic that I had the idea I want to try painting.. And with the lockdowns it was a good opportunity to focus on my practice.
Do you have any favorite artists, movies, books, or quotes?
Just like any other collector, I am proud of my collection of contemporary paintings including works by artists I admire, such as Gurbuz Dogan Eksioglu, Thommas Bossard, Erkut Terliksiz and Andres Lozano mainly.
I am also a big fan of the British comedy series Monthy Python from the 70s. These guys have definitely shaped and set the standards of humor for me, if not the whole modern world.
As for the cinema goes, I am also a great admirer of Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Andrey Zvyagintsev and Stanley Kubrick. The first two for the stories they tell, which are very simple & personal, yet so strong & universal; and the latter for his attention into details and perfection.
What advice do you have for younger artists?
The main advice for younger painters would be that, you should paint and paint and paint as much as you can. You are only an artist as long as you keep creating new work. And this is the main tool to help you improve your art and explore new opportunities.
Your talent, ideas, past achievements, future hopes and plans, none of those are any good unless you are constantly creating new works. Stop overthinking, be your own audience, entertain yourself with your art and keep creating.
