Nicola Verlato: Merging Renaissance Painting with VR and Video Games
Nicola Verlato, a 51-year-old Verona-born artist based in Los Angeles, merges monumental figurative painting with digital technologies like virtual and augmented reality. On October 1, 2016, during Toronto's Nuit Blanche, he presented 'The Merging,' an app that allows viewers to explore his painting via AR and VR. The app, inspired by Marshall McLuhan and Donald Coxeter, triggers 3D figures and immersive exploration of the pictorial space. Verlato has used CGI for 20 years, combining hand-drawn sketches with 3D modeling in Maya and Poser, and scanning live models with 150 cameras. He sees his work as continuing the Renaissance project of geometric world reconstruction, contrasting it with photography. His iconography references Baroque and Mannerism, and he argues figurative painting is vital today, citing his inclusion in Suzanne Hudson's 'Painting Now.' He also discusses his mural and monument projects, including a mausoleum for Pasolini in Ostia, and views images as preparations for eternity.
Key facts
- Nicola Verlato is 51 years old, from Verona, based in Los Angeles.
- Presented 'The Merging' app at Nuit Blanche Toronto on October 1, 2016.
- App uses AR and VR to explore his painting.
- Inspired by Marshall McLuhan and Donald Coxeter.
- Uses CGI for 20 years, combining sketches with Maya, Poser, and Zbrush.
- Scanned live models with 150 cameras for 3D photogrammetry.
- Included in Suzanne Hudson's book 'Painting Now'.
- Designed a mausoleum for Pier Paolo Pasolini in Ostia.
Entities
Artists
- Nicola Verlato
- Andy Warhol
- Piero della Francesca
- Paolo Uccello
- Mark Tansey
- Raffaello
- Antonello da Messina
- Suzanne Hudson
- Marshall McLuhan
- Donald Coxeter
- James Dean
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
Institutions
- Artribune
- Rizzoli
- Biennale di Venezia
Locations
- Verona
- Los Angeles
- Toronto
- Ostia
- Italy
- United States