Alessandro Paglia 'Fook' Print Available

Artist: Alessandro Paglia
Title: Fook
Medium: Giclee Print
Size: 50 x 70 cm
Edition: 30
Price: €430

Alessandro Paglia is a Milan-based contemporary artist and designer known for his stunning, hyper-realistic drawings of iconic objects from design history and pop culture. With a background in product design from Politecnico di Milano, Paglia merges his fascination with aesthetics, materials, and textures with his lifelong passion for drawing. He abandoned a traditional design career to pursue art, a decision that led to internet-driven recognition and international acclaim.

His work is characterized by meticulous technique, primarily using fine-tipped black ink pens on rough cotton paper to create large-scale images that are often mistaken for photographs. Paglia's process is laborious: he selects a subject, photographs it dozens of times to achieve the perfect composition, lighting, and shadow, and then meticulously reproduces it by hand, a process that can take up to 250 hours per piece. He applies layers of "chaotic lines" to build rich, vivid tones and vibrant textures, using the contrast of black and white to amplify the interplay of light.

Paglia doesn't just replicate; he often introduces a "twist" by deforming, smashing, or submerging his subjects in paint or water to create a unique story and an element of surprise. His subjects have ranged from classic cars and iconic taxis to everyday objects like sneakers and crumpled hundred-dollar bills. He has also created a "Midas Touch" collection, which uses a unique printing and hand-embossing technique with gold leaf to present cartoon characters in a new, highly collectible format.