Humanity is located in an earthly or physical space where we are socially developed and can relate to our cultural environment, but in the most basic of our existence, this is what allows us to make a connection with our planet and find our function as part of this great gear that makes up our world. Although we can call all this reality, we cannot forget that there are other planes such as the spiritual or energetic planes as well as the dream plane. It is therefore in the physical space and in the oneiric one that I want to focus a little on the development of this article.
I have already begun to describe a little about what physical space is but I would like to add that this is where we find and can appreciate the art of architecture, which has allowed us to grow as a population, with comfort and well-being from the beginning of civilizations to the present day. And now I will make an abrupt jump to a brief introduction of the dream space, this space, is something that we live and we can share most of the human beings, it is the moment in which our subconscious works while our body, which is part of the world or physical space, rests.
For many, this terrain is better known as dreams and is for a large part of the human population of great interest as it is part of our daily lives. At the same time, the dream scenario, cannot be deciphered one hundred percent. This gives rise to part of our expression wanting to manifest the world of dreams to our physical world. We do so, by relating what we have dreamed, investigating their meanings, there are even specialists for this, but the most wonderful of this need occurs when dreams are transformed into art, in paintings more commonly.
The Author
This is how when we meet the architect and painter Sebastián Hermida, who was born in Chile near Santiago and now lives in Cologne, Germany. He presents us with a possibility to enter the dream space from an extremely interesting proposal where we can observe his architectural qualities. We can observe them because he knows how to reflect a physical specialty in his works that leads us to a very realistic dream. Like being in limbo between being asleep and awake.
When I interviewed Sebastian, I found to my surprise that he is a very talented artist who is also very nice, pleasant, and humble. I was interested to know, as always when I have the opportunity to talk to artists, where or how they decided to enter the world of art or how they came to it.
Sebastián told us that he has been a painter since he was very young: “my mother put me in painting classes since I was a child”; since it is practically a family tradition, since his mother, grandmother and uncle are painters. After that, in his childhood, he was always surrounded by this art where already at approximately the age of twelve he painted oils, surrounded by grownups and he was always interested in the emerging artists within Chile. In spite of this, at the time of choosing a profession, he decided to study Architecture.
He worked as an architect for eight years. At the same time, he continued to paint. Sebastian tells us that for many people this decision not to dedicate themselves to art arose from an insecurity about being able to achieve economic stability by dedicating themselves fully to painting.
Sebastian’s life in Cologne
When Sebastian moved to Cologne three and a half years ago, he was faced with a job challenge where he discovered once again that his passion was the right way to generate income. In order to practice his profession in the German context, he first had to master the language of the country. However, his flexibility as an artist-led him to observe his surroundings and to discover that the world of television and cinema was the place where his partner lived.
“He realized that there was a not so exploited niche of people who knew how to paint and draw to make scenery,” this resulted in him making his way and be able to give himself the pass that he lacked to be a professional painter. This opened the doors for him to make these works for scenography but on the other hand to create his private work, which you can find on his website and is for sale.
On this basis, we continue the interview based on the differences that exist between Latin America and Europe (Germany) in terms of artist development. Certainly, and unfortunately, in Latin America support is very scarce and many talents cannot be developed. As a consequence, few artists emerge and prevail, either because of their family privileges or because of their over-efforts. In the comparison, Sebastian told us many of the advantages that are available in Germany so that artists can dedicate themselves to creation. Such as social security for artists. With the decentralization of the arts, that is, it is possible to be an artist in any part of the country and you don’t need to move to a big city (almost always the capital) to be successful.
The work
Sebastían works creating mostly oil paintings, although he also comments that he draws using graphite and pastel. His works focus on a landscape theme in pastel shades. With a narrative of an observer with a dreamlike intention that can be seen in the human figures that have no face or are on their backs, because space is defined but time is not. “how color has been my mark” says the artist who comments on it from the appreciation of other artists towards his work.
The wonderful evocation in Sebastian’s paintings takes us to a wonderful space in pink or light blue tones that allows us to dream in spectacle visions with a clear fog or mist that allows us to know that it is not so real. It allows us to have pure and innocent joy. Influenced by Chilean and German landscapes that are not as warm as everyone would expect from a Latino. Without a doubt, the artists reflect their appreciation of the world, with a peculiar beauty and hoping to transmit all the emotions that recreate these stories they tell us, artists like Sebastian Hermida.
Coming soon
Sebastián is planning to do an art residency in Mexico. To continue to be clear about his artwork for the cinema. He is looking for a new Atelier in Cologne to continue his creativity and development. In the neighborhood where he lives, there is a bohemian, multicultural atmosphere and this also fills him with new energy and experiences. In this new Atelier, he intends to make paintings in bigger dimensions.
I asked him if he would continue in his line of landscape painting and he answered in a very real way that yes, but that a consequence of this pandemic is also an inspiration that came to him from taking the specialty and mixing it from a more psychological point of view and interiorizing it. As we have seen up to now, they are open places and now he is interested in showing interior spaces of buildings, houses, constructions and in this way reflect a little bit the thought of the human being.
We had the great fortune of being able to be in contact with Sebastián Hermida who is a great man and artist, who speaks honestly from his world vision standpoint. He does so with a simplicity that expresses his feeling, his knowledge, and shares with us a little bit of his world.
I invite you to appreciate the work of Sebastian Hermida. For the moment he does not have exhibitions in galleries but we can virtually from his web page and his Instagram do it. Doing this interview filled me with joy allowing me to apply my knowledge of the art world from the perspective of a pleasant being who knows he is privileged but is congruent with himself. I contribute with my sensibility and recharge this world of positivism.
