Maximalist Painting - Museum of Fine Arts - Florida State University

12
Artist Interview
can’t be more. Maximalist painting is hard to define. Sometimes it’s
easier to say what it’s not as opposed to what it is. Maximalist
painting is not reductive. Maximalist painting should have multiple
readings that are subversive. The onion analogy is a good way to
describe it. One should be able to peel back layers of the painting: its
balance, the compositional details, and the technique used to execute
the painting.
RT: From what did Maximalist painting root?
LGR: Maximalist painting is a style that grew from, or reacted
against, movements in the twentieth century that involved a “less is
more” philosophy. The specific movements to which Maximalist
painting relates are Minimalism and the Bauhaus. Other movements
or time periods important to Maximalist painting are the Baroque and
Surrealism. These relate to what Maximalist painting is trying to do as
a style.
RT: What role, if any, does Minimalism play in Maximalist painting?
LGR: Maximalist painting is visual versus the conceptual of
Minimalism or the Bauhaus. Maximalist painting is a visual overload
that should be done in a very skilled and imaginative way.
RT: What inspires you within the idea of Maximalist painting? What
draws you to it?
LGR: In my paintings I try to tie in my Cuban heritage. My mother
plays a significant role in my painting. She could never understand
why I might want a nice simple black linen dress as opposed to a
colorful ruffled dress if they cost the same amount. Why wouldn’t you
choose the dress with more? I apply this to my painting. I like to
create paintings with a visual overload because if you can, then why
wouldn’t you?
*LGR: Lilian Garcia Roig. These comments are not to be taken literally but are drawn from notes
taken during an interview.