We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jorge Cocco a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jorge , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I believe that the idea that I wanted to be an artist did not come to me at a specific moment, but rather it manifested itself more and more strongly together with my physical and intellectual growth.

If I could clarify, I knew from my earliest childhood what was the direction or the destiny that I had to take because the gifts and the easiness to express myself graphically was obvious.

Now, in my early childhood I thought I could be a comic book artist or a portrait artist. Later, an advertising artist but as I started looking at classical art, I realized that’s what I wanted to do.

It was there when I decided to buy painting materials and I prepared my canvas and went out to paint landscapes like the Impressionists did.

All this happened in an environment lacking art schools or teachers, so I learned by myself guided by books and reproductions.

The closest thing I could find to an art school was studying naval design because I lived near a port and that was what was available then. And that training influenced my art.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As an artist I intend to communicate spiritual sensations to my peers through shapes and colors.

Just as music refines our spirit and elevates our human condition, painting pursues a similar effect and purpose through the organization of shapes and colors. Otherwise it would not be art.

It is important to know that on my own initiative I thoroughly investigated surrealism, abstraction, cubism, and other contemporary trends until I found my own language or style.

In recent years I have been working on religious themes.
For this I created a new style that we call “Sacrocubism.” I borrow some elements of the Cubist art movement. However, Cubism objectified people, Sacrocubism, makes them spiritual, hence the name.

Although the subjects of the paintings are recognizable at first glance, there is a predominant abstract element in the composition. I try to avoid to fall into painting just an illustration. Religious themes deserve a much deeper art expression. Therefore, I remove as much of the anatomical details as possible. I do the same with nature. This has the effect that the observer focuses on the spiritual subject and not on the material details.

The message of Christianity is fundamentally spiritual, therefore these paintings focus on the spiritual.

I collaborate with various museums such as the Church History Museum and the Biblical Art Museum and with many Christian denominations throughout the world. Even last year I created a series of paintings turned postage stamps, for the Royal Mail of the United Kingdom to commemorate Christmas.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

First and foremost include more arts education programs in the education system and encourage young people to enjoy and be part of the art world.

On the other hand, institutions, governments, companies, churches, and private patrons need to support art and artists generously so that they can subsist and earn a decent living. All people enjoy art, but few are willing to pay for it. Many good artists end up at desk job because they can’t support themselves and their families by creating art alone. We as a society have less art and more mediocre art in general because the good artists end up changing careers. This is detrimental to the arts, to artists and to all society.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding thing is when the observer sees a piece and understands the artist. Words are needless, there is no need to explain. It is the moment in which there is true communication between the artist and the person who is watching.

One time I saw a person look at one of my paintings and she started crying emotionally. She had understood my feelings.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jorgecocco.com
• Instagram: sacrocubism
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069514231475

Image Credits
Cocco Fine Art