INTERVIEW with Jacqueline Schubert

Carmela Loiacono talks with Jacqueline Schubert who participated during three International Art Exhibitions:

1) STORIES OF IDENTITY – From hidden places to daily life in Matera, at cultural hypogeum Lega Navale Italiana Matera-Magna Grecia with her Triptych “Structures”, composed by Resolution, Natural Flow and Structure.

Carmela Loiacono – Please introduce yourself and talk about the selected works you presented during the exhibition STORIES OF IDENTITY – From hidden places to daily life. 
Jacqueline Schubert – I started painting in 2015. Many years I had been living and working abroad. Now I live in Germany, near Düsseldorf as a freelance artist. Style and technique I developed decisively through attending the “masterclass for painting”. Most of the time I work independently as an individual artist.
Since 2022 I also have been working together in an artist’s group “qu*ART*et” with a total of 4 artists.
Most of my paintings are experimental, permanently incorporating new media and materials in the creative process. The topics revolve around things in everyday life, unusual perspectives and motif fragments. The style of painting is modern, expressionistic and mostly colourful. I take my inspiration from nature, personal experiences or current events.
I wanted to paint a picture that shows organic growth, life – both perfect and imperfect. The middle picture was created first (Natural Flow). The natural structure already has a shape. And the question was, what came before and what comes after the first form? Resolution (before) and Structure (after)show the process of creation and becoming.

2) NATURAL FLOW – Exploring water’s essence in Matera at cultural hypogeum Lega Navale Italiana Matera-Magna Grecia with her series “Flow of Water” and the artwork “Waterfowl”.

Carmela Loiacono – You realized the series “Flow of Water” for the exhibition NATURAL FLOW – Exploring water’s essence and the use of colors is extremely expressive and vivid. What was the spark that went off inside you when you were creating these works?
Jacqueline Schubert – FLOW OF WATER: For this series, I was thinking primarily about how water shapes the landscape in man-made landscapes, such as rivers or streams. We encounter water in open spaces, meaning it flows freely in its natural flow. But it also flows straightened, tamed, and forced into a certain shape. I wanted to show the possibilities in which we encounter water in a modern, urbanized world with seemingly few moments of beauty and naturalness. The landscape is represented by tones of beige, apricot and modified red/pink. The contrast is a beautiful blue for the tamed water. Grey for industrial interventions and modern shapes.

Carmela Loiacono – I also selected your artwork “Watersoul”, because I felt the power of the water inside it. What is the deep meaning behind it?
Jacqueline Schubert – Water is like a soul, it bubbles, flows, it can be still, calm or angry and wild. Water means life, it is a source in all its facets, it quenches thirst. It can be dangerously beautiful, attracts us, has depth and is unfathomable. I wanted to show the soul of water with its contrasting qualities, loving and wild, beautiful and frightening.

3) STORIES OF IDENTITY – The 2nd Edition in Matera at cultural hypogeum Lega Navale Italiana Matera-Magna Grecia with her series “Behind it”.

Carmela Loiacono – Could you please talk about your series: “Behind It” presented during the exhibition STORIES OF IDENTITY – The 2nd Edition in Matera? What are the deep meanings of them? 
Jacqueline Schubert – The series “Behind it” depict landscapes or sometimes just aspects of a landscape and consist of painterly elements, collage-like fragments and digital additions. Landscapes are created by depth, shapes and horizons. This aspect of painting now takes over in new digital collages with certain fragments of my pictures or photos. Random shapes and perhaps unwanted sections combine to form a new image.
From a purely technical point of view, they are a further development or an alternative to my paintings. I wanted to transport a new perspective into the formal language. “Behind it” is an observation of how forms float in the space, how they approach or move away.
Each individual image is a composition of different times and experiences, expressed in the materials used. They have their own personality and interact with all visible elements, like each story of identity. They show newly composed contexts, transporting the viewer into a fantastic, spherical space.

Carmela Loiacono – How would you describe your creative process? What or who influenced or is influencing your work?
Jacqueline Schubert – I am particularly interested in moments of being, things that touch us. How can one approach these aspects in a modern world in which perfect technique has trumped classical, even modern, painting? There are of course the painterly elements, color, surfaces, etc. The fundamental difference between computer- or photo-based works of art is the individual spirit of the artist, which is reflected in the image. I think it’s important that the viewer can sense my feelings and still have room for his/her own imagination.
I primarily experience influences in my artistic work from other artists who inspire me. Events in the world, discussions with people, but also collaboration in the artist group are wonderful moments that are reflected in my work.

Carmela Loiacono – What do you want your art to convey to the people who see your art?
Jacqueline Schubert – I always want the viewer of my pictures to feel something. This can happen through the colors or the subject they see, it doesn’t matter. But the pictures should touch the heart. The meaning of abstract images can be different for everyone. That’s why I find colors, space, and depth particularly important. I try to convey my emotions and thoughts through them and perhaps I will succeed in inspiring some viewers.

Carmela Loiacono – What do you think about shared art on social media? Could it be an alternative way of communicating contemporary art?
Jacqueline Schubert – Social media has many advantages. You are open to the world and can see what others are doing with just a few clicks. You can choose depending on what you are interested in, etc. And of course you can represent yourself, show your own art, open yourself up to the world, so to speak. On the other hand, I think it is important to draw boundaries and remain responsible, moral and ethical.
Social media is a revolution for the art world. Although I believe that art has greater meaning in the real world. You always want to see a work of art up close; it lives from traces of work, imperfection, the colors, the material. These things are difficult to convey virtually.

Carmela Loiacono – What are your future goals and/or projects?
Jacqueline Schubert – I would like to develop myself further as an artist concerning expression, and motifs or the changeability of style. I want to stay innovative.
My projects with the artist group quARTet are therefore very interesting. We paint together, either four of us or two of us on one picture. This forces you to rethink your own ideas and to actively and consciously allow other influences.
Of course, I would also like to collaborate with national and international galleries and art curators, such as Dr. Carmela Loiacono. It is important to have trust in the collaboration and that it will be successful for both sides.