藝術家介紹
George & Raphael Greaves
來自英國的藝術設計雙人品牌Printed Goods，2015年創 立起，以雋永而復古的線條，刻畫著充滿古希臘視覺語彙 的藝術乃至於設計品，舉凡數位版畫、服裝、織毯、首 飾，既廣且精。經營品牌之餘，兩人分別各自接案，客戶 包含Rimowa、Bulgari、Dr. Martins、Hermés、《紐約 客》、Papier 等知名品牌和刊物。
George & Raphael Greaves founded Printed Goods in 2015. The Bristolian twins specialise in timeless and retro-inspired designs, depicting art infused with captivating notes of Hellenic heritage. Their portfolio spans across various mediums, including digital prints, clothing, tapestries, and jewellery, showcasing both breadth and precision in their work. While managing their brand, each member also undertakes individual projects, collaborating with clients such as Rimowa, Bulgari, Dr. Martins, Hermés, The New Yorker, Papier, amongst other renowned brands and publications.
Q：請問你們從何獲取靈感？你們的作品有復古的韻味，請問你們一直都很喜歡古希臘的藝術嗎？你們都欣賞David Hockney、馬諦斯，而George也公開表明過喜歡基里訶、馬格利特、埃舍爾等人，請問你們的創作風格最大的差異是？
George：我想藝術史對我們來說都相當重要，前人的思想與知識結晶值得我們學習，我傾向於將自己的創作視為藝術發展中承先啟後的一部份，而非獨立的真空存在。我也希望我們的作品能夠忠實地交代源流，同時在一定程度上展現新意。我認為因為我們的創作都十分倚賴直覺，我很難明確指出單一的影響，而且應該有許多創作者都這樣想，我們往往不想要被貼上標籤。
Raphael：20世紀初真是藝術史上相當有趣的年代：藝術家們挑戰各種創作的限制，我的靈感繆思包含了英國藝術家Eric Ravillous還有時常也被認為是插畫家、設計師的Edward Bawden，我覺得他們如此有實驗精神又多才多藝很讚；另外Fernand Leger還有Alekos Fassianos是近期我的兩位新歡。我特別喜歡作品呈現藝術家構築的世界，充滿個人魅力而引人入勝，活潑大膽。我和George受啟發的藝術家多有重疊，所以我們一起做Printed Goods的設計相當融洽，我想讓觀者自己決定我們兩者的作品有何不同。
Q: Where do you seek inspiration? There’s a retro feel to your art, have you always been fascinated by everything Hellenic? Both of you admire David Hockney and Henri Matisse, I also read Chirico, Magritte, and Escher are some of George’s favourites. Where do you differ aesthetically?
George: I think art history is very important to both of us, the wealth of knowledge and ideas that came before have so much to teach us and I think it's important to see your work as part of a continuum rather than it existing in a vacuum. I would like to think our work offers something original and new in a way, whilst being honest in its influences. I think because our work comes from an intuitive place, I would hesitate to say there is one main influence, but I guess that’s part of being creative, you don’t like to be pinned down or put in a category.
Raphael: The early 20th century was such a fascinating time for art, as artists pushed the boundaries of creative expression. Inspirations of mine include the English artists Eric Ravillous and Edward Bawden who can also be considered illustrators and designers and I love that they dabbled in so many different things. Fernand Leger and Alekos Fassianos are two more recent interests of mine. I enjoy work that is bold, has a sense of play and draws you into the artist’s world. I think on the whole me and George have similar influences which is why we have worked well together through Printed Goods. I leave it to the viewer to see where our work differs.
Q：你們至今最引以為傲的作品是？最受喜愛的創作又是什麼？反過來說，有沒有什麼專案你們認為值得受到更多人欣賞、關注呢？未來有什麼其他規劃，或是任何其他你們想要與讀者分享的事嗎？
George：這很難說，畢竟我們的職涯起點與品牌的建立同期，不過我必須說有時候是助力，有時候則是阻力。我們的品牌Printed Goods給了我們一個展現自己的平台，但是可能也使得外界對於我們「作為個別的藝術家」感到困惑，也可能因此我們喪失了一些機會，但這實在無從求證——我們都有幸各自參與了其他很棒的計畫，我尤其以我與Hermés的合作為傲，我想不出來有哪一件作品獲得了最大的迴響，我們一直都有產出，而且我們總是以「創造代表作」的心情與態度面對手邊的創作。至於令人期待的新消息，大概是目前正在畫的新展覽，將展出繪畫與雕塑等原作，我們正在減低數位創作的比例多使用自己的雙手，這是我們嚮往已久的目標。
Raphael：我同意，我覺得這常常使人想要雇用我們時感到困惑，畢竟我們共同為Printed Goods設計，要想將兩者的作品完全分開並不容易。我自己最享受過程也最滿意的作品，應當是我為《紐約客》繪製的滿版插畫，因為我長期喜愛、關注這本刊物展現的創意與質感。和George一樣我也選不出來一件最受歡迎的作品，希望不久的將來能有家喻戶曉的代表作！
Q: How has having a brand together impacted getting commission works? (i.e, from hiring one to both of you, How AD perceives you) What’s your proudest project yet? Alternatively, which of your works has garnered the most recognition? Do you have any projects you are excited about in the near future?
George: It’s hard to know, as our individual careers started at the same time as the brand, but I would say in some ways it’s helped in others probably not. I think Printed Goods has definitely given us a platform, but it has also slightly confused the idea of us as individual artists and that has potentially led to missed opportunities but it is impossible to know. We have both been fortunate to have worked on excellent projects outside Printed Goods. I am particularly proud of the work I have done for Hermés. I don’t think there is one standout piece that has got the most recognition, we have always been prolific, and I think we go forward with the mentality it's always the piece we are about to create. In regards to projects we are excited about, we are planning on putting on an exhibition of painted works, sculptures etc and we are very excited about that, moving away from digital and working with our hands has been something we have wanted to do for the longest time.
Raphael: I agree, I think it can often be confusing for people hiring us due to us both being involved in Printed Goods and it can be hard to separate out the work. I think the job I really enjoyed and was happy with was a full page illustration I did for the New Yorker, a publication I had long admired for the quality of its creative direction. Likewise I can’t think of a single piece that has really stood above the others yet in terms of recognition- hopefully that is yet to come!
Source: Printed Goods
完整文章收錄於 Excerpt from vol.266
