Monday 8 June 2015

Art of Football: An Interview

Recently I caught up with the guys at Art of Football, who are bringing new meaning to the phrase 'The Beautiful Game'. 


Where did 'Art of Football' begin? What are its origins?
Art of Football is run by two brothers Luke (23) and Gabe (20).
It was after watching Man City’s crazy title-winning match that the
idea for these T-shirts came to me. The sudden transformation of
anguish, nerves and misery into pure, uncontrollable elation was
something of a spectacle. Now I’m not a City fan, nor is my club even
involved in the Premier League, but even I was bouncing off the walls
when Aguero finally broke through QPR’s defences. As an artist and
designer, I wanted to be able to immortalise that moment in a T-shirt
so that fans could wear it with pride (as they would usually do with a
replica shirt), and be forever reminded of it.

Sergio Aguero jabs the ball into the net to seal the most dramatic
Premier League title of all time.
What's the relationship between art and football? Why does it work?
There is so much emotion in football which is perfect to try and
embody in art. We try to emulate the beauty of those split second
moments, the moments you never forget, as we look to capture the
energy, passion and euphoria that erupts from that one magical kick of
a football.


Who designs your images and how?
Gabe is the artist and paints all the designs, but like a magician he
can't reveal all his tricks!


What is your favourite design?
Hard to choose! I love the "Scorpion Kick" design and also the "They
Think It's All Over".

Rene Higuita performs his unbelievable 'Scorpion Kick'.
What is the most popular design?

The design of Bobby Zamora's late winner for QPR in the play-off final
against Derby. People just got caught up in the euphoria of being
promoted in such a dramatic way and went crazy for the t-shirt!


Who is the most artistic player in Premier League right now?
It has to be David Silva, he has such beautiful vision and movement,
it's a joy to watch.


Who is the better artist on the pitch? Messi or Ronaldo?
Messi is an artist without a doubt. The way he moves the ball and the
effortless control he has of it is simply stunning. I do however
admire the work Ronaldo has obviously put in and how he has honed
his skill set so well.

Lionel Messi celebrates with Suarez and Neymar Jr.
Would you expand to other sports? Snooker might be difficult...
We have already started our expansion with the launch of our new site
www.art-of-rugby.com

England's greatest rugby moment, immortalised by Art of Rugby.
This was great fun to make as there is a lot more physicality and
power in the designs from the thunderous tackles.
Keep your eyes peeled for other sports coming soon.


What's the plan for the future?
We would love to have a collection of designs for every team in the
football league. No matter how big or small a team is they all have a
rich history of moments that the fans cherish so highly and we want to
do our best to do justice to all those moments.


They say a picture paints a thousand words. What three words best
describe 'Art of Football'?
Energy, Passion and Euphoria.
That's the best three to describe football and Art of Football.

You can view Luke and Gabe's work at www.art-of-football.com as well as www.art-of-rugby.com, and for updates, follow @Art_of_Rugby and @Art_of_Football

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