Born in 1967 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Fabian had a difficult childhood. His father owned bordellos and nightclubs that were illegal. He also was a gambler. To this day, Fabian remembers the police coming to their home looking for his father who would try to escape through the back door. Meanwhile, Fabian's mother, who was artistic herself, encouraged her son to develop his aptitude for art. From an early age he loved to draw and she would proudly display these endeavors. He was also passionate as a boy about soccer and martial arts—the latter becoming an integral part of his life and his work as an artist. As a young adult, he did decide to take a few art courses to learn more about the true craft of drawing and painting, but it was never formal training.
It is imagery from his past that he draws from in his painting, his father his inspiration. He is the cool guy outside the nightclubs and bordellos in Fabian's images. And the women are his memories of those he saw at his father's brothels and nightclubs—their somber mood, brooding thoughts and intense sensuality emanating from his canvases. For several years after his parents died, his mother when he was 16, his father when he was 19, he lived as a gypsy. The sadness and despair he experienced left him confused and searching for answers. It was in martial arts that he found an inner strength. He immersed himself in the discipline.
Alone and struggling to take care of himself, he began to teach karate while living in martial arts studios or friends' homes. It was then that he crossed paths with a Japanese karate master, Oscar Higa, who became his teacher, mentor, friend and father figure. For a while, Fabian spent time in Rio; living the life of a nomad, finding refuge on warm beaches. Then he collected himself, deciding to follow Oscar to Italy. It was there, in the small town of Padova outside Venice, that he began his career as an artist.
After seven years in Italy, where he traveled frequently, giving martial arts exhibitions, he moved to Japan and continued to teach karate, not realizing that martial arts would become such an influence in his painting technique and, indeed, in his life's path. Inspired by the Shodo, he utilized this influence to combine figurative and abstract styles. Shodo is often practiced by Samurais and Buddhist monks. It is as much a discipline as an art form. "
Today, Fabian has a studio in Los Angeles, where he also lives with his wife, Luciana and his three children. Mostly he works in the mornings and early afternoon, when the light is best. Usually he uses acrylic paint, so that he doesn't have to wait for it to dry. "My paintings are dark, because I try to only give an idea. Not every detail. I prefer to paint the moods in color, so the viewer gets a sense of what is being felt. Painting is a wonderful way of communicating with people. It can be hard to explain everything that I feel and, in some way, people understand when they look at my art better than I could ever say it."
The scenes from his youth in Argentina reflect a time that, in his view, is more romantic than the present day. "A time when the man would take pride in shaving or simply fixing his tie. And the woman would follow a routine of slow and sensual movements, seducing a man just by lighting a cigarette."
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