Gelena Pavlenko: Capturing Floral Beauty

 

So many friends are proudly posting photos of their flowers that it seemed a perfect art subject for June "...bustin' out all over." (Thank you, Rodgers & Hammerstein) This meant finding an artist whose paintings bring a sense of awe in capturing flowers in all their glory. The perfect artist is Gelena Pavlenko (1969-)

 

 

Pavlenko was born in Kyiv,Ukraine and attended the Ukrainian Art Academy. Her inspiration for becoming an artist was nurtured by the beauty she saw in nature. 

Using oil paints on canvas, she creates flowers at the height of their glory; capturing a permanent moment in time for all to enjoy. 

 

 

Pavlenko's art is in the permanent collection of several museums, including New York, where she now resides with her husband and son. 

 

 

While this blog limits her works to the subject of flowers, she also paints beautiful landscapes and what she categorizes as "Spiritual" (allegorical) paintings.

Defining the Art of Valeri Tsenov

You may have noticed that recent blogs have been more about contemporary artists. This blog is to introduce  Valeri Tsenov (1961-).

Tsenov is a Bulgarian artist who studied painting, illustration, book design and graphics in his native country. His art reflects the influence of his homeland and his art education.

As I thought about Tsenov's work, I was struck with how many ways I could describe his style and his technique. Yes, there are the details of an illustrator and a certain classicism. Yet, his subjects reflect an inner world that at times can be surreal or iconic, mythic or modern, and symbolic or literal. How to define Tsenov?

You be the judge. What do you notice when you look at his works?

Michal Trpák and The Human Condition

Recently, I came upon a young Czech artist who is creating very original art. His name is Michal Trpák (1982-). His academic credentials are impeccable. He studied under Master sculptors and graduated from the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design. His internships were in such far flung parts of the world as Korea, Finland and Canada.

Through all his studies, he has distilled an original style of art works mainly depicting the human form and cultural conditions in a surrealistic manner. This is the first of his works that introduced me to his art:

"Escape into Reality" (2008)

Trpák's sculptural commentaries on the human condition were featured in an exhibit at a civic building in the Czech Republic. "Slightly Uncertain" (2012)


"Stage of Fascination" (2009)


"On the Waves of DNA" (2012)

"Thinkers" (2010)


You can see more of his works at: www.michaltrak.com.  Be sure to watch the opening intro. It's fun and worth it!

Does Art Still Shock?

What is shock art? According to Wikipedia it is "...contemporary art ...disturbing imagery, sound or scents to create a shocking experience." However, I contend that art has been shocking the viewers for much longer. After all, being contemporary can mean contemporary to the times.

Consider Daumier's "Rue Transnonain" (1834)

Then there was Manet.  For example, consider the effect in 1863 of  his "Luncheon on the Grass." 

In the early 20th Century, there was Duchamp's "Fountain." (1917)

  Today, these works created a hundred years ago or so, do not carry the same effect on the public.

So, what shocks today? Journalists have written that maybe we've reached the end of what can be described as shock art. What do you think? Are artists no longer able to shock us?







 

2,500 plus One - Alejandro Santiago

Alejandro Santiago (1964-) is a highly-trained and well-known Mexican artist. He was born and raised in Teococuilco in the state of Oaxaca. You might be thinking, "Why does that matter?"

It's because Santiago returned to his hometown after spending several years in Europe only to find that half of the population - some 2,500 people - had left. He had come home to a shell of a town. Most of the working age population had emigrated. Those who remained were either old or children who had been left with grandparents. Some of these emigrants would die in the desert, but against their poverty it was a chance they were willing to take.

In a dream, Santiago saw a way to repopulate those 2,500 souls plus his own to the town. With a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and 35 workers, he created 2501 clay sculptures. No two figures are alike. Santiago personally shaped each one in a crude way to represent the native people and the hardships of their lives.

The figures are on exhibit now, but eventually Santiago will place them in Teococuilco to celebrate the "migrants' return." Or as one curator described these sculptures, "...as if to summon the absent ones."