For me, artistic influences in my art work are, of course, spontaneous.
For example, I don’t like if there is an intention present, to create art in some specific style or period, or movement. For me this process is instinctive, and I first create, and latter leave classifying my art to the experts in this field. I have no idea to become a representative of any style or something like that.
I want to express my artistic ideas spontaneously and adequately. And joy and fun are always included in the equation.
Artistic Influences more…
Of course, there are a lot of various influences significant for my art work.
Since I was a little girl, I wouldn’t go anywhere without a peace of paper and a pencil, so I could draw whenever I like. And, in fact, I rarely stopped drawing. I’ve drawn at home, while visiting friends, etc. I had first drawn, and then learnt to speak. I had been drawing non-stop.
But, I had another huge passion. There were many art encyclopedias and books about art history with many phenomenal reproductions at our home library. It was typical for me to watch the reproductions for hours. I was mesmerized by them.
From these early days one of my greatest artistic influences was art of famous renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. I was fascinated with peaceful expression of Mona Lisa, and deep perspective of the painting’s background. Later I implemented some of Leonardo’s principles about the perspective into my landscape paintings.
I adored Vermeer and his “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and especially “The Art of Painting” (I fell in love with black and white floor).
I loved Goya, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Veronese, Dürer, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Picasso, etc. Their names sound like mantras to me.
Since I have spent so many hours completely concentrated on their masterpieces and under so powerful artistic influences, I can say that those masters are my closest childhood friends. Don’t get me wrong, I had many other real friends, I am very communicative. But both “kinds” of friends were equally important for me. My art-masters-friends have the greatest influence on my art and my life; I can’t imagine the world without them, they are as important as an air, or something like that.
I was thrilled when I had a chance to visit famous world museums and see the original masterpieces in-person. The energy of masterpieces is enormous. I could get first-hand prove that the good painter, a master, is always modern, he can not grow out of fashion, this is something universal. I was fascinated when I saw in Paris monumental pieces of Impressionists Manet and Monet. Their light, virtuous, free, vivid brush strokes took my breath away.
I still feel and carry strong impressions from the museums.
Another sort of artistic influences is from graffiti art. Graffiti artists are free to express their strong emotions and attitudes. Their influence on my art work is visible through text messages included in my paintings and drawings.
Except old masters, there are other influences, although they don’t necessarily come from the field of fine art.
For example, TV, cartoons and comic books were integral part of my life. Naturally, they have large impact on my art work. I love Walt Disney. His character Mickey Mouse was an inspiring motif for me to stylize his visual identity and transform it into the visual element of my art.
Now, internet is integral part of our lives, and its interactive nature was something that I couldn’t escape. So, I incorporated the nature of internet into my net-art work.
It is obvious that the object of my interest and passion from real life interfere in my art work, and vice versa. If some unpleasant things have to interfere, I spontaneously tend to transform them into joy and fun.
Obviously for me there is and will always be a constant overlap between real life influences and artistic influences.
