Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Sacred Art Makes a Comeback in the Work of Ludmila Pawlowska


Ludmila Pawlowska

Last Sunday, my husband and I met Ludmila Pawlowska at her show, Icons in Transformation, at the Riverside Art Museum. What an inspiration!

Born in Russia and now living in Sweden with her family, Pawlowska is a deep, gentle soul determined to reveal the hidden reality beneath the material world. Her series of contemporary icons range from about a foot square to monumental in size. She has shown her work throughout Europe and is now visiting several U.S. museums and churches.

You can learn more about the artist on her website: http://www.ludmilapawlowska.se/  A press release from the Riverside Museum states: "Ludmila Pawlowska brings the whole world into her art. Using pigment, painting paste, found objects, masonry, ceramic fragments, wood, glass, burlap, and a myriad of other materials, she creates an inclusive metaphor for faith: it is both vast and intimate, profoundly personal, and yet universally recognizable as a source of humanity and truth. This exhibition was designed with sacred venues in mind to highlight and explore the deep mysticism of the art, hence the museum’s collaboration with All Saints’ [Church]. The exhibit includes 12 large sculptural pieces that provide a stunning and dramatic visual impression. Also included are 15 traditional icons painted at the workshop of Vasilevsky Monastery in Suzdal, Russia. Icons in Transformation uses traditional Russian icons as a source of inspiration for this vibrant and spiritual contemporary art."

        

Most of all, I was excited to see a successful, contemporary artist devote her career to sacred themes. Her works transcend the profane and ironic so prevalent in today's art. Ludmila's pieces are sacred and stimulating while being intensely personal at the same time. Such an inspiration!

© Claudia Rose, Ph.D.




1 comment:

  1. We would like to see you display your art at the Riverside Art Museum.
    It's equally sacred.

    ReplyDelete