Proto-Slavic animals
The theme of the series of paintings are hybrids of animals that lived in areas dominated by Slavs.
The paintings have a rhomboid shape, referring to the largest group of ornaments characteristic of the Belarusian ritual towel. The Slavic worldview was based on the belief in deities, especially the dead, transformed for bad behavior into half-animal creatures - such as werewolves or water nymphs, having the ability to transform into animals and plants. Spirits and demons of Slavic mythology are only an echo of the culture of ancestors - gentle images of animals should only remind them. The way the hybrid is presented is inspired by the limitations of uncomplicated weaving techniques. In this way, a new decoration was created that did not use the author's imagination, but a reliable observation of nature, facilitated today by commonly available photographic documentation.
The paintings were composed in accordance with the principles of Belorussian traditional weaving - symmetry and repetitive motifs. Bright, diverse colors and naive images of animals are an attempt to attract viewers with reasonable artistic requirements, but they like to surround themselves with folk. The bright pink elements of the images have the ability to shine in the dark, in daylight or in artificial light, giving the effect of mystery and uniqueness. The form is connected with the modern folk kitsch, which is a manifestation the secularization of society. Mysterious greenish light appearing in the dark - forced originality and spectacular innovation in painting, derived from fair stands and children's aesthetics.
Forty works in the 40 x 40 cm format consist of ten diamonds. The number and dimensions of the works are not accidental - the number 40 is one of the most characteristic numbers found in the Belarusian folk culture. The external form of the paintings resembles a folk fabric, but its meaning is deliberately lost - as it is in contemporary folk art. It's spirit has been forgotten; only the material body remained after it.
It is no longer used for rituals and spells, and therefore there are no functions beyond decorative.
Mixed technique on linen, polyptych on canvas, diamond-shaoed, made in 2017.
![]() Katarzyna Sienkiewicz, Zwierzyna prasłowiańska |
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