Dalí, amigo mio!

I plan to go to a great exhibition of Salvador Dalí. I look up to him cause he always surprises me again, when I see some of Dalís pictures. Eminently when I see the pictures live in front of me, when I can change the ankle of view and my own position to the picture. A few years ago I saw some of the most popular pictures from Dalí at the MOMA exhibition in Berlin- and was so impressed by him. He is the base of a new kind of excentric in the art. Hope I´ll found some space at the National Gallery of Victoria to made a few sketches from his exponates.



Sometimes its just inspires me, especially the way of thinking from Dalí. The way to find new solutions and answers of open questions. How he presented it to the society- just without beeing afraid what the public will think about him. But sometimes he scares me, because he goes the way of excentric and egocentric further and further- other people just would to burn up in the spotlight when they comes so close to the big star of self-manifestation.

When I see the Aubrey Beardsley stuff I´m drowning...

The artist Vania Zouravliov rememberes me at Aubrey Beardsley, one of my favourite artists of the art nouveau decade. I think, Vania founds a lot of inspiration in the work from Beardsley. Or, I think he goes the way further- Beardsley died very young, and he had just a few years, to develop his drawing style. Vania adapted a few parts of Beardsleys style and develop it further in his own way- a great way to work. With great results. In the pictures from Beardsley I found lots of inspirations for my own work- I like the way, how Beardsley shows his meaning of opulence. In clear, well composited black-white illustrations, which gives enough space to the message to work. How can I transport my message of a whole undercovered world in just one jacket? Goes on....

Please dont forget to breathe....

In the bookshop arround the corner from my guestuniversity I fuond a really impressive book, which shows the DEuvre of a russian illustrator and artist. His work is on the first view in a classic, black/white dominated style and from traditional technics made. But when the contemplator gets closer and notice, how darkminded, cruel and unsetteling the motives are- it feels like kind of a personally provocation- cause the work goes close to the viewer, because he thought it is a technically brillant and in the topic harmless work. If the contemplator stays close to the nice girls on the canvas- they convay a new, dark and dangerous message. If the viewer don´t get scared from the second, dark impression of the pictures- he will found a subtile, romantic message may in the background of the composition.
I like this way of "double-layered" -subtile and nonsubtile- provocation, which coveres a deeper message in the work.



But...Who is Vania Zouravliov??

Russian-born Vania Zouravliov was inspired from an early age by influences as diverse as The Bible, Dante’s Divine Comedy, early Disney animation and North American Indians. Something of a child prodigy in his homeland, he was championed by many influential classical musicians including Ashkenazi, Spivakov and Menuhin. He even had television programs made about him and was introduced to famous communist artists, godfathers of social realism, who told him that his work was from the Devil.

By the age of 13, Vania Zouravliov was exhibiting internationally, visited Canterbury several times as well as Paris, Colmar and Berlin. He subsequently studied in the UK, and during this time began creating illustrations for The Scotsman and comics for Fantagraphics and Dark Horse in the US. His most recent projects have been for Beck's The Information and National Geographic.

(Biography from http://www.bigactive.com/)