Oil Paintings of Ana Teresa Fernandez

Ana Teresa Fernández is a highly regarded contemporary Mexican-American artist whose work, including her large-scale oil paintings, uses hyperrealism to confront complex socio-political issues. Her paintings are deeply connected to her performance and social justice actions, often serving as a permanent documentation of a temporary, physically intense, or politically charged event.

Style and Subject Matter of Her Oil Paintings

1. Hyperrealism and the Body

Fernández's oil paintings are known for their hyperrealist technique, which lends a powerful, almost unsettling verisimilitude to the scenes. Her subjects are often based on photographic documentation of her own performances, ensuring that the painted image—no matter how surreal the scenario—is rooted in something that "really happened."

2. Themes of Feminism and Labor

A significant portion of her oil paintings, particularly from her earlier work, addresses gender politics and the societal expectations placed on women.

• "Daily Duties" Series: In this series (sometimes referred to as Telaraña or Pressing Matters), the paintings depict women, often Fernández herself, performing menial household tasks like mopping, sweeping, or ironing.

• The Provocative Twist: The women are usually dressed in a strapless black cocktail dress and stiletto heels while their faces are often obscured or absent. This juxtaposition critiques the contradictory expectations of femininity: a woman is expected to be alluring and sensual (the black dress) yet also diligently perform undervalued, de-skilled domestic labor.

3. Politics of the Border and Absence

Fernández uses her paintings to explore the fragility of borders and to address issues of immigration, human rights, and political injustice, which she refers to as "Magical Non-Fiction."

• Borrando La Frontera (Erasing the Border) (2011): This project, which was a public art performance, video, and painting series, epitomizes her approach. The paintings document her action of painting the border wall sky blue to make it blend with the background, creating the illusion of its temporary "erasure" and advocating for the unity of people "under the same sky."

• Erasure (2014-2016): This series is a reaction to the 2014 disappearance of 43 male students in Ayotzinapa, Mexico. Her related oil paintings depict fragments of a body—a mouth, arms, or the back of a head—on a flat black background. These images, often documentation of a performance where she painted her own body black, symbolize the absence, injustice, and censorship surrounding the disappearance of the young men.

In essence, Ana Teresa Fernández's oil paintings are a powerful artistic record, converting her fleeting acts of social commentary into durable, meticulously crafted canvases that force viewers to confront difficult realities.

Water colour paintings by anonymous

आत्मवालोकन (article by Dr Monica Sharma)

                  कहते हैं कि गुरु बिन ज्ञान नहीं । सच भी है गुरु जीवन के मार्गदर्शक होते हैं । ये बात और है कि जीवन की इस यात्रा में  ऐसे लोग गिनती के ही होते  हैं जिन्हें हम औपचारिक रूप से अपना गुरु मानते हैं । जिनका सानिध्य पाकर  हमारी अकादमिक या आध्यात्मिक उन्नति होती है ।  इसी नाते हम इन्हें गुरु मान इनका सम्मान करते हैं ।  लेकिन जीवन की इस राह में अनगिनत लोग ऐसे भी मिलते हैं  जिन्हें औपचारिक रूप से  गुरु नहीं मानते हम , पर उनसे भी हमें ज्ञान और मार्गदर्शन ज़रूर मिलता है ।

Beautiful Oil Paintings by Andrei Belichenko

Andrei Belichenko is a contemporary Russian painter known for his highly detailed, figurative oil paintings. His work is recognized internationally and is often sought after by private collectors.

Key Characteristics of His Oil Paintings

• Style and Detail: Belichenko's style is generally described as Figurative with a strong emphasis on realism and detail. He pays exceptional attention to the individual expression of his subjects.

• Subject Matter: A significant portion of his oil paintings focuses on the female figure, often depicting women in serene or romantic settings, frequently indoors or in gardens (themes like "Woman, Garden, and Dreams").

• Use of Light: His work is particularly praised for its effective capture of light reflections, which adds a luminous and sometimes dreamlike quality to the realistic figures and settings. This technique gives his paintings a distinct, vibrant look.

• Collaboration: Many of his works are co-authored with his wife and muse, Maria Boohtiyarova.

Background

• Born: 1974 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan.

• Education: He studied in the Graphic Department of the Academy of Arts, where his talent allowed him to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in five years instead of the customary six.

• Exhibitions: His paintings have been exhibited in many regional and international art shows, including in Kiev, Moscow, Germany, France, and the United States.

चलिए कुछ यादें ताज़ा की जाएँ

बचपन में कॉमिक्स पढने का बहुत शौक़ रहा है मुझे  , जहां से जिस तरह भी कोई नयी कॉमिक बुक मुझे मिलती ,  बस उसे उसी वक़्त पढ़ लेने का लालच रहता ,यहाँ तक के इस चक्कर में मैं पढ़ते हुए खाना पीना भूल जाती ,  इन कॉमिक्स में सबसे ज्यादा मेरी पसंद के टोपिक्स होते थे -परियों की कहानियां, mythological  stories  और fantom और mandrak की स्टोरी बुक्स , चलिए कुछ यादें ताज़ा की जाएँ ---

विकल्प वृक्ष

सुनते हैं कभी एक पेड़  था 
रोज़ लोग आकर 
दुखड़ा रोते उस पेड़ से 
तरह तरह के लोग ,दुःख  भी 
सबके किसम किसम के ...

एक दिन पेड़ के कोटर से कोई बोला 

अँधेरे में आना 

अपना दुःख यहीं बाँध जाना 
उत्तर  सबेरे मिल जाएगा ............

लोग सारी रात आते ही आते चले गए 
सुबह बड़ी भीड़ थी 
पेड़ के नीचे सन्नाटा भी ...
ऊपर के कोटर से फिर वही  आवाज़ उतरी 
काफी से अधिक खुरदुरी 

"हर दुःख को पढ़ लो 
फिर आपस में अदल बदल कर लो 
जिसे जो दुःख अपने से ज्यादा बेहतर लगे "

बड़ा गुलापडा  मचा .......
दोपहर तक सब भाग लिए 
.....
एक भी विनिमय नहीं हुआ ........................

(कैलाश वाजपाई)