Anastasia Russa: painter
Currently, my artistic productions are taking inspiration, and narrative form, from mythology. The meta-narratives, seen in many different ancient mythologies, are the starting point for considering our contemporary ‘mythological’ figures that are found in profusion in the new icons of mass-produced toys, computer-game heroes and social net symbols.
I start by exploring the Lost Paradise myth with all its beauty, violence and liberation. My next stage is to re-interpret this, along with the classical myths, within the more familiar conceptual ideas of our fast-paced, technological world.
The Gods and Heroes of classical mythology have mutated, and are now embodied in the virtual-reality of computer games. Others have assumed their new "flesh" in the plastic of commercial toys.
I am contriving hereby an evolution of this subject-matter by inventing my own hybrids, setting them in modern environments or notional situations. This further feeds into my individual interpretation and representation of modern History Painting. In recording our own mythological characters, our history is being recorded.
My chosen medium is traditional oil painting. Nevertheless, I also take the opportunity to experiment, to a considerable extent in a modernist way, by mixing different solutions with raw materials. These create a bold texture that comes to form a defined background, an empty stage for my future figurative paintings.
© Anastasia Russa 2020