Dreams from Childhood

Valentina Povarova was born in Saint Petersburg on 04 June 1954. Аfter graduating from an art school and an art college she studied in Saint-Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design.

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The paintings that are on display in this exhibition are in the Naïve style. For example, the perspective is missing; the buildings and landscape are stapled on top of each other, reminiscent of Medieval paintings. Also, there is hardly any overlap.

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In paintings like Winter-Summer, Winter morning and Evening snow, every aspect of the paintings shows the same attention to detail, there is no specific part of the painting that stands out. If there is something that specifically draws the eye, it’s usually a cat.

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The cats in the paintings of Povarova, with their big, bright eyes, clearly show her background as a cartoon artist. The same can be said for the bloated houses and the use of bright colours.

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The light source in the paintings seems to come from the point where the viewer is standing. It shines right on the snowy rooftops and colourful balloons. Even if there are light sources painted, e.g. the lanterns in A Night Watch, the main source still comes from outside, right in the middle. This makes us, the viewers, a part of the painting. It seems we are illuminating it.

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The paintings consist of many layers of oil paint, evenly distributed across the canvas. This makes the colours very saturated, adding to their brightness.

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All of the paintings in this exhibition are joyous. The persons in them are playing, relaxing and having a good time. This makes the paintings easy to look at, it gives you a warm and comforting feeling. If these are indeed Povarova’s dreams of childhood, she most likely had a very happy one.

 

 

Laura Mulder

Art Historian