Art Review for an Unknown painting by Ivonne a-Baki

Reviewer: Dimitrije Mihajlovic

The painting shows a flash of light revealing the Crucifixion. The shapes are the mixture of organic and geometric. The colours are something between analogous and monochromatic with the predominant organge colour, which gives the impression of warmth. There is a contrast between the centre and the top of the painting between light yelow and dark brown. The predominant shape is a cross in the centre of spheres in a pretty rough texture. The composition is quadrant with a sharp contrast between light and dark, and with minimal shading.

In this painting the sense of three dimensions is absent. It has a lot of circular shapes with the big cross in the middle with some narrow lines. The painting is predominantly flat with linear perspective presented through the dark background which creates a sense of depth. The painter used the oil on canvas. The brushstrokes are broad with a lot of bumps. The technique is impasto.

The new title for this painting could be „Religion“, which actually represents the theme or the main idea, of this painting. There is a mixture of symbols. TH predominant one is the cross as a symbol of cristianity. The contrast symbolises the eternal fight between the light and the dark, the good and the evil. The painting is a little depressive because of the subdued light. This artwork is formalistic because of the mixture of shapes in an unusual way and the way of producing the feeling of three dimensions.

The viewers agree that the painting has a religious theme with the cross as a dominant shape, but they have different opinions as to whether the cross is represented in a positive way, something that connects people, or in a negative way, like the cross destroyed by burning. In my opinion this painting would be interesting for religious people because of its content.