Monday, 3 November 2014

The Paintings Of Dina Shubin

By Etta Bowen


Women with elongated, irregular bodies and serene facial expressions are the trademark of a well known Russian artist. Dina Shubin originally hails from Moscow where she attended the Art Faculty of Moscow Teachers Training Institute. In 1990 she graduated and later emigrated to Canada where she continued to pursue her art career. Her art has been exhibited in many different countries around the world from Tokyo to New York. Many private collectors have also purchased her work. Today it is possible to purchase her paintings from online galleries today.

It is the way this artist paints her women that is so distinctive. The figures are elongated, reminding one of a Modigliani. The faces reflect something of Giotto. She contrasts abstract backgrounds with real flesh as we see in a Klimt. Her women are posed in a way that is static and yet powerful at the same time, being reminiscent of ancient icons.

She has her own distinctive style but the women in her paintings have certain aspects that are reminiscent of some great artists. Like Klimt, she combines abstract backgrounds with real flesh. The elongated proportions of figures cannot help but remind one of Modigliani and her faces reflect something of the style of Giotto. The nature of the poses bears some resemblance to ancient icons.

By elongating the proportions of women, they are no longer entirely realistic but more like creatures in a fairy tale. Their flesh is real but they are also unearthly. Sometimes the artist paints delicate, beautiful veils also adding to this luminous, unearthly effect.

The backgrounds are textured, warm and rich, contrasting with the smooth, soft flesh. In this way the artist plays with abstraction and realism giving her paintings an almost surreal quality. A tension is created by the contrast that elevates her work to another level. A realistically painted violin stands out against rusty abstract red tones. A vase with flowers has beautiful clarity against warm, abstract tones.

Beautiful vases of flowers are often painted realistically and these also stand out against the abstract backgrounds. Women touch white lilies or gaze at vases of tulips. Many of the elements surrounding the women in the paintings are those which delight the senses. One can almost smell the fragrance of flowers and hear musical notes in the air.

Her works reflect a tranquility and romanticism. One piece that has an air of great tranquility is a painting of a girl leaning on the edge of a rowing boat and dangling her hand in the water. Another one shows a young woman sitting on a window seat and resting her arms on her knees. She has a pensive, reflective expression on her face and this expression is seen on the faces of many of her women.

This artist is enjoying success as her works gain the appreciation of many art lovers. New paintings are regularly added to the works already available from online galleries. The distinction of her style comes in the way she portrays the divinity of women. She is able to flawlessly combine and contrast abstraction and realism to create her unique effect.




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