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January 22, 2010
Find tranquility in color
Artists explore life’s mysteries through paint.
OLGA LIVSHIN
Tranquility in Still Life and Scapes opened this month at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery, introducing Iza Radinsky and Jane Bronsch, both former Muscovites, but two very different artists.
Radinsky has always liked to paint. She had her first solo show when she was in Grade 9: she painted portraits of English writers and hung them on the walls of her school’s English lab. Her teachers were so impressed they insisted she enrol in an art institute upon graduation. Unfortunately, in Russia at that time, perhaps like in any country at any time, the artist’s life was an uncertain one – no guarantees of employment or a stable income. Her parents, wishing the best for their daughter, suggested she get an engineering degree, and she followed their advice. But she couldn’t give up her art, so she combined her engineering classes with a thorough art education: first at a private art studio and then at the famous Moscow Surikov Art Institute.
In 1990, with diplomas in fine art and engineering, Radinsky and her family escaped the political turmoil and antisemitism of Russia and moved to Israel. Through the dangers of war, the terrors of intifada and hurdles of immigration, she never stopped painting.
“Israel had taught me bright colors,” she said. “Moscow colors were always subdued, kind of greyish, but look at the Israeli sky – how intensely blue it is!”
In Israel, she developed a more abstract approach. “I studied at an abstract art studio in Israel,” she recalled. “It’s liberated my artistic expression. It’s taught me to involve my imagination and free my creativity.”
When, three years later, the family immigrated to Canada, Radinsky’s unique style was fully defined. She calls it by the dry moniker of Figurative Expressionism, but for her viewers, her landscapes are windows into sweet fairy tales, glimpses of a gentle dreamland where everyone is smiling. While reflecting her travel itineraries, her paintings miraculously transform real images through the lens of the artist’s fantasy.
In Radinsky’s Paris, the quaint old streets twist whimsically, a small fountain tinkles a song of roses, and Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted castle is just around the corner. In her Venice, the turquoise waters of the lagoon lap with quiet joy, mesmerizing a gondolier with their luminous serenity. Even her latest renditions of Vancouver seem radiant flights of fancy, with nary a raindrop.
The colors of the artist’s palette shimmer and coalesce, creating combinations nonexistent in real life, providing escape from the grey drudgery of the mundane.
Radinsky knows all about drudgery – she holds a day job. Only evenings and weekends are free for her art. “I treasure every moment I can dedicate to painting,” she confessed. “There’s never enough time. I’m constantly searching for the best way to express myself on canvas.”
Radinsky met Bronsch about a year ago, during an art show at a Russian centre. Mutual understanding bloomed between them instantly. Like Radinsky, Bronsch knew she wanted to be an artist from childhood. She studied at the Serov Children Art School in Moscow and, after graduation, she took fine art classes at Moscow University. In 1992, she immigrated to Canada, settled in Saskatchewan and made her childhood dream a reality by becoming a full-time artist. After 15 years in Saskatchewan, she moved to Vancouver. Currently, Bronsch is represented by Marilyn S. Mylrea Art Gallery.
Although she pegs her style as Contemporary Realism, there is an unrestrained Russian soul in Bronsch’s paintings. Like the fields of Russia, her pictures imply immensity, suffused by a controlled passion. They serve as a visual continuation of the artist’s life.
The snows of Saskatchewan roll endlessly under the silent, white sky, gripped with cold tranquility. Fiery sunsets flash and glow like fireworks. The waters of Steveston undulate with endless varieties of blue. A multitude of blue undertones blend together into a liquid mirror, calmly extending outside the canvas; the edge of the painting can’t contain them.
Light and color, sunlight and shade play significant roles in Bronsch’s acrylic compositions. “I paint from sketches and photos,” she explained. “When I see something interesting, an unusual juxtaposition of colors, it spurs my creativity. Then, because my paintings tend to be large, I start with a study, a painting in miniature. Only after I’m satisfied with all the nuances of color and light, I convey them to a larger canvas.”
Despite her success and numerous prior exhibitions, Bronsch has never stopped learning. She frequently attends workshops of other artists. “They enrich my palette,” she said.
Bronsch’s every image is an exploration, a brave plunge into the mysteries of life, while Radinsky’s brush weaves the secrets of imagination into graceful tapestries of magic. The two artists compliment each other perfectly, resonating with a line in their visitors book: “Stunning and intense.”
Tranquility runs until until Feb. 7.
Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She’s available for contract work. Contact her at [email protected].
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