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Paula CraioveanuOld World New World Acrylic Painting, 59x39in, Modern Contrast2023
2023
About the Item
"Old World New World", acrylic on canvas, 59x39in, 150x100cm
Large original, one-of-a-kind, painting. Shipped rolled in a tube from Europe . Free shipping for items over $500 with 1stDibs code FREESHIP
This particular piece is in my studio in Bucharest, Romania, Europe. Other pieces are in my other studios in Florida, or in NY.
This painting, Old World New World, is an intriguing and layered work that juxtaposes classical and modern elements in a vivid and thought-provoking composition, there is a contrast between the modern setting and the antique mask, tradition and modernity, old and new - side by side.
The artist continues to explore themes of history, mythology, and identity while placing them in a contemporary, almost surreal setting.
The painting is divided into two distinct realms: the natural landscape (the Old World) in the background, and the sleek, modern architectural space (the New World) in the foreground. This creates a strong sense of contrast and narrative tension. The fragmented classical face on the tiled poolside is the focal point. Its placement—lying horizontally—creates a striking juxtaposition between the permanence of antiquity and the transient, glamorous feel of the modern poolside scene.
The warm yellows and earthy tones of the rocky landscape are reminiscent of ancient ruins and deserts, evoking a sense of history and timelessness. The cool blues of the pool and the crisp whites of the modernist structure introduce a sharp contrast, emphasizing the tension between the two worlds. The subtle pinks in the sky and the soft greens of the palm trees lend an ethereal quality, suggesting an almost dreamlike blend of the two eras.
The brushwork is fluid and expressive, blending precision with abstraction. The landscape and architectural elements are painted with more clarity, while the fragmented classical face has a looser, more textured style, emphasizing its decay and detachment. Reflections in the pool and the glass structure are painted delicately, adding depth and realism to the otherwise surreal scene. The lighting in the painting is bright and natural, akin to the midday sun in a warm climate. The interplay of light and shadow on the fragmented face and the tiles enhances the three-dimensionality and highlights the contrast between the materials (stone, water, glass, and tile).
The Old World is represented by the classical face and the rocky landscape, while the New World is symbolized by the modernist architecture, swimming pool, and palm trees.
This contrast can be interpreted as a commentary on how modernity interacts with, redefines, or even neglects history and culture. The fragmented face could symbolize how classical art and ideals have been dislocated or repurposed in the contemporary context.
The broken face lying on the poolside suggests themes of impermanence, decay, and the passage of time. It evokes the idea that, even in a world of sleek modernity, traces of the past persist—often fragmented, but still present. This could also reflect on how modern society fragments and commodifies historical artifacts, reducing them to decorative or aesthetic objects devoid of their original context.
The rugged, organic forms of the natural landscape contrast sharply with the clean, geometric lines of the architecture. This contrast could represent a broader tension between the natural world and human innovation.
The presence of water, both in the pool and implied by the reflective glass surfaces, acts as a unifying element, suggesting a cyclical connection between these two realms.
Like the previous works, this painting draws heavily from classical forms and motifs but places them in contemporary, almost surreal contexts. While Cabinet of Curiosities emphasized a museum-like curation of classical artifacts, and Neo-Mythology was more abstract and symbolic, Old World New World is explicitly a dialogue between past and present, nature and modernity, permanence and impermanence. The artist continues to explore themes of fragmentation, identity, and the reinterpretation of history, but here the setting is much more rooted in a physical, real-world location.
Old World New World is a captivating exploration of time, culture, and identity. Its compelling juxtaposition of classical and modern elements invites viewers to reflect on how we interact with history in the contemporary world. The surreal yet grounded composition, combined with its expressive brushwork and rich color palette, makes it a deeply evocative and thought-provoking work.
Artist Statement
"I started by painting interiors, being interested in space and perspective through my studies. These scenes evolved, when I added the human figure. I focused more on the human figure and its relation to the background. The human figure is more present than ever in my paintings now.
As a woman artist I’ve been preoccupied with the female form and its imagery. One of my goals was to capture the solitary moments and the nude’s relation to the surrounding space.
My interest turned from depicting the space to rendering the atmosphere and the scene as a whole, the feeling a woman adds to the environment: warmth, desire, joy, a feeling of power and control, or the opposite – sadness, despair.
Here is a collection of figurative paintings, exploring the nudes in interior spaces, seeing the nudes from my perspective, as a woman artist, considering the physical and spiritual realities of a woman’s body, in a new level of intimacy. My paintings are the opposite of objectifying a woman’s or a man’s anatomy. Painted works, featuring female nudes and a also men nudes, in a reversal of the male-artist/female-muse pattern, validate the feminine experience, defining myself through it.
I was interested in how one experiences the body in a sensual form, and later focused on my own body, as I experience it myself, looking into the mirror and reconnecting.
My work challenges the tradition of the nude by capturing my point of view, the gaze of a female painter, by using photography, drawings, sketches, and painting on canvas, for, both physical and psychological exploration.
My art tries to create a visual language for emotion, beauty, feelings of intimacy and in the same time autonomy, captured with paint and vivid colors. My intense interest in colour and the gestures of the brush strokes are the means I see and convey the subjects in space, as living, passionate beings."
Paula Craioveanu
Biography:
Paula Craioveanu is a Romanian artist, born in 1976. She grew up surrounded by art and inspiration, in a family of artists. Trained in Bucharest and New York as an architect and painter. Holds a degree in Architecture and a PhD in Visual Arts. Presently working as a full-time artist.
At the age of 16, Paula Craioveanu moved to New York, where she came in contact with New York’s vibrant art scene, she graduated from high school and then studied at Parsons School of Design. Then she moved back to Romania where she studied for the next 6 years at the Architecture University in Bucharest and graduated with a degree in Architecture in 2000. In 2013 she earned a Ph.D in Visual Arts at the University of Arts in Bucharest with the theme “Geometry of Space in 17th century Dutch painting”. After this, she dedicated her full time to art, and showed her talent to the art world.
Paula Craioveanu works in acrylic and oil paints, but also pen and ink or tempera works on paper. She regularly participates in shows and exhibitions in galleries along the East and West Coast of the United States, like bG Gallery Santa Monica, Dacia Gallery and Perseus Gallery in New York.
Paula Craioveanu’s work is featured on the two most exclusive online art marketplaces, 1stDibs and Artsy.
Over the course of 20 years, Paula Craioveanu has created several painting series: “Abstract”, “Interiors”, “Nude in Interior”, “NeoMythology”. Paula Craioveanu’s work has been placed in private collection around the world, both in Europe and in the United States.
Today, Paula Craioveanu has set up studios and works in Bucharest and New York.
Find original Paula Craioveanu paintings, works on paper and other art on 1stDibs.
Next: Works on display - December 2024, Context Art Miami.
- Creator:Paula Craioveanu (1976, Romanian)
- Creation Year:2023
- Dimensions:Height: 59 in (149.86 cm)Width: 39 in (99.06 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Forest Hills, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: Romanian-American artist. PhD in Visual Arts.1stDibs: LU2240218071172
Paula Craioveanu
Trained in Bucharest and New York as architect and painter. Holds a degree in Architecture and a PhD in Visual Arts. Presently working as a full-time artist.
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