Katerina Belkina, For Kahlo. White / For Kahlo. Red, 2007

Series: Paint
2006 – 2008

I came to the Paint series as a result of following my instincts as a viewer and artist, and in order to satisfy my desire for aesthetic pleasure. All my love for the art of the 19th and early 20th centuries is shown here, as is the decision to examine my inspiration from two different sides — as a creator and as a model, which are firmly connected and yet opposed to each other. On the one hand, they are mutually beneficial, and on the other there is a conflict between these two entities.

When you unexpectedly get involved in this process of studying the theme of interaction between the author and the model, you gain surprisingly new information about yourself. You release your inner demons. It is amazing to observe how the creative research energy is transformed into sexual energy and back again. Very often in portrait painting a fine line is drawn in the relationship between the creator and the model. I additionally invite a third party, the viewer, for dialogue. I allowed myself for the first time to show myself in public. Far more than that, I allowed the depicted characters to show themselves, and through them also my own self. It is interesting that the taboo around the presentation of the naked body disappears in the case of art. It is not only about physical nudity, but also about the release of trapped sexual energy. The naked body in art has a tremendous power of influence as well as the ability to penetrate the viewer’s subconscious. The artist, by exposing the model’s body in whole or in part in front of the viewer, also releases their own emotions, wishes, and fears.

At the same time, it was interesting for me to combine two techniques — digital, and painting with “real” materials — and two types of art, namely photography and painting. To reflect the depth, intimacy, and eroticism of the relationship between artist and model, I used a lot of colour. In this series it plays a central role.

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