Surpresa 120x100 2019 (2018) Painting by Erika Petunoviene Ayte

This artwork was shown in personal exhibitions and was selected and published in International contemporary art catalogues.
Surpresa – a figurative painting, which mirrors the tradition on how female figures were used for allegories in long historic tradition of Western art.
The core theme of this painting is suddenness, a moment of clairvoyance. A sufficiently photorealistic style of the central figure contrasts the ingenuously abstract symbolic background. It is one of the most figurative works of the artist, however it is devoted to an important and universal theme. The moment which occurs to the central character of the painting momentarily frightens her. This breaks the centuries lasting iconographic tradition of frightened women – namely Susanna, Lucretia, Diana and nymphs from Greco-Roman mythology. However, this time the perpetuator is not a male figure. The surprising aspects – the highlighted colorful metaphorical wire to the sky and the bright opening at her sightline signifies that things to come in the future are sudden and unexpected, yet joyful and fulfilling. It’s a meta-commentary of how contemporary women are often initially taken aback by their foreseen successes, depending on their supposedly lesser status in the society. The name of the painting represents a word play between “surprise” and “principessa”, meaning that every woman has an inherent power to reach her own goals by herself. This painting encourages them not to worry about the future ahead, which is undoubtedly bringing pleasure in future activities.

Related themes

WomanEroticModernAbstractBody