Lilliana Didovic @ TRUST Gallery - iPhone PhotoSynth app.
Lilliana Didovic presents “My Philadelphia Tales“, a vast collection of original paintings and mixed media, that is vividly abstract and impressionistic, heroic in scale and narrative or intimately miniature, when viewed in it’s totality, exudes an artistic style that is recognizably Lilliana. TRUST Gallery in Old City, Philadelphia is a beautiful art destination with a soaring interior space with a wrap around balcony, long walls and chambers and a glistening chandelier. Lilliana Didovic’s paintings fill the huge gallery, creating a conversation between the artworks, the architecture, the mix of old and new, the stark and kaleidoscopic and ancient and future, with a lovely resonance found only in fine art. Like a retrospective, My Philadelphia Tales includes work done over years, including many from Da Vinci Art Alliance Shakespeare theme art shows, but Didovic’s recent burst of creativity is epic not just in scale but intensity, with subtlety of tone and new contemplative compositions. TRUST Gallery is full of itself already with it’s grand scale and solid structure, Didovic’s paintings express their own vibrancy and eccentricity as if this is where they belong. Didovic had many venues to choose from, having already shown in small galleries, restaurants, group shows, art competitions, academic spaces, art alliances and regional art centers, but TRUST Gallery offers an atmosphere and grandness to display her art that is appropriate for more than 80 paintings.
Lilliana Didovic @ TRUST Gallery
Lilliana Didovic‘s paintings have become more balanced and calm, reflecting challenges and accomplishments in her life, her assured brushwork and strong color sense is restrained yet bursting with exuberance. Lilliana shares her studio space with her adult son Gordan, who needs continual within hands reach monitoring and nursing, her pratical approach to life care and it’s tedious detail are let free in the flow of paint and color. Gordan had a liver transplant 17 years ago, his surgeon attended the art opening, as did Gordan looking hip in his black wrap around sun-glasses and tricked out wheelchair. It takes a village to care for Gordan, Lilliana creates her happy, exuberant works in an environment where crisis is commonplace. The strength of color, the pull of the images and dynamic contrasts signal the deep, thoughtful approach to Lilliana’s style, it may seem flashy at first but lingering with her work allows the energy to connect, it’s not just abstract or impressionist, it’s informed and introspective.
Philadelphia is a major theme throughout the show, but Lilliana’s tales take us around the world, to Venice, Denmark, her former home of Sarajevo and mystical worlds from Shakespeare and literature. Her vision of glittering towers, shimmering water, beautiful women and dreamy skies is romantic yet modern; her love of Philadelphia is not just the backdrop for her art but the friendship, hope and company of the people she and her family encountered that expresses an accessible cosmopolitan social consciousness to the work. TRUST is a good metaphor for “My Philadelphia Tales” and an appropriate venue to celebrate Lilliana Didovic‘s art.
Lilliana Didovic @ TRUST Gallery
Lilliana Didovic‘s miniatures look great hanging together but each individual piece is a contemplation on what makes her happy, whether it’s the Philly skyline at sunset, the lights at Boathouse Row or historic architecture and landmarks, each miniature crafted with as much care as her large scale works. When you think about liberty, freedom, ambition, patriotism this July 4th, imagine what Lilliana and her family escaped from, a long war still in the news, what she left behind, people, places, things and the challenging new world she found in Philadelphia and how she integrated into a confusing society to become a fine artist. Now, that’s a tale of Philadelphia (a city where many people live in a 10 block radius their whole life) that is poetic, thrilling, adventurous and up-lifting.
Lilliana Didovic @ TRUST Gallery
The group of paintings depicting the iconic mosaic murals of South Philly is truly inspired, the eclectic walls are portrayed in mixed media, like the actual murals, but with crystals, found objects, glitter and bright colliding colors. Children stood transfixed staring at the happiness and fun emanating from the paintings, their Mom’s having to pull them away, but adults fall for the glitz and glam of a bedazzled painting, too, more than a few reaching out to touch the art. Mixing media, metaphors and messages, Lilliana Didovic‘s paintings revel in the methods of painting, expressing her joy for life, the wealth of love she receives from her friends and the stories upon stories of her life’s journey, “My Philadelphia Tales” are narratives that thread throughout all our lives, Lilliana chooses to celebrate the challenges when others may pale at the prospects. “My Philadelphia Tales“, an exhibition of paintings by Lilliana Didovic is on view at TRUST Gallery throughout July 2011.
Lilliana Didovic @ TRUST Gallery
Lilliana Didovic @ TRUST Gallery
Lilliana Didovic @ TRUST Gallery
Lilliana Didovic @ TRUST Gallery
Read more about Her Philadelphia Tales, The Art of Lilliana S. Didovic (Volume 1)
DoN Brewer, Side Arts Contributing Writer
Photos by DoN Brewer
[...] The sand castle metaphor is apropos for artists who have to pull together disparate elements creating an object like a painting to be accepted by the community as a work of art. Like herding cats, DoN chases after elusive grants, competes for wall space in art shows, makes new art, visits art shows, writes and promotes daily, constantly developing the DoN brand. The sand castle DoN is working on now includes this blog, Contributing Writer to Side Arts, a tech start up, Philly based company, offering an excellent web presence for artists and DoN is near completion of a new book about Lilliana Didovic based on her art and the reviews DoN has published on DoNArTNeWs and Side Arts. [...]
[...] by Lilliana S. Didovic and a collection of blog posts by DoN Brewer on the Philadelphia art blog Philly Side Arts, a tech start-up web site for artists and DoNArTNeWs DoN Brewer Reviews the Philadelphia Art Scene [...]
[...] S. Didovic (Volume 1) by Side Arts Contributing Writer and member artist DoN Brewer. Based on DoN‘s blog posts on Side Arts Philadelphia art blog, accompanied by Lilliana‘s exuberantly [...]