Anna Kiparis

Anna Kiparis ^ Art Hub Open Studios

Anna Kiparis + Art hub

Passion of Cows

Quadriptich of Icons

The artworks are based on the plots of Christian Orthodox icons such as the Christmas, Presentation of Mary, Agony in the Garden, and Nativity Scene. The works were created following the perspective construction canon in Eastern Orthodox iconography, where it seems as if we are looking from below, and gold is used in critical narrative symbols.

The series is based on the central scene of the novel «The Autumn of the Patriarch» by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, in which the city's inhabitants notice a live cow on the palace balcony and realize that the patriarch is dead. The appearance of the cow to the people becomes a sacred symbol of liberation from the dictatorship. Religious symbols resonate with the book's action, while cows take on the role of saints.

Read the episode from «The Autumn of the Patriarch»

1/4
Christmas

At the core of this icon lies the birth, but in the cave where the prophet was supposed to appear, there are only cows. The world anticipates a new era that will start with war's end. Cows, akin to the prophet, bear the symbol of liberation. Their presence marks a portal leading to the patriarch's palace.

Materials: oil on canvas, gold
Size: 30x30 cm

2/4
Presentation of Mary

This moment is associated with one of the great church holidays when her parents brought the Most Holy Mother of God to the Jerusalem temple to be consecrated to God. Cows enter the palace and discover the dead body of the patriarch. In the background, a staircase leads to a balcony, where one of the cows is about to ascend and appear before people, marking good news.

Materials: oil on canvas, gold
Size: 30x30 cm

3/4
Agony in the Garden

Jesus, accompanied by the apostles, enters the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, where he experiences great anguish and prays to be delivered from his impending suffering while accepting God's will. The cows grazing around the cup of suffering proclaim the patriarch is dead.

Materials: oil on canvas, gold
Size: 30x30 cm

4/4
Nativity Scene

The Eye of the Lord bleeds, unable to see salvation. The bed intended for new birth remains empty. The world still awaits the coming of a new prophet and a second advent.

Materials: oil on canvas, gold
Size: 30x30 cm

Anna spent intensive creative time with Art Hub, culminating in an exhibition of her works at Open Studios in September 2023. At the exhibition, Anna showcased her series "Passion of Cows," her creations received many positive reviews from fellow artists and exhibition visitors. The critics paid particular attention to the palette and composition, through which the artist managed to emphasize the irony and conceptual depth of her works and demonstrate mastery of technique.

Host: Art Hub Studious

Place: Art Hub Woolwich

Event

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