El Rey Drawing

Andreea Vlad is a visual artist and communication designer currently residing in Copenhagen. She graduated from University of Art, Cluj Napoca (Transylvania), and later on followed the multimedia and communication design programmes in Copenhagen. Her illustrative work revolves around portraiture, combining a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, going from fast and gestural sketches to labour-intensive and time-consuming 1:1 scale drawings realised in a photorealistic manner. Her preferred drawing technique is pastel on paper, however she is experimenting often with various materials, introducing acrylic paint, ink, collage, and image transfer techniques. She draws inspiration for her work from various artists such as Caravaggio, Velázquez, W.A. Bouguereau, Nicola Samori, Jenny Saville, Egon Schiele and William Kentridge. Andreea works with a multidisciplinary approach that allows her to move, both conceptually and practically, between different disciplines and visualisation practices. "For me drawing is a noun. The aim is to create an image that can stand by itself, that communicates more than I even intended. A drawing is born from the act and process of drawing, so the process and the object becomes intertwined, and only when I feel "It's finished", the drawing process stops, leaving just the traces behind, the presence of someone, captured there for eternity. I choose to draw people because of the very mortal nature that we are conditioned by, making us fleeting, temporary, never static, in a continuous physical, psychological and spiritual transformation. Like flowers, we become part of this world. From a seed we sprout, we grow, we bloom, and we wither, delighting the world with our presence, for some time. With my drawings, I want to capture the existence of individuals, remarkable or not, but unique nonetheless, and give them a chance at eternity." Andreea works in her art studio in Copenhagen.