"Be Quiet as a Fish" Painting

Art Statement by Svetlana Catif-Filonova Since childhood, I have been interested in drawing and painting. It was an interest that grew into a passion; a passion that led to the Buturlinovsky Art-Graphic Pedagogical College (Russia), where I studied graphic arts for two years (1975-1977). Then for three years (1977-1980), I studied painting arts at the Moldavian Republican Art College named after Ilya Repin (Chisinau, Moldova), specialization: art teacher. After this season, I had a call toward directing and, in 1992, received a degree in dramatic art in the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts (Chisinau, Moldova), specialization: variety shows and public manifestations producer. This wasn’t a change in passion, but a leveraging of two artistic parts of my heart. The knowledge of two visual arts, like painting and dramatic arts, led me to create a painting's plot. When I paint a landscape or flowers, I create a theatrical action, dramaturgy on paper or canvas. The objects interact with each other, involving the viewer in the artwork’s space and dialogue with my heart, my thoughts, my eyes. At the same time, these two seasons interact with my recognition that art stands in the middle of history. I have continued my in-depth study of the history of Western European art since ancient Greece and Rome. This has given me another level of comprehension of the philosophy of art for me to convey in my paintings. I create a figurative painting, applying the trends of contemporary art. Color, line and content are the main leitmotifs of my artworks, reflecting the phenomena, movements, and impressions of our reality. Color in my artwork harmonizes space, objects, and shapes a form. It is a participant in the composition. The color palette of the paintings is born in me; this is not the result of analytical work, but the impression of my soul, of my inner world. The line in my paintings strives for plasticity, combining colors to create a form. It creates a movement that flows from one state to another as part of a single process of a general state. The line is a means of expressing my emotions, thoughts, and heart. The theme of femininity prevails in the plots of my paintings. In analyzing the nature of “femininity”, I turn to the ideals of ancient culture. Antique images are combined with contemporary images of women, making the viewer consider the basics of harmony, tenderness, sensuality, and love.