The God Dionysus Gifts | Two Satyrs | by Yulia Olkhovaia Painting

How I met Dionysus and Satyr ... It all started with the fact that I physically became ill in museums and galleries of modern art. I tried, I searched, but I really have nothing to take from the painting tradition of the 2021 century. I just don't want to keep breaking and devaluing. The last thing in my life I want to spend time playing in the race - "at any cost, collect as many followers as possible, and use them" ... Art! After all, there is something more art than the value of the lot?There is! We just forgot. And I want to remember! So I escaped from the principles of modern art of the 21st century. And went to the 17th century. In the 17th century Golden Glow, I looked at the gorgeous oil painting technique at its peak of technical excellence. I began to learn the art skill. Boldly, and aware that I am not able to realize all the difficulties, I chose the painting "Two Satyrs" by Peter Paul Rubens. The power, emanating from the image, riveted my attention and did not let go until I enclosed this image in my picture. The painting by Rubens depicts Satyrs, but I think that the image of the main Satyr can be traced back to the character of the god Dionysus, and also he has some of his attributes. Therefore, further on, in this text, I will refer to this character Satyr as Dionysus. I faced all the difficulties in comprehending the virtuoso technique on my own. Rubens, reluctantly, revealed to me the secrets of his painting. But nevertheless, I think that 2021 is the best time to uncover secrets. In the 17th century, I would not have even been allowed to step into his workshop, as I am not a man and I would not have been a member of elite workshops and special unions of artists. But in the 21st century, no one will forbid me to study the secrets of a masterpiece, voraciously absorb knowledge, stare into the beauty and boldly poke my nose and interest into the painting, as close as possible! By the way, in Moscow I was almost kicked out of the Pushkin Museum because of this, but in the National Gallery of London I rubbed almost all the protective glasses of Rubens' paintings by my nose, and no one told me anything! A little later, while working, I realized that my diligence in copying is not the main criterion in order to convey the image of the god Dionysus convincingly. The image of the deity does not need to be copied, it needs to be understood. It was in this way that Rubens became for me the door to antique culture. I stood in front of the entrance to the Ancient Cosmos and hesitated a bit. There are many interpretations and explanations of this cosmos in modern culture! They argue and contradict each other, but more often they simply poorly retell the stories. It's simpler and more boring, for my taste. I feel that real mythology is not fairy tales; not superstitious; mythology is not about unhealthy family ties or lustful adventures of a sexist. Mythology is about something completely different, it is about the nature of the cosmos and our century terribly distorts the narrative. And here, I took upon myself the right to understand this phenomenon sensually. And like that I first met Dionysus. I felt how an unbroken thread of narration stretches through the millennia. As if there is a source of living water in Antique Culture, which feeds the power of the myths and the deity. They continion live in human culture for more than 2500 thousand years. I need springs of living water! In ancient culture, the god Dionysus is a symbol of the fertile forces of nature, wine-making and ecstatic dance. He moves to Christian culture in the image of an imp, and in the culture of modernity, Dionysus winks from the pages of F. Nietzsche's treatises. I feel that Dionysus continues to manifest himself in postmodernism, and through my work he also takes a step forward. Dionysus looking attentively at the viewer from the darkness, he reveals his nature. His strength is that he reveals the hidden, from the unmanifested to the manifested, from darkness to light. This is his life-giving force of nature, manifesting from the hidden earth outward. This is the essence of intoxication - to manifest hidden thoughts and great powers hidden in human nature. A person may be unaware of their own capabilities, and this Deity reveals ways to bring them to light. Someone will reach their abilities with the help of an ecstatic dance, including the body, someone will expand the boundaries of consciousness with special substances, and someone will begin to move, simply by giving themselves the permission to think. The gifts of Dionysus have both great power and great danger at the same time. Because an uncontrollable force can destroy both the world and the owner of this force. These contradictory forces, released from the darkness, dance and inflamed in the eternal fire of the universe, can destroy and create beauty. So let other Gods watch this dance! Dionysus, ladies and gentlemen, is responsible only for the manifestation of the hidden! This is the essence of mythology, the manifestation of cosmic laws. So, I raise my first glass, ladies and gentlemen, to the God Dionysus! For His power is contained in one glass of wine and his curse is left by as at the bottom of the fourth. Let all the great hidden manifest, blossom and give its fruits. May we see these fruits in the light of the sun. Let us unite these fruits, friends, in labor and in joyful cries at feasts. May madness not touch us, and may we resist the temptation to take more than we can carry. May we never know the anger of the God Dionysus, and maintain a balance between his gifts and his curse. Everything is a poison and everything is a medicine it depends only on the dose. May the source of its nourishing roots not dry up, may the careful hands that keep the tradition of wine-making and which spill it into our glasses not run out. For Dionysus, God, who gave us wine and reveals what is hidden from the darkness into the light! In such a manner, I think, did the ancient Greeks exclaim during their feasts. Similarly, Dionysus himself whispered to me while I was painting his image. And I would not be so sure that this is true if the resulting image from under my brush was not so expressive. Peering into the finished picture, into his eyes, feeling the taste of juicy grapes in his hands. I try not to fear his grin. To manifest the Ancient Greek God in the 21st century, what an honorable and responsible mission. To show hidden forces from darkness to light, to be brave and to be careful not to take too much. Here, manifested in the 21st century, is the ancient Greek god Dionysus, through the copying of the 17th century painting by Sir Peter Paul Rubens "Two Satyrs", by the artist Yulia Olkhovaia. August 2021. England. __________________________________________________ - Original Oil painting made by Yulia Olkhovaia - “The God Dionysus Gifts” - Size: 70 x 50 cm. - The artist uses high quality oil paints: 'Old-Holland', 'Winsor Newton Artists', 'Mussini'. Made in Holland and in France. Also high quality tempera 'Sennelier' made in France for 'imprimatur' (first layer). - The artist uses high quality canvas lens 'Belly Arti', made in Italy. All used materials and techniques of work - correspond to the techniques and materials that were used by artists in the 16-17 centuries. This fact gives a guarantee for the preservation of the picture from 500 years with proper use and storage. ____________________________________________________ On all requests, please contact me.

Painting:Oil on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:19.7 W x 27.6 H x 2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.