Volcano Print

Are these paintings decadent? I would be prompt to think that those are actually testimonials of one decadent time, the absurd era where decadence has spawned from poverty that inevitably leads one society to the verge of an abyss. And let me furthermore state that at one level all the societies are being held together by the basic social unit - the family. That is what nowadays is truly endangered in many aspects. Needless to say, educating children may be crucial for their self-accomplishment and, if you like, happiness in days to come. Children indeed take after their parents. Gazing at these paintings one might conclude that all questions eventually come down to the case of a mother figure, or to be more specific the entire present day female population. Where the mass-media create almost everyone's Weltanschauung hard it might be to preserve clear mind and endure in rejecting the stereotypes one is being constantly imposed with. Unfortunately, although more advanced in so many ways in comparison to men, women had proven to be susceptible to this disease even more than them. And as such somewhere along the way they switched places with their spouses becoming the Providers. Their feminine side is put away alongside with skirts for a while and the trousers are now put on. Far-reaching consequences of such actions are blurred and hard to be spotted. Just like details on these paintings. Through the artist's eye everything turns twisted and slowly revealed. Paintings themselves are brilliantly crafted with the pulsing dark estrangement aura. There is something vicious lurking under the twisted layers of paint, somewhere between the photographically precise details and the mysterious sfumato concealed surface. In some curious manner these paintings seem to be forcing us to ask ourselves if we are ready to admit that there is something really wrong with the reality we are living in. Perhaps even worse: is everything ok with us, or ,in fact, our nature is getting more an more corrupted as we fail to see or are too weak to accept the harsh truth. Ivan Pantelić, 2013.