survival 2 Painting

Refki Gallopeni-The Journey of bull The Cycle of Survival The journey of the bull, in the paintings of Refki Gallopeni, from a personal narrative of survival, has turned into an aesthetic image of strength, stability and stamina. Bull with his survival skills is also a very determined being! Nothing can affect a bull to stop its course. Therefore, it is the personification of determination in decision-making. With strong body, strong shoulders and big head, its body weight keeps the bull firm and safe. However, Gallopeni, does not paint the bull's body with muscles, but the power of the bull, he does not paint the opponent or the threats, but the actions and the pain of the bull, he does not paint the flock but the devotion and the sacrifice of the bull for the family. The expressionist art of Gallopeni tries to convey more emotion and meaning than descriptions of the reality through figurative images. Aiming to express emotions, expressionist artists often exaggerate their subjects. Gallopeni do not need this "distortion" effect, because the 'nature of the bull', enables the powerful explosion of color in the composition, sufficiently. At the same time, Gallopeni's colors are often vivid and shocking. Its typical feature is the emotional, vibrant and thrilling effect. Meaningful dignity is a large part of the artist's message, through the aesthetic pursuit of bulls. The bull gave others the gift of life by sacrificing him selves. It seems this is the blessing and paradox of survival, which Gallopeni treats successfully. As some say, bull's mantra is "counting and remembering blessings and successes", while the attitude of gratitude and dignity, always, opens the way for much more. Therefore, we might conclude that, Refki Gallopeni prefers to paint the, “nature of the bull” rather than painting the, “bull in the nature”. Prishtina, June 2019 Skender Boshtrakaj