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Leather has always been one of my favorite materials. My desire to observe, to learn and to try something new brought me to the books and museums of decorative art. There I saw ancient samples of decorative art - book covers, jewelry caskets, decorative upholstery for carriages etc - made in a complicated technique of leather mosaic (known as "Leather Intarsia"). This technique was used by Italian and French artisans in 17-18th centuries, but is almost forgotten today because of its complexity and the great amount of labor involved.
My impression was so powerful, that it
evoked insuperable desire to "revive" this ancient technique and to
apply it to contemporary themes and forms. Thus my collection of
leather artworks, on which I have been working for several years, was
born. Here I use natural leather, suede and lacquer instead of
paintbrush, paints and canvas, creating a novel,
unique expression. I fully believe that other works like these simply
do
not exist.
The magic warmth of leather, the
velvety feeling of suede, the self-confident elegance of lacquer, and
their eroticism - all
this creates a feeling of “presence”, while the
leather’s texture and its
ability to radiate sensuality and intimacy have such an
enigmatic attraction that it is difficult to refrain from
touching the picture.
Digging in the storehouse through the
heaps of leather, much of which, aside from future handbags and shoes,
will be thrown away because of defects and mildew, I wanted to give a
second life to this rejected leather, to "revive" it into something
new, to grant it a continued existence
And at last, the most important
– "revival" of my
passionate desire of creativity. I wish that the beauty and originality
of handiwork, despite the amount of labor involved, will not lose its
uniqueness
and individuality in our super-civilized and hasty 21st century.
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Lora
Verhovsky
1944 Born in former
Soviet UnionArtist, Designer Member of Israeli Proffessional Artists Association 1971 Graduated from Latvian State Academy of Art 1976 Immigrated to Israel |
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Gregory
Ostrovsky - Art
Critic, Doctor in Art History.
Not each artist, even undoubtedly
talented, succeeds to create its unique style, to say its own Word in
the Art. For this are necessary: courage of pioneer, persistently
laying ways into the unknown, freedom of creative self-expression and
independence of the figurative thinking, risen above the pragmatism
of standard norms and criteria, and , finally, limitless dedication to
its
cause, fantastic diligence, originality of the mature and processed
artistic
idea.
All this is
gathered in Lora Verhovsky's works. The artist creates the most unique,
large and beautiful leather pictures, not only contemplative, but also
tangible-sensual. Nothing like this has ever
been done before.
Moreover,
singularity of creative experiment and its productivity allocate to the
artist a place in a context of the modern avant-garde, updating and
expanding
a range of the decorative and fine arts of the beginning of
21-st century.
Lora
Verkhovsky is the graduate of the Latvian State Academy of Art, And it
has strengthened her ability not only to possess congenital deep and
refined perception of Beauty, but also to transfer it, presenting in
the most various materials, their features and restrictions, to find
the unique way to convey this beauty to the spectator, giving us
unexpected and surprising impression.
Lora itself
tells about it emotionally, poetically and at the same time extremely
precisely and adequately: "...
Magic feeling of Leather warmth, velvety feel of Chamois, self
confidence in it's elegance of Lacquer, eroticism - all this create a
feeling of "presence", while Leather texture and it's ability to
radiate sensuality and intimacy have such an enigmatic attraction that
it is difficult to contain the desire to touch the picture"
Amazing ability to see and to
imagine the future artwork in the separate pieces
of leather and suede, in their colors, structure, and often in their
defects – from all this the Miracle begins - the Miracle of
transformation of usual material into the Material of real Art.
Lora
Verhovsky has created its own style, bright and unique which
has connected imagination and reality into the something new, something
that has never been seen before. Having accepted 'the game's rules',
which were offered
to us, we cannot be released from under its magic authority any more.
Having crossed monosemantic plausibility, Lora creates the world in
which rule
the fantasy and imagination, graceful stylization and courageous, but
always
justified, deformation. And in each work virtuosity and elegance,
feeling
of a measure and taste, freshness and originality of the creative idea.
The world in
Lora's artworks is diverse and colorful - exotic first spring flowers,
which are so decorating our life, soft landscapes and abstract
compositions, original interiors and not ordinary sensuality, tragic
destiny of Mary
Stuart and the 'dry' map of Israel, which revives to the life and
becomes
'warm'. Very much intrigue the
stylized silhouettes
of the Cats so caressed by love, the Horses and the Butterflies, the
Crocodiles
silently storing the centuries secrets.
Each
significant work of art is implanted in today's time. Retrospective
into the past gives the prospects and ideas for the future, which is
always associated with the progress, technology and modernization, but:
"I
would like" - the artist says, - "that
the Beauty and the uniqueness of the "work by hands" would not be lost
in our super-civilized and hasty 21-st century".
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