Of sphinxes, pyramids and more
Her illustrations of Henrik Ibsen were in ink and water colour, in black and white. One of them had evil monsters attacking the main character, while the person was trying to hide in the dark forest behind. Another had a ship struggling against a storm in the seas while yet another had an eastern person with a monkey for a pet and he was being fed by a lady.
Moving on to her watercolour of Malta, one came across an ancient temple with yellow stones that were almost falling apart. In front were heaps of sand piles of stones and a bit of a dried curling tree, with an expanse of the sky at the back. The painting of Tunisia, brought in a Barber sitting on a horse, with focus his decorated seat. He carried bullets strapped to his waist and had a flowing garment wound around his head like a flamboyant turban. Another water colour of Tunisia brought in a Roman coliseum in the backdrop. It had bleached bones on the sand in front and some palm trees in the distance. One could see a long train of camels walking past the remnants of the coliseum.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. In the painting of Zanzibar was an island in the ocean in which we see the trees against a background of the water in blue and orange. The clouds were in turquoise, orange and yellow with a burning band of gold. In a painting of Tanzania were beaches with people enjoying themselves. There were thatched huts behind them along with palm trees and exotic flowers. From Egypt came the paintings of pyramids and sphinxes that were 5000 years old. These were in russet, gold and yellow ochre. There was a mind-boggling creation with fish, birds and humans, where the element of metamorphosis had been brought in with the animals, birds and humans blending into one another. In another was a huge curl of a wave, in which were found sphinxes and pyramids, along with statues of Egyptian gods and goddesses. In yet another was a lion seen between hills, trees and tall grass.
There were four paintings of a carnival in Venice in which were people in masks and medieval clothes with ruffles and flounces. They were seen against a backdrop of fascinating old architecture of domes and pillars. The houses were in careful washes of purple, blue and pink. The people were seen dancing and romancing. Birds and people in trailing dark African robes and jewellery had also been brought in. In between the figures, the artist had carefully juxtaposed her own face too. There was another one of a gondola going past an arch of a house through which the canal was moving and in the boat were more fanciful figures with cockatoos and these could very well have included a portrait of the artist. The Palace of St. Marco and the church of St. George had been highlighted in other paintings with people in flowing theatrical clothes of the past.
Beginning her career in the late seventies, Natalia Brazhnikova has held joint exhibits in Moscow, Germany, Holland and Malta. She has had solo exhibits in Uganda, Tanzania, Hungary, Budapest and Moscow. Given the opportunity, Natalia said that she would do some paintings of Bangladesh too.
Natalia was supposed to come last year but was unable to do so as she had broken her leg last November so that her trip was shifted to this month. Her impression of the shops in the marketplaces, the only things that she had seen so far, was that they were vibrant and truly exotic.