Lištica

FEMALE SWIMMERS

The set of paintings titled “Female Swimmers” is development of series from the year 2020 named “Via Ūltima Natabulum”. Previous series is equaly as current reaction on contemporary events and to it related restrictions of movement and liberty. For both sets is crucial my personal experience and impressions from the period when I was attending swimming lessons. This experience is here transformed into generally understanded and lived experience. In contrary with previous series of paintings, which worked with visual metaphors, current series is more aimed to inner world of figures, their feelings, character qualities and behaving. Formerly carefully delineated enviros as swimming pool, water surface or changing room either fully disappeared or was supressed. Important became the female figures, which do not hold a same position across the paintings. They are depicted in various situations influencing their appearance and behaving. Initially as swimmers in a row where particular figures lost their individuality and became rather frightened, disgusted foot soldiers without possibility of own opinion or making-decisions about themselves. Opposite type of swimmers are three gathered women with exaggerated musculature. With their corporality and expressions, they rather resemble men. Opposite to swimmers in a row, the three women raise different feelings. They give impression of aggressivity and hostility. They are not repressed by a system, but they seem to be executors of the system’s will. The paintings are, in the terms of motives, greatly heavy and can make impression of posters. There are no contrasts to these qualities except for the depiction of female figures itself, which is in contrary with the stereotypical view on women as fragile and tender creatures.

female swimmers painting, Lištica