Soft Form 3, 2009

Bosiljka Zirojevic Lecic  

A study in depth and shadow. This painting explores the tension between internal and external space. Sharp geometric divisions slice through the composition. Deep blacks meet softer charcoal tones. The contrast creates a subtle architectural dimension. Every line is precise yet fluid. The surfaces appear velvet-like in their density. No bright colors distract from the structural purity. It is an exercise in minimalist abstraction. The artist bridges the gap between painting and spatial research. Her academic background in visual media informs this rigorous approach. Light seems to emerge from the center of the frame. This generates a quiet energy. The composition invites a meditative gaze. It balances weight and lightness through tone alone. This artwork captures a momentary intersection of form and void. The execution reveals a mastery of monochromatic graduation. These tones converge in a single, sweeping diagonal corner.

The material used in this series of works is not typically painterly. By using plush as the basic foundation, it is positioned as a building element - the material is no longer just the basis of the painting, but becomes the primary surface of the object - the representation, with certain specificities (soft, smooth, shiny, solid...). At the same time, the selected material, with minimal interventions, forms the basis of a system of geometric images - shapes that are consciously devoid of color (I use materials that are achromatic) and in such a reduced order of all formal elements, a relationship of rhythmic movements in relation to space is established. The abstract structure of geometric surfaces becomes a game - reflection, which moves from the "formed sign" to the "visual whole". The basic premise of her artistic expression over a long period refers to the need for constant experimentation with the very construct of the painting and the material from which it is made. Within the established system of geometric, reduced forms that make up her artistic language, the surface of the painting and its pictorial value impose themselves as another field of action and possibility for expression. Positioning the material as a building element of the painting provides the opportunity to work and explore within an expanded field, where the characteristic properties of the materials used offer potential for the development of a specific artistic expression. By using unconventional painting substrates like aluminum, plush, PVC material, foil, and woolen fabric, the painting becomes part of a process that translates it into a painting-object, moving beyond the established plastic system of surface organization. This sculptural processing of the painting as an object provides a wide range of new modalities in positioning its visual and spatial effect. At the same time, the selected material, with minimal interventions, forms the basis of a system of geometric images and shapes that are consciously devoid of color. The materials used are most often achromatic, and in such a reduced order of all formal elements, a relationship is established between rhythm as a state and rhythmicity as a process. Her architectural approach of combining and composing reduced forms, which she treats as plates that fit together, gives her the opportunity to analytically connect with the essential elements of the plastic system: surface, line, color, matter, and material. By emphasizing composition and building structure through the relationships of forms, she strives for a compact whole in which all relationships are carefully thought out. 

Acrylic emulsion on industrial black velour fabric. From Achromatic Velour Paintings Series. Signed on the back by the artist