| Abstract: | The essence of this dissertation is the concept of the elements viewed as causative factors stimulating nature's and man's activity. I attempt to demonstrate my own perception of the space of the elements which I consider not only as the forces determining or organizing the lives of various civilizations, but also as some of the basic impetuses driving human imagination. In this everlasting fascination with the impenetrable structures of the world and the nature of the elements, I go beyond traditional ideas, while at the same time exploring the latest scientific findings in astrophysics and space research.
The birth of the Universe has been the issue that has intrigued people for millennia. Primordial oral traditions coupled with the development of civilization took on a dynamic form and laid foundations for myths, beliefs and philosophical - religious systems. Modern scientific research has cast new light on the mystery of the origins of the world, uncovering fascinating dynamic outer space and situating the beginning of the Universe in it.
The phenomenon of the elements has never ceased to inspire and stimulate the imagination of artists who have always tried to translate their impenetrable and mighty powers into the language of art.
In an attempt to define my personal understanding of the concept of the elements, I have searched for their new meanings and new forms to express them. Consequently, the greatest challange I was faced with in my work was to capture and convey my experience of these rich and complex phenomena with artistic means. Ultimately, what has inspired me, what I have analysed, interacted with and tried to comprehend is the essence of the elements, their changeability and the dual nature, uncontrollable power and gentle beauty. In creative conception, inspirations motivated by nature evolve and, driven by imagination, open
unlimited possibilities for searching, experiencing and experimenting. Form, colour, matter, and texture combined in authentic creative activity become sensitive instruments for expressing emotions and feelings. Expanding my painting skills I opened a new, fascinating space, where I could use different kinds of paints, techniques and tools, experiments with painting matter, conscious exploitation of coincidence, the space which, as an act of creation, combined with the space of the elements. Such a concept of the Universe is possible only in the language of art. It is the only language which fully embraces and expresses what is elusive, ephemeral, uncontrollable, and mysterious.
This dissertation represents the sum of my artistic experiences and my search for the means of artistic expression of metaphysical feelings and intuitions touching on the concept of the elements. |