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Elina ANATOLE

Elina ANATOLE

Love

2012

oil on wood
25 x 17 inches

Summary

Elina Anatole was born in Soviet Russia and moved to the United States shortly after the curtain fell, developing a strong sense of irony and an iconoclastic sarcasm. The Soviet Union was caught in the past, relishing the old masters, while modern-day America puts precedence on the future, focusing on consumerism and market forces. The gaping cultural divide between the countries is expressed throughout her work as she juxtaposes people and poses in awkward places.

Classically trained at the New York Academy of Art, Anatole shows off techniques reminiscent of the old masters to startlingly modern effect, much as Balthus and Lucien Freud did in 20th century painting. She uses oil on wood panel as her preferred medium, believing that working on “live” material brings a sense of life to her work.

With the irreverent erudition of contemporary painters including John Currin and Lisa Yuskavage, Anatole combines symbols from the Renaissance period and experiments with fashion photography to talk about her very personal memories – just slightly nudging the viewer to a place of irony and the absurd.