Header Images: Left- Anthony Carey – Alexandra,The Keystone Right- Newnes’ Pictorial Encyclopedia, Volume 9, On things that interest you and me. A stone Key.
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(1019) Tiina Lilja - This is probably the most famous picture in the world.
175
About this artwork
If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the finest portrait ever painted. Arguably the most famous picture in the world, she has earned her place among the most copied images too, through countless reproductions in books and in print, all the way to keyrings and tea-towels emblazoned with that mysterious smile.
Her entry in the Newnes’ Pictorial Encyclopaedia can be found in Volume 7, under Great painters of all Nations- How they lived and what they achieved, on page 13. She is iconic – and utterly untouchable. My work is very much concerned with icons and idols, but the only way I felt I could approach the Mona Lisa, was through her numerous copies, from the tastefully informative such as the black and white illustration on my allocated leaf, to the utterly absurd. A naughty Mona Lisa Halloween costumes comes to mind as a good example of the latter sort.
With this in mind, I set out to embroider and draw around a set of photo transfers featuring digitally altered snippets of the page I was allocated. Beyond scaling everything to fit a sheet of A4 paper, I made no sketch or a plan for the piece as I wanted it to assume its shape organically. Like in a game of Chinese whispers, the end result is both reminiscent of its origin and removed from it. A nuanced smile.
About Tiina
As a painter, a large part of my working day is spent in the studio. When I sketch a likeness my brushes are heavy with history: The need to affirm the relevance of my medium has contradictorily steered me in choosing subjects that are mundane, ordinary and unassuming when encountered in their natural habitat of a department store or your home. In that sense, I see myself more of a curator or an archivist of everyday than a painter.
Although I am best known for my large scale portraits of iconic brands and treasured objects, I currently work combining found imagery, i.e. photographs or prints with drawing and embroidery, with an aim to study the themes of identity and representation. My tendency to collect (or hoard) antique photographs, posters and other quirky things has lead me to develop a style of painting that reflects my passion for old fashioned curiosities, iconic brands and graphic patterns. This love of ornamentation and traditional crafts has been at the core of my studio practice since I began to paint, but it has also inspired me to keep refining my technique and to acquire new skills in the wider field of art, illustration and design. The craft of painting, from building and priming my own canvasses to creating art and selecting pieces to be exhibited forms the skeleton of my practice. The rest is filled in by meticulous sketching, art theory and curiosity to explore the visual world around me.
Link to Tiina’s Art Aviso profile HERE
Tiina was provided with the following page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia:
Volume 7
Great painters of all Nations- How they lived and what they achieved.
An Art Wonder of the World.
If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is the finest portrait ever painted. Arguably the most famous picture in the world, she has earned her place among the most copied images too, through countless reproductions in books and in print, all the way to keyrings and tea-towels emblazoned with that mysterious smile.
Her entry in the Newnes’ Pictorial Encyclopaedia can be found in Volume 7, under Great painters of all Nations- How they lived and what they achieved, on page 13. She is iconic – and utterly untouchable. My work is very much concerned with icons and idols, but the only way I felt I could approach the Mona Lisa, was through her numerous copies, from the tastefully informative such as the black and white illustration on my allocated leaf, to the utterly absurd. A naughty Mona Lisa Halloween costumes comes to mind as a good example of the latter sort.
With this in mind, I set out to embroider and draw around a set of photo transfers featuring digitally altered snippets of the page I was allocated. Beyond scaling everything to fit a sheet of A4 paper, I made no sketch or a plan for the piece as I wanted it to assume its shape organically. Like in a game of Chinese whispers, the end result is both reminiscent of its origin and removed from it. A nuanced smile.
About Tiina
As a painter, a large part of my working day is spent in the studio. When I sketch a likeness my brushes are heavy with history: The need to affirm the relevance of my medium has contradictorily steered me in choosing subjects that are mundane, ordinary and unassuming when encountered in their natural habitat of a department store or your home. In that sense, I see myself more of a curator or an archivist of everyday than a painter.
Although I am best known for my large scale portraits of iconic brands and treasured objects, I currently work combining found imagery, i.e. photographs or prints with drawing and embroidery, with an aim to study the themes of identity and representation. My tendency to collect (or hoard) antique photographs, posters and other quirky things has lead me to develop a style of painting that reflects my passion for old fashioned curiosities, iconic brands and graphic patterns. This love of ornamentation and traditional crafts has been at the core of my studio practice since I began to paint, but it has also inspired me to keep refining my technique and to acquire new skills in the wider field of art, illustration and design. The craft of painting, from building and priming my own canvasses to creating art and selecting pieces to be exhibited forms the skeleton of my practice. The rest is filled in by meticulous sketching, art theory and curiosity to explore the visual world around me.
Link to Tiina’s Art Aviso profile HERE
Tiina was provided with the following page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia:
Volume 7
Great painters of all Nations- How they lived and what they achieved.
An Art Wonder of the World.
Artist:
Tiina LiljaMedium:
mixed media on paper (embroidery, photo transfers on printed cotton, drawn motifs in black and gold ink)Dimensions:
A4Price:
175 EUR