Georges Mazilu – Fille au col en dentelle
New work by one of France’s most idiosyncratic painters, whose work was recently added to the permanent collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Denver Art Museum.
The twisted world of Mazilu’s creatures with their curious forms and faces is thrillingly presented by Turner Carroll Gallery. Originally from Romania, Mazilu now resides in France after he could no longer live under the harsh rule of Nicolae Ceausescu. His artwork reflects the complexity and unpredictability of modern society. Mazilu creates creatures that have characteristics of the human form yet have unnatural details that cause one to pause. When the artist begins a new piece of art he first lays down figures and shapes and only after he has the abstract form does he begin to incorporate familiar forms from the world surrounding him.
Mazilu works with opposites within his art: working in a medieval style that mixes with his own contemporary views, with dark undefined space to great mechanical detail, and with contrasts of bright forms against dark backgrounds. His nine-year training in the art of the human form is apparent through his clearly defined bodies, yet his own contemporary twist forces the viewer to contemplate the human body. Many of his subjects represent toys as they have mechanical aspects, wires and metal limbs, yet their resemblance to the facial aspects of a human in the face makes it clear these are complex creatures. Mazilu is shown in museums across the globe including the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Sophia Museum of Contemporary Art in Bulgaria. He has also shown in various venues in France, Germany, Spain, Holland, Belgium, and throughout the United States. This exhibition represents Mazilu’s first US exhibition since the Denver Museum of Art acquired a large painting of his.