Anelia Pavlova (Annael)
Encyclopedia
Anelia Pavlova is a Bulgarian-born Australian artist. She was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1956, and in 1993 moved to Adelaide
, South Australia
. Her best known image is the Semillon label for the Semillon
wine in the Peter Lehmann Wines “Art Series” range.
Her works are permanently present in well-known public and private collections such as the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia, the National Art Gallery
in Sofia, Bulgaria, University of Adelaide
Art Collection in South Australia, Sony Corporation USA and others. She is also the recipient of a number of prestigious awards for her labels and illustrations, such as the Grand Finalist Award for illustration (Wine packaging) in the 25th Adelaide Art Directors Club Award and the 1998 Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Award for corporate illustration.
In the past Pavlova has worked in various artistic mediums and forms of expression such as printmaking
, illustration
, ceramics, icons and oil painting
. Her main medium is oil painting.
"Beauty and wonder are an integral part of her art, not so much in its fantastical aspect, more so in its ... unique viewpoint, [in its] perspective of life".
In 2007 the artist was interviewed in a dedicated segment on the Bulgarian bTV program "The Other Bulgaria".
From 2010 the artist has begun using the pseudonym "Annael" (derived from "Anael", the name of an Angel
in Christian
and Judaic traditions).
, this was done to appease the import regulations of the British and US government agencies. The image now exists in two versions: the original Semillon lady and the re-worked, dressed version, both of which are available in the UK. Whether because of the intrigue surrounding the label or the label itself, Peter Lehmann's Semillon is regarded as "Australia's most popular Semillon".
A number of her monoprints take their beginning from the art of the Old European Masters, and can be seen as re-interpretations of the same subject in the medium of the graphic art - "In the graphic cycle "Memories of Old Holland" the artist "quotes" and paraphrases elements of the works of the old [Dutch] Masters ... but the idea of A. Pavlova is not to create an adequate reproduction of masterpieces from the past ... The link ... is achieved through the interpretation of the recipient [Pavlova] - only an individual reading may actualize the past."
The artist has also used traditional Australian imagery in some of her prints, including Aboriginal themes ("Pavlova doesn't use only Western art traditions ... her etchings employ images from the aboriginal culture of Australia, often commingling symbols of this indigenous culture with Western images. In "The Dream of the Fishes: Traveling to Jerusalem" - a whimsical play on the nativity story - a man and woman with an infant ride a horse together, the couple embodying the very clash of two artistic traditions: the representational Anglo woman in a white dress contrasted against a brilliantly blue, almost abstract Aboriginal man." )
During the period 1983-2009 Anelia Pavlova has shown her prints in approximately 20 biennials, triennials and other international printmaking exhibitions.
As with her prints, her paintings take inspiration from the Old European Masters, though no longer as re-interpretations but as a general, ideal influence ("the older culture comes built into my personality" ). To this influence is added inspiration from classical music
spanning all major historical periods, from the Renaissance
and Baroque
to Modern and Contemporary
. Some of the composers that inspired Pavlova include 20th century modern giants such as Dmitry Shostakovich, Paul Hindemith
, Sergey Prokofiev and Olivier Messiaen
as well as lesser known composers such as Bohuslav Martinu
, Max Reger
, Einojuhani Rautavaara
, Mieczyslaw Weinberg
and the microtonal composer Ivan Wyschnegradsky. Several of her paintings made to the music of Weinberg in particular have served as illustrations to an article appearing in the 4th issue of the Chinese music magazine “Philharmonic” as well as to online music reviews.
Her paintings have been described as "images with shimmering and luxuriant surfaces evoking the rich and sumptuous art of the late medieval period. Her canvases are full of magical, luminous beings, and she imbues each work with both medieval and contemporary metaphysical meaning.".
In style, the paintings fuse elements of modern art with older styles passing all the way back to the Orthodox
icon. Their themes are broadly concerned with abstract metaphysical
and theological
messages as well as figurative
, almost mythological, Nature-inspired scenes. Musical instruments are present in a number of paintings, according with Pavlova's interest in classical music. "The wealth of subjects, motives, symbols and forms from different cultures and times is a challenge that A. Pavlova cannot resist ... history as a mere fact does not captivate her ... but rather as a materialization of the spiritual in the characters which come alive through the subjective interpretation and individual context." Beauty and love are integral principles of her work, as well as a fascination with the Natural world.
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Her best known image is the Semillon label for the Semillon
Sémillon
Sémillon is a golden-skinned grape used to make dry and sweet white wines, most notably in France and Australia.-History:The origin of the Sémillon grape is hard to determine. It is known that it first arrived in Australia in the early 19th century and by the 1820s the grape covered over 90 percent...
wine in the Peter Lehmann Wines “Art Series” range.
Her works are permanently present in well-known public and private collections such as the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia, the National Art Gallery
National Art Gallery (Bulgaria)
The National Art Gallery is Bulgaria's national gallery and houses over 50,000 pieces of Bulgarian art. It is located on Battenberg Square in the capital city of Sofia, occupying most of the historic and imposing edifice of the former royal palace of Bulgaria, having been established in 1934 and...
in Sofia, Bulgaria, University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
Art Collection in South Australia, Sony Corporation USA and others. She is also the recipient of a number of prestigious awards for her labels and illustrations, such as the Grand Finalist Award for illustration (Wine packaging) in the 25th Adelaide Art Directors Club Award and the 1998 Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Award for corporate illustration.
In the past Pavlova has worked in various artistic mediums and forms of expression such as printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
, illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
, ceramics, icons and oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
. Her main medium is oil painting.
"Beauty and wonder are an integral part of her art, not so much in its fantastical aspect, more so in its ... unique viewpoint, [in its] perspective of life".
In 2007 the artist was interviewed in a dedicated segment on the Bulgarian bTV program "The Other Bulgaria".
From 2010 the artist has begun using the pseudonym "Annael" (derived from "Anael", the name of an Angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
in Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Judaic traditions).
Peter Lehmann Semillon label controversy
A widely documented controversy surrounding the label occurred when Anelia Pavlova was asked to cover the bare breasts of the Semillon lady. Although the image itself is abstractAbstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
, this was done to appease the import regulations of the British and US government agencies. The image now exists in two versions: the original Semillon lady and the re-worked, dressed version, both of which are available in the UK. Whether because of the intrigue surrounding the label or the label itself, Peter Lehmann's Semillon is regarded as "Australia's most popular Semillon".
Other wine labels
Anelia Pavlova has also made wine labels for Setanta Wines, Brangayne of Orange and Canonbah Bridge.Printmaking/Monoprinting
Anelia Pavlova began her career as a printmaker in Bulgaria. After graduating from the Sofia Academy of Fine Arts with a Master of Fine Arts in 1983, she invented her own printmaking technique, which was used in all subsequent monoprints. In printmaking this is regarded as a very significant achievement, because of the limitation of that artistic medium. Her monoprints are described as oil painting brought to the world of printmaking by a number of reviewers - "... creating graphic art with the tonal intensity of oil paintings", also: "Pavlova's intense use of color ... creates a very similar visual effect to the historical oil paintings to which her work refers. Hence [in her monoprints] Pavlova presents something of an integration between the two artistic techniques of printmaking and painting".A number of her monoprints take their beginning from the art of the Old European Masters, and can be seen as re-interpretations of the same subject in the medium of the graphic art - "In the graphic cycle "Memories of Old Holland" the artist "quotes" and paraphrases elements of the works of the old [Dutch] Masters ... but the idea of A. Pavlova is not to create an adequate reproduction of masterpieces from the past ... The link ... is achieved through the interpretation of the recipient [Pavlova] - only an individual reading may actualize the past."
The artist has also used traditional Australian imagery in some of her prints, including Aboriginal themes ("Pavlova doesn't use only Western art traditions ... her etchings employ images from the aboriginal culture of Australia, often commingling symbols of this indigenous culture with Western images. In "The Dream of the Fishes: Traveling to Jerusalem" - a whimsical play on the nativity story - a man and woman with an infant ride a horse together, the couple embodying the very clash of two artistic traditions: the representational Anglo woman in a white dress contrasted against a brilliantly blue, almost abstract Aboriginal man." )
During the period 1983-2009 Anelia Pavlova has shown her prints in approximately 20 biennials, triennials and other international printmaking exhibitions.
Painting
Anelia Pavlova moved to Australia in 1993 and subsequently began to work in oil painting. During the period of 2000 to 2008 she made a number of exhibitions with Trevor Victor Harvey Gallery in Sydney, Australia (e.g. “Anelia Pavlova - Garden of Virtues”, Australian Art Review ), each of which has a descriptive title.As with her prints, her paintings take inspiration from the Old European Masters, though no longer as re-interpretations but as a general, ideal influence ("the older culture comes built into my personality" ). To this influence is added inspiration from classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
spanning all major historical periods, from the Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
and Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
to Modern and Contemporary
Postmodern music
Postmodern music is either simply music of the postmodern era, or music that follows aesthetical and philosophical trends of postmodernism. As the name suggests, the postmodernist movement formed partly in reaction to modernism...
. Some of the composers that inspired Pavlova include 20th century modern giants such as Dmitry Shostakovich, Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, Sergey Prokofiev and Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
as well as lesser known composers such as Bohuslav Martinu
Bohuslav Martinu
Bohuslav Martinů was a prolific Czech composer of modern classical music. He was of Czech and Rumanian ancestry. Martinů wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. Martinů became a violinist in the Czech Philharmonic...
, Max Reger
Max Reger
Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and academic teacher.-Life:...
, Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Einojuhani Rautavaara is a Finnish composer of contemporary classical music, and is one of the most notable Finnish composers after Jean Sibelius.-Life:...
, Mieczyslaw Weinberg
Mieczyslaw Weinberg
Mieczysław Weinberg was a Soviet composer of Polish-Jewish origin....
and the microtonal composer Ivan Wyschnegradsky. Several of her paintings made to the music of Weinberg in particular have served as illustrations to an article appearing in the 4th issue of the Chinese music magazine “Philharmonic” as well as to online music reviews.
Her paintings have been described as "images with shimmering and luxuriant surfaces evoking the rich and sumptuous art of the late medieval period. Her canvases are full of magical, luminous beings, and she imbues each work with both medieval and contemporary metaphysical meaning.".
In style, the paintings fuse elements of modern art with older styles passing all the way back to the Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
icon. Their themes are broadly concerned with abstract metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
and theological
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
messages as well as figurative
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
, almost mythological, Nature-inspired scenes. Musical instruments are present in a number of paintings, according with Pavlova's interest in classical music. "The wealth of subjects, motives, symbols and forms from different cultures and times is a challenge that A. Pavlova cannot resist ... history as a mere fact does not captivate her ... but rather as a materialization of the spiritual in the characters which come alive through the subjective interpretation and individual context." Beauty and love are integral principles of her work, as well as a fascination with the Natural world.
External links
- Artist's website
- “Anelia Pavlova's Queen of Clubs”
- Peter Lehmann Wines – Cellar door
- Australian Art Review (aAR) - “Anelia Pavlova - Garden of Virtues”