| |
Brigitte Shahabudin
Born in 1943 in Luxembourg, Brigitte Shahabudin studied at the H. F.B.K Art School in Hamburg and later taught art history and painting. She has exhibited in Hamburg and Paris, France. A member of BKK and IAA , the International Association of Art, she has participated in numerous artistic projects together with her Malaysian born artist husband Azzudin.
Her figurative paintings embody the themes and notions of the human condition and the cycle of life - the process of growing up, living and growing older as influenced by the social settings and the environment. She is influenced by the colours, the painting compositions and the aesthetics of the Old Masters’ paintings.
In her art, Brigitte deciphers the aura and the secret behind the person (her subject matter) from their facial expression, gestures, appearance and their environment. She seeks to bind their attitude and position in contemporary culture with a connection to figurative paintings from previous centuries to present universality in meaning and interpretation.
She explains “The women in my paintings present themselves in various guises, all dressed up, cloaking their true identity, almost never natural and always out to please, to be seen, to provoke, to show off, to be self conscious and independent.”
|
|
“I find pleasure in observing their desire to please, to be different. Like on stage, dressing in costumes, this is how I perceive the changes in relation to contemporary imagery of women to those from earlier centuries.” However in the past women were portrayed from a man’s viewpoint, his presentation of woman. Today women themselves are able to present themselves in art, so wherein lies the female perspective?
She observes that the behaviour and manner of women today has changed in many ways, they no longer please men but themselves. They beautify for their own pleasure. As she begins to grasp the essence of her sitters, she first, like any relationship finds the initial attraction, the connectivity of the feminine aspects of her sitters. She engages in eye contact, the aura of the person sitting in front of her, her personal time and discovery, the feelings and experiences of being together, in harmony with the person.
In capturing the essence of her sitters, their characteristics and signature codification, Brigitte extends their personality in the way they dress, with the concern for material, the drapery, the contrast between silk and cotton, between the rough and fine, elaborate gowns to hand made personal effects and jewellery to celebrate the beauty and expression of women of all ages.
|
|
|
