Andreea Alta Mihartescu is a Romanian born 3D animator and visual artist from Mississauga. The exhibit, called Orpheus Within Us, is characterized by the use of strong black and white contrasts and French text. The digital paintings are a modern interpretation of the Orpheus Greek Myth, which tells the story of a supremely gifted minstrel who attempted to rescue his dead wife from the Underworld. The works are visualizations of the pure thoughts of desire, love, lost, hope, venture, weakness, illusion, reality, present and future.
Mihartescu’s artworks have a rough, violent and sometimes even provoking approach. The very strong black and white contrast together with the notes in French – which raises the intensity of the messages – express spontaneous emotion and are far away from the reluctance, our society is used to. On the other hand the dominance of black let the works appear to be sobering.
This exhibition definitely breaks with the traditional conventions of reluctance and implements an outburst of feelings.
Melina Bigler
*Exhibition information: July 23 – August 3, 2014, Gallery 1313, Cell Gallery , 1313 Queen Street West. Gallery hours: Wed – Sun, 1 – 6 p.m.
I have been following Mihartescu’s works for approx. 6 years now. The first pieces I’d seen, I automatically fell in love,thus I started to follow her always craving more. Each time I view one of her paintings (even if it’s the same one) I feel an overwhelming emotion every time. Sometimes I feel sad, happy, in love and loved by these paintings and I am always curious as to what Alta was thinking when she painted them and how she came up with the concept for the paintings themselves! What I do know, to me she is Brilliant and a Genious of our times. Alta’s works will be famous,admired and in museums for generations. Thank you, Andreea-Alta Mihartescu for your brilliance and sharing your works online as well, for all of us who cannot come to your showings in person. Perhaps one day!
Gratefully Yours,
Jamie Glanville