Name: A Lilac Goddess
Author: Liudmila Maksimovskaya NIKOXXII, DOB 1978
Geography: n/a
Made in (country/ city): Russia, Raduzhniy
Date (when it was made): 2007
Medium: paper, pencil, Photoshop
Dimensions (size): 1161 x 1735 pixels, 3.87 inches x 5.783 inches, resolution 300 pixels/inch
Copyright © : Liudmila Maksimovskaya NIKOXXII
Description: The story of this painting is quite a complicated one. To be honest, I prefer the original (this one is a digitized copy), but I do not have the original nor I have any clue where it is right now. I made a few copies of this painting for sale (including one batik on silk.) This artwork in its original form hypnotized many viewers. Some claimed it possessed unique and intense energy. Some said the image was dark, even haunting. I did not want to give people nightmares so I recreated it hoping it would transform into something light and cheerful. I may still restore the original though, to see if it is truly as haunting as people have thought in the past. The name of the piece changed as well. I stopped on A Lilac Goddess since this title appeared the most neutral yet fitting.
There’s one thing I remember about the image as well. When I finished working on the picture, I recall thinking how much it reminds of Henri Rousseau paintings. I remember thinking of a scene from Van Gogh biography (cannot recall the author, unfortunately), when a few impressionists were in a studio, while Rousseau was working on one of his tropical paintings and how odd they thought he was. So what does A Lilac Goddess symbolize? At this point, all I can say is this: she represents a spirit of nature. What kind of spirit? It’s a mystery to be solved.