SYMBIOSIS
The paintings from the "Symbiosis" series refer to the term simulacrum, which means similarity, appearance, and imitation. Examining images through their referentiality leads us to something complex and far from obvious – it is no longer the realm of a previously known reality, but a new reality, different from the original. In his theory of simulation, Jean Baudrillard described the special meaning of the sign, which becomes a reality in itself. He also notes that we are dependent on simulacra as signs that obscure reality. Applying this concept to fine arts, especially from previous centuries, has become an important area of my research into the meaning of images that represent that which they are not. The ideal images of human and divine figures in the paintings of the Italian quattrocento and cinquecento have, I believe, much in common with Baudrillard's conception of simulacra. They present figures whose idealization is a model of beauty, harmony, and longevity – far removed from a real human being. In the "Symbiosis" painting series, which I have worked on since 2021, I utilized the shapes of figures, filling them with elements bringing to mind the interior of the human body. Where originally perfect faces and bodies appeared, I placed anatomical motifs representing what lies "under the skin." The key was to give reality to images that presented the unreal. In the creative process, I utilized silhouettes of figures from the works of Raphael, Lorenzo Lotto, Cima da Conegliano, Botticelli, Titian, Leonardo da Vinci, and Albrecht Dürer.