Isolde Kadry
Egypt/Germany
email:
isokadry@hotmail.com
Artist's Statement
My paintings could be characterized as Naive Art or
Urban Naive Art. It is a gross oversimplification to
assume that Naive Art is only created by people with
little or no formal art training. I studied Art and
History of Art from 1970-74. Then, after stopping
painting for years, I simply could not be bothered to go
back to the formal qualities of painting. I chose the
style because of its childlike simplicity, with
refreshing results and the possibility to use many
colors. I can add "urban " to it, because my artwork
depicts mostly streets and places in Cairo. Otherwise, I
would say that I like the words of the French writer Guy
de Maupassant in his prologue to his novel Pierre and
Jean: “The artist has the right to exaggerate, to
create a world, which is simpler, kinder, than our real
world.” In some paintings I also sometimes hide little
stories or riddles and it is for the
viewers to find them.
In the two pieces of work I did for the “On A Caravan”
exhibition the vital question for me, as a naive urban
artist, was to what extent I could apply my style to
such themes as "The Church of St. John the Baptist " and
"The Relationships Between East And West." The task was
difficult.
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"The Relationship between
East and West"
80cm x 100cm (framed)
(click to enlarge)
3000 LE (US$ 550)
My second piece of
artwork is trying to show that harmony between
faiths is possible, emphasizing love and unity.
It is a collage, consisting of painted
portraits, symbols like the half moon and the
cross, postcards, photographs of churches and
mosques and old calendar photos. It has a quiet
and timeless effect and instructs the viewer how
to reconcile in our torn and troubled times. I
used the technique of collage to show how
important it is in our fragmented world to unite
and come together again. Hopefully the collage
induces a mood of reflection, piece and harmony.
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"Church of St. John the Baptist
embedded in Cairo"
102cm x 82cm wide (framed)
(click to enlarge)
3000 LE (US$ 550) SOLD
My
first painting shows The Church of St. John
embedded in Egypt. And I decided to use for the
depiction of St. John’s Church embedded in Egypt
a realistic setting combined with symbols from
Christian iconography, which were used in early
Christian and medieval times. For example the
ship/boat (Matthew 8:23 & 14:32) symbolizes the
church, the mast the cross.
Those rowing are the
Apostles. The rainbow is a sign for
reconciliation (Noah and the Flood--Genesis
9:13), and stands for the work of exploring and
nurturing the relationships between faiths, as
St. John’s Church does. The sun and the monogram
stand for Christ. There are other little signs
and stories woven into the painting waiting to
be discovered by the viewers (shepherd, dove,
etc.). The painting was conducted in acrylic
colors. |
To
enquire about purchasing a painting, please
contact email:
info@oncaravan.org
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