Lot 270

Lída Penková (1947) FEEDING GIRAFFE IN BURKINA FASO

This combination of painting and fabric came about when Lída Penková came across a book of fantastic photographs of village life in Burkina Faso, a poor country with amazing creativity and natural beauty. The women there painted sophisticated patterns on the outer walls of their mud houses, wove and sewed their beautiful clothes. Their aesthetics motivated the author to paint this canvas, with her own "sewn" woman's dress.

About the artist: I was born a few years after World War II in the former Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic), where I lived until I emigrated at the age of 20. I started painting at the age of 52 after moving to the USA. Painting found me completely unexpectedly and surprisingly, as I had no painting experience or interest in pursuing painting. For many years, I worked as a university researcher and, above all, as a psychotherapist. However, after years of thinking, analyzing, and debating, I felt the need to express myself creatively, tell a cultural story, and create a magical space. My inspiration came mainly from traveling, living with my artist husband, and the years I spent in Mexico. This symbol-rich country, with its festivals, folk celebrations, religious ceremonies, and pre-Hispanic customs, became the foundation of my artistic imagination and aesthetics. My paintings, mainly from Mexico, blend myths, stories told by neighbors as remembered from their ancestors, and reality.