Vania Zouravliov Mixes Sex, Beauty and Decay in Dark Illustrations

Vania Zouravliov (HF Vol. 16) mixes elements of innocence, sexuality, beauty and decay into his intricate, colorless illustrations. Russian born and currently based in London, Zouraliov’s begins each piece without sketches, allowing the narrative of his dark universe to flow as the work progresses. From an early age, Zouravilov was inspired by The Bible, Dante’s Divine Comedy, early Disney films, and North American Indian imagery. Having worked on comics for Fantagraphics books and several books for the “Erotic Society”, there is an aspect of his style that feels like a graphic novel. Zouravliov renders his femme fatale like subjects with realistic detail and without color, adding a certain grittiness to their seductive nature. Others are more classically posed, seemingly unconcerned and inconversant to the death and state of their often decomposing surroundings.

Topics

Dante's Divine Comedy, Disney, Gothic Art, The Bible, Vania Zouravliov

American 50s, Ciou, Disney, illustration, Malojo

August 16, 2014

French duo Ciou and Malojo create illustrative works that combine their wildest fantasies and nightmares. Their previous show for Cotton Candy Machine gallery (covered here) displayed Malojo’s cartoony characters infused with colorful patterns, while Ciou’s work was mostly monochromatic. Their next show, “Freaks and Wonders” opens September 4th at White Lady Art in Dublin, and is inspired by scenes of celebration during seasonal holidays.

Amy Sol Presents New Dreamscape Paintings in “Garden Gamine”

Amy Sol, Disney, surrealism

March 30, 2016

Artist Amy Sol has always had a special affinity for forests and nature. Though she now lives and works in the dry desert region of Las Vegas, she spent her childhood years in Korea, where the landscape is dotted with lush evergreen forests. In fact, it could be said that forests taught her how to paint- when Amy Sol was little, she would pause VHS tapes of Disney classics and copy the Tyrus Wong oil backgrounds in Bambi and Eyvind Earle's stylized landscapes in Sleeping Beauty.

Sarah Dolby’s Latest Fairytale Character-Driven Portraits

fairytale, Gothic Art, Portraiture, Sarah Dolby, traditional portraiture

September 18, 2015

First featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 26, Dunedin, New Zealand based artist Sarah Dolby has always created character driven portraits. Her paintings combine aspects of traditional portraiture with her own whimsical narrative. In her most recent work, Dolby has been exploring concepts such as time, anxiety, nature and death and the challenging role these play in our lives. "My internal world is quite chaotic," she says, "and I often only find peace when trying to make sense of this through my work."

Studio Visit: Behind the Scenes of Lola’s “The Younger”

90s, Disney, Lola, surrealism, Tattoo Art

November 26, 2014

On December 13th at 80Forty gallery, Lola will debut her first major exhibition in two years, and perhaps her most personal, "The Younger". Her new series of twenty oil paintings also includes some of her largest to date. When we visited her studio in Los Angeles this week, she described it as "something to really get lost in". Her childish characters embark from their storybook lands into unfamiliar territory- Lola's childhood reality. The spirit of a 'younger' Lola is present in images of freckled young girls playing with reimaginatings of toys like Pacman and Pez. In this new world drawn from memory, Lola tells us the story of her creative upbringing. We took a moment to discuss her exhibition while she worked.

Vania Zouravliov Mixes Sex, Beauty and Decay in Dark Illustrations

Preview: “Freaks and Wonders” by Ciou and Malojo at White Lady Art

Amy Sol Presents New Dreamscape Paintings in “Garden Gamine”

Sarah Dolby’s Latest Fairytale Character-Driven Portraits

Studio Visit: Behind the Scenes of Lola’s “The Younger”

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