Anna Liljas

Marta
oil on wood
18 x 14 in.

I explore the idea of vulnerability in both scenes painted from life and in imaginary motifs in which the figures are given mythical attributes. In each, I focus on a few “actors” (figures and objects) who display urgent and immediate relationships, while conveying a sense of being exposed. An uncomfortable combination of cuteness and doom brings vulnerability to scenes that are ostensibly simple.

I am fascinated with this conflict because existence is so beautiful and yet we are only allowed to stay in it for a short time. Helplessness and cuteness go hand in hand in the natural world, but beyond the caring responses that it triggers lies the knowledge that everything is acutely temporary.

© Anna Liljas