Interview with Svetlana Miladić
NAIVA BRATISLAVA brings an inspiring interview with the artist Svetlana Miladić from Serbia (Bačka Palanka) - the winner of the STORY AWARD at this year's exhibition.
The author's answers show us her painting´s story and enjoying of creation. And who knows, maybe this conversation will encourage someone to create their own pictures. Art has such a power.
What was your path to art?
Often an artist will say that he was born as an artist. And that is true. Art is carried within itself from the knowledge of itself and so did my path from the child's knowledge drawn on a piece of paper, through schooling, research and craft improvement. I am not an academic painter, I received my education in fine arts with the help of an art teacher who instructed me in everything that is painting, and also, my profession is related to fine arts. I started painting more seriously about 25 years ago and I went through several artistic directions, from pastel drawings in the mannerist style, impressionism, expressionism. But where I completely found myself and what I wanted to present is naive. In it I can completely freely, without restrictions, transfer to the canvas everything I strive for, what makes me happy and what I dream about.
What does naive art mean for you?
For all that life is, the essence of everything, the world we dream about, the world we live in, everything we see and everything we can imagine. Naive is a dream and reality, intertwined in our imagination. It is in the same time a fairy tale, a short story, a moment etched in our memory, nostalgia, imaginary world and real world. Naive is an invitation to the observer to enter that the world and to understand it, and it is understandable to everyone.
Do you have favorite themes and motives in your artwork?
Yes, I have. There are real landscapes that evoke beautiful feelings in me. I place sheep in them, which personify ourselves, and sheep are my main motive. The sheep I paint are free, they have no shepherds, no guards, no leaders. The sheep is an universal animal, which lives in almost all areas and is recognizable to everyone. So the sheep as a motif are ambiguous and they are the bearer of those stories that I talk with brushes and paint on canvas.
Where can we see more of your artwork? Online or live.
My works can be found live in several legacies and galleries. One of those galleries, the art gallery "Paris" in Sofia, Bulgaria is important to me personaly. More of my works are in the Salon of Naive and Intuitive Art in Belogradchik, Bulgaria, which is a great honor for me as an artist. My works can also be viewed online on Pinterest and on the sites Serbianaart and Saatchi art.
Do you have any advice for a person who would like to try painting?
That person should follow his wishes, dedicate himself, educate himself, observe others while they work and learn technical things about painting. It takes a lot of knowledge in painting technique and a lot of practice. For all his life a person learns and thus improves. Expression comes by itself through all that, but the most important thing is to master the craft part. The fine art is like a handwriting, unique for every person.
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Text: NAIVA BRATISLAVA and SVETLANA MILADIĆ
Photo: SVETLANA MILADIĆ
Interview was in english. Free translation into slovak language: NAIVA BRATISLAVA