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Lilya Dear
Lilya,
a painter
and printmaker whose works are in numerous private
and public collections. She has
participated in over 200 group shows and has had numerous one person
shows in
the United States
and Europe.
Her current exhibition is the 10th
Anniversary of
Lilya’s shows of the theme
“The Voyage
of Marco Polo and The Silk Road”.
She started doing that theme far earlier
than when
it became popular for a number of artists. The cycle was
exhibited for
the first time in 1994 at Serge
Hoffman, Paris and then in 1995 in the USA, Ann Arbor at Clare Spitler Gallery.
Since that time, the theme was exhibited in New York and in Avignon (France), Meaux (France), Hamburg (Germany) and Relingen (Germany).
In 1992 when we celebrated 600 years of Columbus’ discovery of America, Lilya searched for a
manuscript which inspired him to find a faster sea route to the east.
She came
upon the 13th century manuscript, “The Book of Wonders” or
the
“Livre des Merveilles” (original title).
“The book opened the door
deep inside of me which has always existed and moved my memories from
early
youth (since I went often with my parents to Venice). Symbolism and
subconscious mind became very present. All those elements like pieces
of a
puzzle fell into place and were an inspiration for some 50 works, which
trace chronologically
through the paintings
The Silk Road. Today when we talk about globalization, we forget that
many
centuries ago, explorers, merchants (like Venicians, Marco Polo) and
artists
already have done it”.
Lilya’s life has been very
nomadic, changing
continents and moving from one country to another.
She was exposed to many different cultures,
making her very open to understanding, accepting, and respecting those
who are
different. “By doing that my life became
richer and it is reflected in my work.” She
was inspired by the nomadic Touareg tribe from Africa, the colors of their
clothing, costumes, and the depth of their myths.
“They are basic and universal, more free and
creative in a different way than highly civilized society and make us
of go
back to our own human origins.”
Besides The Silk Road
cycle, one part of the show is consecrated to
Africa
as another source of
inspiration of the artist.
Lilya has a Master of
Fine
Arts degree from Chelsea
College of Arts in London, England. She was a
professor at the School of Fine Arts at U.C.L.A. for several
years and at the art department of the Wesley Theological Seminary. Since 1971 she has lived and worked both here
and abroad. She now lives and works in Paris, France and Washington, DC. The show
will be completed by a conference on
the 15th March at Parish Gallery from 5-6 p.m.
Parish Gallery is open
Tuesday through Saturday, from noon to 6 pm; other hours by appointment.
If you
would like any further information about Parish Gallery - Georgetown,
please call
us at 202-944-2310 or email us at
parishgallery@bigplanet.com