Flora Yukhnovich, I’ll Have What She’s Having, 2020
Yukhnovich’s paintings are so mad and unlike anything else I’ve seen. They weirdly look like beautiful Rococo paintings, with fancy ladies in big dresses sitting in dreamy fields with flowers. But they’re not really OF anything. How the hell has she done this? I swear I can see figures in some sort of period dress picnic-ing here. Honestly, if we were in Salem in the 1690’s, she’d probably be long gone. This is painter-ly magic!!
I love it because of the way that it makes my mind work like that - I’m filling in the gaps and telling my own story around her brushstrokes. She is a genius with colour, choosing romantic, spring palettes. Her works are full of life and hope, breaking down classic, gold framed stuffy paintings by dead men and make them contemporary and oh-so-cool. I’m here for it. This is art I’d want in my house. (A gal can dream, eh?)
I keep forgetting to write these emails and missing weeks! I bet none of you even noticed. Anyway, I’m back from my holidays and truly feeling the blues. It’s proper winter now! There are Christmas markets up in London and I’ve got back-to-back catch ups with people ‘before Christmas’! (We can also catch up after Christmas. Please let’s catch up after Christmas. My January is completely free.) So I’m trying to feel festive. Send me your best Christmas movies and favourite holiday snacks, STAT.
Congrats you’ve made it to the end! Todah Rabah.
Eleanor x