Dimensions: 80 x 60 cm
Signed: signed and described on the reverse: 2021 / A. Kus / Genius / oil on canvas / 80 x 60 cm
Provenance
Poland, private collection purchase from the artist
The basic essence of Agata Kus' work is a story set in the realities of everyday life. The artist painterly portrays stories taken from life, depicts real characters and places. She composes her paintings on the principle of frozen snapshots, thus demonstrating their photographic genesis. The work on display was created specifically for the poster of the 26th Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, held in Warsaw in April 2022. This cyclical event, initiated by Elżbieta Penderecka and organized by the Ludwig van Beethoven Association, has been promoting outstanding artists of the younger generation for years - in line with the idea of the festival's director, Andrzej Giza. Kus' work, which is the visual showcase of this edition, joined the prestigious collection of posters previously created by Wilhelm Sasnal, Ewa Juszkiewicz and Radek Szlaga, among others.
The painting metaphorically embodies the "spirit of Genius" of the title, transferring it to contemporary realities. It depicts two girls bent over a tablet with an app for learning to play the piano. The concentration painted on their faces and the hand held in the air suggest full involvement in the activity being performed. The children, immersed in the digital world, are discovering its limitless possibilities, as well as their own creative potential. The scene attracts attention with a strong contrast of light and shadow, which gives it a mysterious, even mystical character. The undefined space is shrouded in darkness, while the only source of light - a tablet - illuminates the girls' faces and outlines their silhouettes. This is how, in the digital age, new sparks of talent are born.
