Original artwork description:

The idea to paint a still life with gladioluses came to me when I first arrived in Belgrade. They were the first flowers I bought at the local market and placed in yet another new home. The still life naturally came together, but no matter how I approached it, I couldn’t achieve the desired result in its depiction. So, when preparing for the exhibition, I couldn’t resist creating a piece with gladioluses. I deliberately chose a very simple, contrasting background and placed the flowers in the center—a nearly clichéd approach—but it helped to keep the viewer’s attention on the most important element: the cloud-white gladioluses.
While working on the painting, I wasn’t aiming for detailed realism. Instead, I wanted to convey the essence of the flower: the softness of its petals, the richness of its color, the sturdiness of its stems, and the variety of its twists and curves. And, of course, it was important for me to bring into the work my feelings from those first gladioluses from the market, which, in a way, became a symbol of a free life for me. I hope I managed to capture that.

Materials used:

Oil