Here is another shout out to an amazing artist I found. I believe her works well qualify for the overall feeling which permeates the fall season.
Artist Chie Yoshii was born in Japan in 1974 and earned her BFA at Massachusetts College of Art in 2000. Galleries around the world like the URBAN NATION Museum have featured her myriad of artworks centered on the relationship between human psychology and mythological archetypes. Critics and journalists compare her traditional Flemish artists who valued simple portrayals of natural beauty through landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. As her official website states,
. . . the brushstrokes and the luminosity of her panels are reminiscent of traditional Flemish paintings, in which the details, the quality of shading, and the softness of each character’s complexion are presented in a masterly manner. On the other hand, the subtle symbolism and compelling presence of the figures bring an unexpected air of accessible modernity.
Yoshii works primarily with oil on canvas and her artworks strive to explore and merge contrasting themes such as innocence and sensuality, strength and weakness, nature and humanity.
In a way, she reminds me of a French artist I mentioned years ago named Anne Bachelier (ARTICLE HERE) who also features women in her paintings and uses psychological themes to convey ideas on the human condition through the atmosphere, lighting, and engaging well-placed symbolism throughout each artwork.
All the women in Yoshii’s paintings would make interesting study subjects. Many of them seem to look straight at their audience, as haunting as they are mysterious. It seems like they are circus performers playing a part in a fantastic story, well aware people are watching. As such, I wonder if we are even able to see their true selves under their guises, shrouded in ethereal beauty.
I also enjoy her use of color throughout her works, especially the not so subtle crimson red and deep blue which pop up throughout her gallery of paintings. Other common themes include butterflies, masks, dark backgrounds, birds, and famous greek deities. Overall, her style is a warm mixture of Western and Eastern art styles. Feel free to explore her artworks and biography on her WEBSITE!
From the Perspective of an Old Soul 