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The Lithuanian artist
Mina Babenskiene-Levitan is a master who is the very midst of actual
problems of art. With the creative search so characteristic of her
she makes every effort to create a new decorative image and the means
of its plastic expression. To implement her artistic intention she
uses a wide scope of artistic means of different kinds of art: painting,
sculpture, monumental art, and, first of all, textile. It is the specificity
of plastic properties of threads or fiber, the diversity of texture
of threads and fiber, the variety of structures of these materials,
and the features of different methods of weaving that the warp the
threads of which are skillfully woven by the artist’s fantasy. Nevertheless,
the skills of a weaver, which she uses masterly, do not suppress her
artistic talent. The brush obeys her as well as the skills of a weaver.
Freedom with which the artist uses weaving and painting, inexhaustible
ideas which feed her creative abilities inspiring new structures,
and wonderful sensitivity to the plastic nuances of different fibers
and combinations of fibers allow to consider Babenskiene as a master
who feels plastics and colour by the tips of her fingers. This results
in the strength and expressiveness of her pieces of art.
The spatial freedom of architectonics, which Babenskiene-Levitan incarnates
in her pieces of art so subtly and clearly, does not exclude but emphasizes
the freedom of painting and weaving. The strength of the composition
of "tightly knocked together" ground plans and volumes of
the picture "Architectural Space" inexorably pulls a viewer
into the magic circles and ovals of different colours, textures, and
weaving. The artist is obsessed by the idea of the illusive break
of space. This goal is achieved by the use of both physical and plastic
properties of light and colour – the system of overfalls of high and
low relief in interaction with the complex texture of the surface.
The internal logic and variety of weaving keeps to inspire Babenskiene-Levitan
to invent new technique allowing to create relief and three-dimensional
structures in which coloured threads literally sculpture the volume.
Sometimes the artist is obsessed by the accidentally found sharpness
of contrast of the natural colour of woolen yarn and the sharp luminescence
of aniline synthetic materials ("Gust"), sometimes she is
fascinated by the comparison of resilient rigidity of agave and synthetic
materials and metal threads with different slenderness and fragility
("Architectural Space"). She always creates the image of
space by the harmony of precisely elaborated contrasts. This space
is always logical, well-composed, and perfect by its structural simplicity
and lucidity.
If we try to observe the works of Mina Babenskiene-Levitan on the
whole, we will get an impression of some kind of polyphony in which
colour, light, music, and poetry growing through the warp of Gobelin
tapestries woven by her form a single harmonious melody. A huge loom
in her workshop seems to be incommensurable with a human being. Nevertheless,
in her hands it becomes an obedient tool. Touching the tightly stretched
threads of the warp, she elicits from it a sound like from a huge
harp, and weaving coloured threads between the strings of the warp,
under her arms the sound becomes material entity and the material
turns into a sounding element. She weaves the Pictures of the Universe,
and does not fear any scale, even the scale of outer space. Moreover,
outer space seems to be approached to her so closely that she is able
to see all its details without looking up the astronomic atlas. We
should mention Gobelin tapestries "Galaxy" and "Birth
of the Planet". Mina has intentionally woven these Gobelin tapestries
in a single colouring of natural tints of not spun and not coloured
wool in order to emphasize the unity of "the space material",
which means the indissolubility between the Earth and the Outer Space.
She aims to express the thoughts which stir her mind by the mind by
the images created in her own way. Like every born artist, she does
not resort to complex contemplation, her compositions are created
intuitively. M.Babenskiene-Levitan may really boast her perfect "intuitive"
knowledge. The pieces of art created by her for the latest years in
which the expressiveness of Gobelin tapestries has been created by
the combination of textures prove this conclusion. What concerns textures,
here Mina is particulary inventive. This inventiveness serves not
for formal innovation but in order to reach the best expressiveness
of the idea. She courageously introduces new materials combining traditional
woolen yarn with copper-wire threads, plastic fiber, silver cords,
and springy agave. Not relying on the independent effects of every
material and discovering the unpredictable opportunities of materials
used, she makes them create an image.
From 2002 - 5 Festival I nternational de la Tapisserie, Beauvais:
"I want to tell you how much I admired your work so interesting, so
rich in connection with ideas, emotions and sensitivy, The large public
expressed admiration and happiness. As matter of fact all the works
were high level. It was splendid!" (Denise Bigot, Artise plasticien,
presidente d'Arelis).
Contact information:
Mickevičiaus 14 - 4, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Tel.: (+370 85) 2731360 or (+370
699) 90099
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