“As imagination created the world, it thus rules the world”
Charles Baudelaire
There are places beyond the world where only few are able to get. The reality perceived as series of events, existence of objects and their meanings, time, defined ways of thinking is useless here. Out of this new realm, there comes a mystery, an unknown land, which we have not expected to encounter. I am facing Dorota Meinhardt’s paintings. This is actually the only way to try to define this encounter, a chance of possible dialogue. Any other way may be a lie, a discord, giving in to the untrue. The painter’s raised hand marks predatory red on pale pink background of still life; the pale pink meets with nave blue distorted by ruthless black. The violet shades of flowers, the yellow shades of lemons, the blue vase – defined and resulting from the anxieties of expression. The act of painting ceases to define any form as it becomes a form itself. Each detail and each shape are important to this kind of imagination and sensitivity which strictly dictate every line and colour.
“River of Memories” – torn and expressive structure of the drawing with visible figures caught in motion. Colourful stains placed within dominant space which is delicately marked with light, changeable accents, tones and tension. “Fire” – one moment totally dominated by the force of emotion. Motion, anxiety and a kind of inner fight occurring on the painting. Strong, mature and firm movement of brush as well as excellent balance of forms of expression. It all brings to mind the words of Francis Bacon, being the impression of the poem “Love Song” by Elliot T.S. – “the art of painting resembles one’s own nervous system being presented on a screen”.
The art of Dorota Meinhardt keeps large distance from the surrounding reality, it does not need to perceive the outer space and, as such, needs to be treated with attentive care. When the artist seeks dialogue with the world of events, objects or figures, it means looking for a relevant form of her artistic visions.
The landscapes, the still life, and the acts strongly affect the viewer through their inner spontaneity which is characteristic of abstract painters. Unlimited expression depicts emotions and feelings impossible to find and, moreover, impossible to reveal to people. Impressions, experience of a glimpse of a moment, which both would lose their meaning being expressed by words, are possible to express only by engaging herself in art and painting.
Her paintings depict fight of light against darkness, tone against tone. Series of figures, broken lonely figures, women, saints, angels, the landscape with the burning sun, redness of coffins. The artist trusts the colours which definitely possess her nature; as a result the artist gets the access and ability to act within the infinite realm of painting harmonies. Her ways of thinking reach so far, that at some point, I lose the knowledge of other means of expression, the ability to transfer the emanating force of paintings other than those which result from communion of the inner, deep nature of the painting, the net of feelings and the magic of the artist’s thoughts. Her paintings possess a special dynamics what reaches far beyond the defined notion of expression. On one hand, they are light and subtle and on the other, they are of overwhelming burden. I feel as if this artistic realm, being managed by some mysterious force, was able to perform an instant movement, a magical circle around its axis what, in turn, will result in their metamorphosis.
Dorota Meinhardt’s workshop is peaceful and cosy, it is an asylum for thoughts, emotions and inspirations. At the same time, I face such paintings as “The First Day”, “Girl on a Swing”, “Cliff” , being a threat of loneliness of undefined limits. The artist is perfect in choosing each shade, each colour. Intuition and spontaneity of creation cause the paintings reach directly our psycho. There comes the intimate encounter: the painter and the viewer.
The painting of Dorota Meinhardt is like a breath above which angels’ wings sail somewhere in airy space. The brush movement joined with a painting’s rhythm and the painter’s moods and artistic dynamics – these all affect with a kind of melody of excellent compositions.
If a painter is managed by their imagination (according to Baudelaire imagination is “a queen of truth, related with infinity and plays a dominant and crucial role in a painting”), it is therefore inappropriate to perceive their artistic output through contexts, schools, realms of art or fascinations which they experienced. If beauty reaches us regardless its forms, it does not make sense to deprive it of its mystery by trying to decipher symbols, signs and events emanating from paintings. Dorota Meinhardt lives, thinks and feels in the only way, relevant for art i.e. “with a palette in hand” as once Cézanne said.
The current world is not easy neither for people nor for art. We can easily fall into disharmonies, make choices leading to nowhere. It is a threat for all those dealing with art directly and indirectly as well. On one hand, we crave for finding some kind of balance and universal truth, on the other we seek the space where some anxieties, challenges and conflicts have been named and have been experienced by us. Within such contexts, the painting of Dorota Meinhardt becomes notably expressive. Probably, thanks to intuition and sensitivity, rather than choices which are too close to doctrine, a painting has been created which allows us to slow down. I often heard that the Polish art, especially the Cracow art, is too traditional, hermetic, not corresponding to the current events. This kind of grotesque “philosophy” tries to perceive artistic output through actually non existing aesthetics of the modern times. I try to analyse the painting of Dorota Meinhardt from the New York perspective. New York – a very special place on this earth, a city which attracts and gathers most probably all existing artistic trends and phenomena. Here, art has multitude meanings, symbols and forms, that the only realm where it can be defined, is the realm of metaphysics. This metaphysics is a naturally leading idea and force of Dorota’s painting. This kind of artistic creation was once beautifully described by Octavio Paz: “everything intertwines and unfastens; what is called life becomes unreal, what is called death becomes unreal, what is only real is the canvas”.
Małgorzata Bolek–Gawin New York, 2016
