Larissa Stenlander, born in 1960 in Moscow, is currently living in Stockholm. Her watercolours are charming and quirky works that reflect and satirise everyday human emotions. Emotional motifs such as loneliness and craving for love, social vulnerability, the joy of belonging, independence and discrete cries for help are all situations and states that Stenlander’s characters find themselves in.
The stylized world of Stenlander’s art is quintessentially female and revolves around the artist’s alter ego – a sympathetic, plump, middle-aged woman who engages in daydreaming, contemplating and pondering. Sometimes the woman is alone, sometimes she interacts with her friends, or, rather, with her own doubles. The scenes are humorous, although there is an aura of melancholy to them that seems to stem from the sad premise that life is a constant struggle, be it with one’s self or the world.
Larissa employs symbolism in the same way as the 17th century Dutch masters did in their vanitas. Every single detail carries a certain meaning, is necessary and is positioned accordingly. The emotional charge of Larissa’s paintings is enhanced by the frank, finely chiseled and minimalist imagery.
Larissa’s stripped mise-en-scènes account for an independent vision and for the artist’s very own development of a traditional genre painting.