Chianciano Art Museum
Critical Analysis Artist: Lis Engel Art Critic: Karen Lappon
ICAC
International Confederation of Art Critics
Critical Analysis Artist: Lis Engel Art Critic: Karen Lappon
The Museum The Museum of Art of Chianciano hosts a series of collections ranging from Neolithic and Asiatic to Contemporary art. There are approximately a thousand works on display. Visitors are able to view paintings and sculptures by artists such as Tom Nash, Salvador Dali, Sir Henry Moore, Frances Turner, Mario Schifano, Damien Hirst, Brian Willsher and Albert Louden, drawings by the likes of Magritte, Guttuso and Munch; historical works from Royal Collections and original etchings by masters such as Dürer and Rembrandt. The museum is known for organising annual international events, including the Chianciano International Art Award and the Biennale of Chianciano.
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) “Joachim and the Angel” Original woodcut, circa 1504
Sir Henry Moore (1898-1986) “Head” Bronze Sculpture
ICAC
International Confederation of Art Critics
The Critic
Karen Lappon, born in Santander, Spain, is an Italian art critic and essay writer that operates in London, UK. Although an expert on the Italian Renaissance period, Lappon is also great admirer of contemporary art. Karen studied at the “I Liceo Artistico in Via Ripetta” and at the “La Sapienza” University in Rome. A book of great interest curated by Karen is the “2nd Millenium”, the publication of an important exhibition at the Lord Leighton Museum, in which the talent and art of the prominent painter, Frances Turner - selected 5 times in a row for the BP Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London - is highlighted. This artist has been spotted and appreciated by another great critic, Normal Searle, that wrote an article in the Evening Standard on one of Frances’ paintings. “Vita e Opere di Antonio Sbrana” is a publication in which Lappon ties the activity of Sbrana and his influences on the “Macchiaioli” of the 19th century, like Natali and Fattori. A publication that illustrates the continuity of this movement and how it is still present in Italy today. Besides being a consultant for the Chianciano Museum of Art, Karen Lappon is part of the Board that selects artists for the Biennale, a difficult task that she has undertaken since 2009, along with other curators, to choose 100 artists out of 2000 applicants that will be part of the Chianciano Biennale. Karen is part of the jury of the London Biennale where 120 artists, selected from 40 different countries participate, and has been chosen by the organisers to accompany the Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea during the opening of the biennale.
“The Nightingale” acrylic on linen by Lis Engel
The Artist
Lis Engel was born in Bornholm, a small island in eastern Denmark and exhibited her first painting when she was 12 years old. Lis is autodidact as a painter but have studied contemporary art and dance in Denmark, England, France and USA. Since 1992 Lis has made several solo and group exhibitions in Denmark, Sweden, France and recently in New York and Beijing. She is a member of the censored artistgroup Kunstrunden of North Sealand and of the Danish artist group VARIABLERNE.dk. Lis is also a member of www.Colour-Flow.dk and of BIAM, an international art project. Group exhibitions: • Art-and Design Kunstmesse, Helsingør, 2006 • Art Nordic, Kungsbacka, 2007 • Samart, Køge 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 • The Broadway Gallery, New York, 2011 Solo exhibitions: • Gentofte Kunstforening 2006 • Humlebæk Bibliotek 2007 • Astrologihuset København 2008 • Kunstrunden –Open Atelier 2009
“Purple Rain” acrylic on linen by Lis Engel
The Critique
Lis Engel is wonderful self-taught abstract painter. Her works are characterised by the purely impressionistic nature that derives from her inner responses to everyday life and to the objective world she sees around her, besides by her more intimate meditations and dreams and her favourite myths and fairy tales. Lis’s technique is made of purely gestural brushstrokes that create dynamism and tumult in her canvases, capturing the viewer from the very first moment and transporting him directly into her sublime reality, reminding us of the British abstract painter Howard Hodgkin and the Australian expressionist Arthur Boyd. The lines are basic and essential and offer an almost childlike quality to the subjects, although her ability to depict her figures is outstandingly expressive. The reduction of form and simplicity of outlines highlight her explicit allegorical and poetic nature. The use of colours is stunning. Lis uses soft, harmonic hues, prevailingly pastel tones, to offer the viewer a most refreshing and joyful experience. The chromatic primacy and combination of colours only accentuate the meaning and symbolism in her paintings. There is a story behind each artwork that is told through Lis’s artistry and creative talent and imagination. The viewer is overwhelmed by the evocative intensity of her visual narrative and finds himself unconsciously living each story with passionate participation. Her compositions are fascinating and superbly charming. Her delicate, subtle, generous, manner of conveying her most precious feelings is absolutely unique. We are bystanders in the face of a highly talented artist and her compelling and extraordinary sensitivity. Her pure spirit and art form are a true and joyful gift to the world of modern abstract painting.
Karen Lappon International Confederation of Art Critics
“In between worlds” acrylic on linen by Lis Engel
“Demeters Hymn” acrylic on linen by Lis Engel
International Confederation of Art Critics www.international-confederation-art-critics.org