Ana Tzarev will present an array of her vibrant, large-scale canvases at the Saatchi Gallery. This will be the artist's debut exhibition in London and will feature works dedicated to the form, color and symbolic meaning of flowers, a subject which has greatly influenced her career as an artist.
Born in 1937 in Croatia, Tzarev has always been inspired by the natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of her home country. "My devotion to flowers began in my childhood by tending my grandmother’s garden" says Tzarev, who has since made detailed studies in horticulture and designed gardens the world over. Inspired by sources as diverse as the indigenous plants of Africa, the exotic tropical flowers of Hawaii, the bustling flower markets of Asia and the imperial gardens of Russia, Tzarev captures blooms from across the globe in evocative large scale paintings which draw the viewer in through their vivid colours. Incorporating her passion for flowers into her art, Tzarev shares her personal perspectives on nature, be it wild or cultivated scenes.
Esteemed art critic Edward Lucie-Smith describes the meaning behind Tzarev’s work as an evocation of her own connection with nature which she communicates powerfully through her art. “The central characteristics of Tzarev’s art are the generosity of its response to new experiences, its hunger for visual stimulation, its glorious colour, and its accessibility. Her paintings pour out in an almost continuous stream. But they are not, simply, even the flower paintings, a response to what she encounters in the external world. They are also about what she discovers, on each occasion, within herself.”
