Have you seen ‘White Opera’ by Ewa Bathelier? Possibly not given its the first time the painting will venture to Adelaide. The question is, who will be the fortunate Adelaidean to walk away with the painting, given it is up for auction at this years FABSA Advertiser Gala Luncheon in support of The Australian Ballet.
Ewa Bathelier (pronounced Eva), the artist behind ‘White Opera,’ lives in France with her paintings focusing on one of the regions famous cultural exports ‘ballet.’ Bathelier’s own love of the theatre and ballet lead her to start painting the, now iconic, ballet dresses which she is renown for. With Ballet being such a universal language its no surprise that today, a few years on, Bathelier’s art travels the world with her free floating paintings yet another one of France’s great cultural exports.
Bathelier’s painting style is quite simply sublime – with the diffusion of paint across the canvas and what appears as effortless, yet perfectly placed brush strokes revealing the dancers slender form through the bodice, the fullness of the skirt and the cross hatch detail in the tulle.
On reflection, I can see a great synergy between ‘White Opera’ and The Australian Ballet’s upcoming Swan Lake season – with the painting in many ways symbolising the doomed white swan Odette. When thinking about the Swan Lake performance my immediate thoughts go to Tchaikovsky’s haunting score ‘Storm’ as Odette returns in a frenzy to her feathered friends and has her last moments with Prince Siegfried. Ewa Bathelier’s painting ‘White Opera’ captures this same mood – the low lights, the frenzied music and the emotion which drives the last scenes of the performance itself.
The depth and mood of the painting as a whole has a certain darkness surrounding it. The paintings own dark, monochromatic background is offset by the sharp white of Odette’s tutu. Perhaps its Odette’s costume, perhaps not – even so I can picture Odette wearing nothing but ‘White Opera.’
To see more of Bathelier’s hauntingly beautiful artworks have a look at Clarkson Galleries online. www.clarksongalleries.com
To bid on ‘White Opera’ by Ewa Bathelier, ensure you secure your tickets for the FABSA Advertiser Gala Luncheon in May 2016.
Above: WHITE OPERA 200cm x 224cm, 2016. Painted by Ewa Bathelier. A painting which is light, free-floating and symbolic. ‘White Opera’ is painted on a synthetic textile which is incredibly strong, yet still allows the colours to gently diffuse through in a unique way.
Above: An art. Ewa Bathelier in motion. As a guide, Bathelier’s works which are presently showing in the USA and Europe sell for upwards of $15,000 AUD.