Profiles of Contemporary Art and - ARTisSpectrum

Rania Mesiskli
Greek artist Rania Mesiskli is a
master at blending the worlds of the
fantastical and the real to create dynamic
paintings that celebrate the essence
of the human spirit. Drawing from her
experience working in the entertainment
industry, she has channeled her passion
for the theatrical arts into her oil and acrylic
paintings. Referring to her career in the
performing arts, Mesiskli explains, “A great
part of my life belongs to a world where
everything is possible.” This freedom is
translated within her paintings via the
multitude of characters that grace her
canvases: animated persons; glamorous
showgirls adorned with glitzy headdresses
and feathers; and costume players
depicting whimsical and fictive creatures.
Ballets, circus images, theatrical plays and
glamorous fashion all become stages for
her artistic expression.
In Mesiskli’s paintings, bold colors,
balanced compositions, and rich details
come together to emphasize the theatrical,
fantastical, and otherworldly quality of
her subjects. Borrowing elements from
whatever inspires her, Mesiskli composes
each collage of sensual facts to create
another reality, thereby reforming the
visible and tangible into something entirely
her own. Her paintings are defined by a
special sense of harmony and rhythm,
a choreography between elements that
lends a certain grace to the finished image.
At the heart of Mesiskli’s paintings are
her character sketches in which she
captures the hidden emotions, quirky
attitudes, and daring personalities of her
subjects. Compositions are centered on
bold movements of the body, which work
to convey all the self-confidence, talent,
and persistence that are being poured into
that moment of performance. Her expert
use of light and shadow to develop facial
expressions and body language only adds
to this underlying expressionist element of
her work. As Mesiskli elaborates, “At the
heart of show business lies the moment,
that instant at which dream and discipline
meet in celebration of the human spirit.
. . I am seeking to stimulate and uplift
the human spirit with an exciting sense
of artful energy and joie de vivre.” Here
we are invited to experience the joy and
exhilaration of that transcendent moment
in which human limitations are overcome
by extraordinary strength, daring, and
artistry.
A self-taught artist, Rania Mesiskli lives
and works in New York City.
www.raniamesiskli.com
www.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/
Rania_Mesiskli.aspx
The Ring Master Oil & Acrylic on Canvas 60” x 100”
32 ARTisSpectrum