Rose flower. Heart of Aphrodite 2020

Curator: Well, hello there. We are looking at Yulia Mamontova’s “Rose flower. Heart of Aphrodite”, made in 2020, created with oil paints on canvas using, quite visibly, an impasto technique. Quite something, isn't it? Editor: Something alright! My first thought? Whoa! It's raw, almost aggressively sensual. Like a Georgia O'Keeffe on, shall we say, a particularly bold day. The texture just leaps out at you. Curator: Precisely. Mamontova utilizes the impasto to its fullest, the layers of paint giving a very tactile, almost sculptural presence to the petals. See how the light catches those ridges, creating deep shadows and highlighting the fiery hues. There's a real tension between abstraction and representation here. Editor: The abstraction allows you to bring your own associations to it. And that dark void in the center... It pulls you in. It could be the heart of a flower, yes, but also… well, other things come to mind, things that whisper rather than shout. Is that intended, do you think? Curator: I imagine that ambiguity is very deliberate. The title points to Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. Roses are a timeless symbol of love, desire, and also of transience, and even pain, given the thorns. Editor: Oh, it’s painful, in the best way, all that suppressed erotic energy—a real primal scream rendered in textured oil paint. And the crimson shades! It is far from shy. Do you feel it is, in some way, overturning traditional, passive visions of femininity? Curator: I believe you're on to something. Instead of gentle and pleasing, this is assertive. Its abstraction makes it complex, refusing to be passively "consumed" by the viewer. It challenges the common associations with a flower. Editor: Makes me think about how symbols can evolve. This isn’t your grandma’s delicate rose painting. This is a rose for the 21st century. Edgy, complicated, and completely unforgettable. I find I will carry it with me for quite some time. Curator: An apt observation! Indeed, “Rose flower. Heart of Aphrodite” makes one rethink, reconsider, and feel something very potent. Thank you for sharing that experience with me.