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Karolina Lilpop: A colorful, imaginative world of paintings
Polish painter Karolina Lilpop has been greatly inspired by her first trip to Indonesia
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Polish painter Karolina Lilpop has been greatly inspired by her first trip to Indonesia.
'Everything in Indonesia is new for me, and I'm quite sure that after I go home to Munich [in Germany] or Warsaw [in Poland], I will create a set of paintings inspired by my experience here,' the 31-year-old says.
The artist was in Jakarta for the display of her works at the 'Connecting Cultures ' Connecting People' exhibition at Duta Fine Arts Foundation in Kemang, South Jakarta.
During her visit to the country, Lilpop also spent several days in Yogyakarta to get a glimpse of Indonesian culture.
Apart from visiting Borobudur temple, she was also delighted to discover the traditional batik-making process. She met a batik artist who showed her how to dye batik with organic pigments.
'They really underline the use of natural and organic coloring, and I really like it because it looks like a kind of handicraft,' Lilpop said.
She believes that color is one of the most important elements in art. Her work is bursting with colors that are also made organically.
She uses egg tempera, mixing egg yolk as the binding agent with pigments that she grinds herself before applying it onto the surface of the canvas.
'I like organic things; I prepare my canvas and my colors on my own, so I feel I have a deeper connection with my paintings,' Lilpop said, adding that she usually used a crayon to make sketches.
Another notable characteristic of Lilpop's art is the child-like nature of her drawings.
'I do it on purpose because I like the simplicity of that form, and I don't need to represent everything perfectly. We have photos to do that,' she said.
'I just want to paint the atmosphere, the mystery, perhaps add a little innocence. But I'm quite professional.'
Lilpop combines her coloring and drawing with the application of many Islamic symbols in her paintings, as she has been greatly inspired by mosaic patterns from the Middle East, especially from Persian culture.
The result is a distinctive, colorful and imaginative form of artwork.
She first found out about Islamic art in college and has been interested in it ever since.
'I don't know much about Islam. It's a mystery to me and I enjoy that feeling when I make paintings about it,' she said.
Lilpop was born in 1983 in Warsaw. She has been into drawing since she was in high school, making sketches to express her feelings.
'[Drawing] is like my diary. I feel that I can express myself better through it,' she said.
Following her passion, she then decided to study art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. She believes she made the right decision, because she was able to do what she loves.
'I can't imagine myself working in an office from nine to five; it's just hard to imagine myself not being a painter,' Lilpop said.
Currently, she is continuing her studies with a postgraduate degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, majoring in art therapy.
'At school, we learn how to help people who have difficulties by encouraging them to make art,' she said.
With two painting exhibitions in Poland, one in Germany and one ongoing in Jakarta under her belt, Lilpop has seen herself improving over time.
'When I see a painting from a while ago, I feel like I could do part of it better. And I keep practicing, exploring new ideas,' she said.
The most significant change she had made throughout the years was her coloring skills and her ability to make bigger and more complex paintings, she said.
Moreover, Lilpop said, painting had also helped her improve her social skills, increasing her self-esteem.
'I'm a nervous person sometimes. and when I'm painting, that's when I'm more in touch with myself, and so can be more in touch with others,' she said.
'All in all, painting develops my skills and my understanding of other people and situations.'
