Gift of Love 2017

Jana Brike made this painting, Gift of Love, using oil paint, though I don’t know when. The paint handling in this piece is soft and atmospheric, like a dream. I love how the artist uses colour to create mood. The muted blues and pinks give the whole scene a melancholic, romantic feel. And the surface! It’s so smooth, you can hardly see any brushstrokes, which adds to the dreamy quality. Look at the way she’s painted the girl’s skin – so delicate and luminous, and the lamb too. The whole artwork is delicate, tender, almost vulnerable. The girl’s red lips are such a beautiful contrast to the blues, and that little splash of colour really draws your eye. Brike's aesthetic reminds me a bit of Paula Rego, both artists create narratives that are both beautiful and a little bit unsettling. It is this ambiguity which makes the work so engaging, inviting us to bring our own experiences to the act of seeing.