Peny Manavi
Blossoms of Good

“Art contains a multitude of elements and not only the sense of beauty"

Wallace Stevens

With this adagio Wallace Stevens wanted to emphasize the complexity of art, its different levels and its different aspects. Art is not only the depiction of beauty, but the depiction of situations and emotions. The artist's attitude towards life.  Coming to the work of Penny Manavi, one easily understands that this multiplicity and beauty coexist. Serving the depiction of nature consistently, Manavi praises creation ˑ bright flowers, the wonderful seabed, the colorful, speckled butterfly wings, are all ideal themes for her painting.

 I first saw her work in 2012 - already ten years ago - at the Enigma gallery in Kifissia and I have  the same feeling every time I come in contact with her work. The bright colors and dynamics of her design, which place the subject under a fantastic magnifying glass, create magical images that capture the eye. For the visual artist, detail often becomes her main theme, creating the illusion of the abstract, which, however, contains great detail. Using mainly large surfaces, she develops the theme in multiple layers and painting it she uses strong color contrasts. Her touch is sometimes stable and sometimes fast, giving the feeling of air, movement and intensity. Balanced tensions are also created by the painter's color choices. Filling the large area of ​​the canvas with color, the painter produces rich works full of light. Coral on bright blue, mauve shades on turquoise and bright green that converse with yellow, compose the whole of an orgiastic nature that invites the viewer to get lost in it.

 As the emeritus professor of Art History Manos Stefanidis very aptly points out, paraphrasing Baudelaire, Penny Manavi creates the "Blossoms of Good" and a garden of Eden to which we have lost the right of access.  Indeed, Manavi's work is more up to date than ever. It  is here to emphasize the wonderful world of nature, a world that we insist on hurting and destroying with the arrogant belief that we are alone in this world. This lack of human presence in her work seems to indicate just that. Not only are we not alone, but there are other great life forms  which we must  observe and respect. "Nature is an enchanting dream full of beauty and grace" writes Dionysios Solomos and this verse seems to find the perfect counterpart in the art of Manavi.  Dreamy places that are not in a parallel universe, but around us.   A call to get to know the world around us.   Art sometimes contains the imprint that the world leaves on our soul.  Leaving the exhibition, the visitor takes this imprint with him. A piece of light and color and a hidden optimism for the beauty that surrounds us and that we should let it overwhelm us.

Venia Pastaka

Art Historian