Polish artist Anna Dumicz, who recently settled in Gozo, held the last exhibition in a series of three at the Café Caravaggio/Marquee in St John’s Square Valletta, in October. She exhibited a series of oil paintings and drawings, mainly portraits, which are her favourite subject matter, and a few drawings of Malta.
Anna Dumicz studied painting at the I. Riepen Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg from 1988 to 1990. She then spent five years studying painting with Prof. Jan Tarasin and sculpture with Prof. Gustaw Zemla at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where she gained a Master of Fine Arts degree. In 1999, she received a grant from the Ministry of Culture and Art and was a finalist in the “2002 Years Painting Competition” in Warsaw.
Anna Dumicz started to paint when she was 10 years old and developed a passion for portraits, which she continues to improve by drawing people who sit for her. “I prefer to have a model when I’m drawing or painting. Of course, you must use your imagination when you paint but it is easier when you have a model.” Nudes are her favourite subject and they are simply beautiful. She succeeds in showing the human body with tenderness and delicacy and unveils the beauty of men and women’s bodies without voyeurism but with passion and realism. “I like nudes because you can show the whole character and physiognomy of human beings. Clothes hide the souls, they don’t live. Bodies seem dead with clothes.” Most of the time, her friends sit for her, but she confesses that it is more difficult with men.
She started to paint in oils at the end of the eighties. “I chose oils for different reasons,” she explained. “First it is a noble technique and even though it is much more difficult, it offers a wider range of colours and lasts for a longer time.” Her oil portraits are arresting and depict all the sensibility and fragility of her models perfectly. In her paintings she reveals the intimate side of people, their fears and their hopes, their doubts and their beliefs. However, her favourite is drawing. “Drawing is much more perfect; you can feel the paper, give life to it.”
When asked if any masters had inspired her, she said she didn’t really follow a particular artist. “I admire masters like Varma, Rubens and Caravaggio, in fact I like a lot of painters and prefer the classical style. For me, the most important thing is that paintings must be real, they must be true.”
Anna Dumicz has been living in Gozo for six months. “I decided to live here for the climate more than anything else. It is easier to create when it is sunny; rain is cheerless and depressing. Moreover, Gozo is a really peaceful and quiet place, which is important for creating.” Now that her exhibition has closed, she wants to take more time to paint: “I spend too much time thinking about the exhibitions and organising them. Now, I need more time for my paintings, some free and serene moments to create.”