A Critique by Carl Anthony Straus of Peabody Massachusetts (USA)

Part 2

"Man and woman (+18)" by the Artist/Master of Satirical Whimsy, Mistress Tatiana Sokolova of the European Union, from her collection "Jokes", media unspecified, on unspecified substrate material, 2017.

Mistress Tatiana, our playful "kitten in the knitting-bag" artist, always amazes us with her devilish genius. Here she pokes at the lazy spool of artistic yarn again, to totally unravel it and escape from the scene once again, like the mischievous kitten, just to make us laugh hysterically at her artistic antics in the trail of mayhem and merryment that our "bad-girl kitty" left behind once again! In this apparent, perceived, simple view, as we study it to gain insight to its" deeper meaning, the jolly jester"s exhibit becomes clear in our minds. This image is all about opposites, differences, and more absolute, but similar identities at the same time. It"s about man and woman... differing in shape, form, geometry, and configuration, yet being so closely similar also. The obvious differences are that he is straight up-and-down, and that she is anything but straight, being rather curvy and voluptuous. His entire form appears to be perfectly straight, rigid, even virile, and in a way Phallic, from head to toe. In fact he appears almost headless, as many men appear to be to women anyway. Unthinking, uncaring, and as dumb as a tree trunk, when it comes to romantic thought and in perceiving of his woman"s emotional needs. He"s just a big, dark, "thing" to her, and she often thinks of him as otherwise being in a way, inhuman, from the female"s perspective. In stark and obvious contrast, she seems aware of her every curve, bump, butt, boobs, and beautiful but unachievable standard of some sense of perfect beauty and appeal that somehow in her mind, does not measure-up to her own ideals, or to those of her peers and competition. So many women live the lie and illusion that they are flawed, in their own mind, because they are not the proper size, shape, or symmetry... even if they were balanced in all 4 quadrant areas of their body as this outstanding shape truly is. In their own eyes, at least one quadrant or feature is hideous, unbalanced, non-symmetrical, misshapen, or somehow flawed... and perhaps they always think they have the totally wrong hairstyle, length, cut, look, or wave to it. They may perceive that they have chosen the wrong color or highlight or detail, so they can hardly wait to get themselves "fixed" with next week"s pay... as-if they were ever damaged or broken... they are not... it"s all in their own warped perception of their tortured mind! Man is in reality often simple, like this quite plain, elongated, and colorless box, in many respects... woman is complex, in every aspect... and all because of this self-doubt they may have. Woman is certainly more often a really colorful character, as this many-hued and voluptuous feminine torso represents. If we look closer at her sublime details, blends of subdued colors, and outer figural lines we see shape, buttocks, waist, round, lifted breasts, and at even closer examination, we see the faint details of some half-dollar aureolas and the pale white skin and matched, color-keyed, anglo-caucasian, gumdrop nipples. This is probably what she would really like to look like, although her accusing, deceptive mind says NEVER!!! (Even when she does!) These 2 figures, in almost every way, appear to be incompatible and not at all similar. It is apparent discord, disunion, and disharmony! The only 3 major things we see in common are their overall square size, heir standing-up together, and for some very-odd, inexplicable reason... they like to be so near to each-other, so often, too! That is the grandest of grand mysteries in all of creation, to this observer! That is the greatest of incomprehensibly adverse Jokes, EVER!

"Continents" by the exceptionally intriguing conceptual surrealist artist Tatiana Sokolova of the European Union, Watercolor and Ink on an unspecified substrate media, 60 x 22 cm., 2017.

"Art is an international language that unites all people." ~Tatiana

Our bold, brash, young, lovely artist with the most lovely and imaginative mind has struck a new and resounding harmonious chord to excite our psyche again, and to announce and usher-in one of her latest brain-child masterworks of truly classic whimsy and profound wisdom. In her case it is most definitely true that "a picture is worth a thousand words"... nay... probably times one-hundred thousand! This image, born from the fruitful vineyard-grounds of her internal, bi-cranial, co-existant, parallel dimensions speaks reams and volumes of extra-worldly collections about unity, harmony, cooperation, fusion, and sheerly almost incomprehensible coalescence of a total humanity worldview over race, color, nationalist pride, and every other earthly geocentric point of division. In her great mix of blended diversities oozing from her common palette and through her diversified brushes, there is similarity, individuality, and pluralism present, yet with a sense of bonded, truly cemented cohesion at its" core and heart, overall.
Pluralism, definition 4 ~Merriam Webster dot com:
4
a : a state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization
b : a concept, doctrine, or policy advocating this state
Note the keywords and phrases in a. + b., "Common Civilization", and "Concept; State"...
...as I"ve said here about our common humanity... our world civilization, she has depicted that outstanding and provocative message so well for us here, all in a limited space about this larger-than universal idea, and in so many of my reviews of the abundance of her fantastic works I have stated what a great visionary conceptual artist who uses the surreal, so often and so well, to draw our focus and attentions to some very real and enlightening truths here in our real-world actual existence. She is among the very greatest of conceptualists, in the real and in the surreal. I myself believe that"s why the inseparably-connected hemispheres of her brain can live in both worlds simultaneously. Her existence is in the normative and the bizarre at the same time, always and forevermore! She is both Sun and Moon, Wind and Water, Fire and Ice... in that very graphic fusion! That, my friends... is MORE than lucky, for all of US!!!

"Alien" by the most playful, spritely artist Tatiana Sokolova of the European Union, from her collection "Jokes", size unspecified, media unspecified, substrate material unspecified, 2017.

This well-titled still-life image is very different than other sill-life paintings we are used to seeing, and anything but being still, too. This great perverse art stares back at us, with two happy, contented eyes. A small, whitish, crack-of-a-smile appears out of nowhere too, as we refocus our eyes, away from " its" " eyes. The green form, at once suggestive of a simple vase, becomes secondly a bulbous nose, too... or can it be some tertiary special kind of instrument. The main, red, boxy shape, and red and green rondelettes become a Mickey-Mouse-like triadesic form. Again... the long Pinocchio-like nose could also be perceived as some kind of an instrument"s horn. That feature, along with an oversized shadow-cast that may double as some very alien torso keeps us guessing whether our dear Taty has made for us a sideways or rotated elephantine figure if we tilt our heads 90 degrees right, or if these brightly saturated foreign basic elements will jump-up to play some Alien fugue at a Star Wars Cantina Band hotspot! Again our play-master Tatiana has kept us perhaps eternally guessing! The greatest artists leave it entirely open to the interpreter"s own perception, of which there must be endless suggested possibilities! Perhaps these are not eyes as we think at all, but "Cat"s-eye" marbles!
Thanks, dear Tatiana, for once-again bending our malleable sense of reality through your excellent and wondrous filter of infinity!