It’s hard not to get completely engrossed in the beautiful artwork of Maria Azzopardi.
Originally from Russia, Maria has made Malta her home and has been working as a freelance artist. Her style is unique and being the daughter of an internationally renowned artist it was inevitable that her talent would shine. Maria has been exposed to art all her life, in her earlier years she focused on restoration and conservation due to her Bachelor degree from the Moscow State Academic Art College, a prestigious school that also led her to a Diploma in Mural painting and IT based art forms.
One of the fundamental elements of art is the line and Maria has the extraordinary ability to use it in ways that seem impossible. Her line art emphasizes the form and outline of her subjects through texture and shading and tiny meticulous dots; it provides her work with intricacies of detail which are second to none. Your eyes are treated to a visual display of pure delight, with the need to absorb every inch as each picture speaks a thousand words.
Her designs are exceedingly complex and allow for what may seem ordinary to be portrayed as something epic. The suggestive contours, slightly stylized strokes, give such emphasis to the visual aspect of the picture that the images seem almost three dimensional, you feel like you could reach out and touch each subject in her drawings.
From the harsh pen strokes of her line drawings to the soft flowing delicate pastel paintings Maria has the innate ability to create whatever she lets her hands free with. Her soft, delicate portraits are a stark contrast to the detailed line drawings, yet she still manages to capture the soul of each individual that she paints through her artistic representation, as well as the heart of the observer. Through her language of art, Maria offers a vivid sense of a real person’s presence. Her use of pastels really captures the facial features with hints of light bouncing of the face as it would if you were looking directly at the person.
The versatility of her work is a testament to the true talent that is Maria. Her work has a strong and consistent voice that allows the viewer to engage in its meaning and interpretation, her portraits explore the very nature of existence.
If her talents aren’t enough, Maria also paints murals and does gilding, a painstaking job that requires plenty of patience. She has also produced a range of printed t-shirts with her designs, she leaves no stone unturned in the world of Art.
Maria is about to embark on yet another exhibition in Paris, entitled ‘Homage to Malta’ that will be running from the 15th-30th July 2013. For more information you can contact Maria at www.facebook.com/mariazzopardi
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