Honourable Mention

Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize 2025

Anita Arbidane

Title:

“Hunger”

Medium & Dimensions:

Oil on canvas, 110 x 170 cm

About the Artist

Anita Arbidane (born 1983), Riga, Latvia As long as I can remember my self I have always been into painting and drawing, so my journey of becoming a professional artist started during high-school years. From 1995-2002 I studied in Janis Rozental’s Riga Art school and then continued my studies at Latvian Academy of Art where I got my Master’s and Bachelor’s degree (2002-2008). I have worked in my profession since then, participating in exhibitions and art events as well as giving art lessons at my studio to individuals who are interested in Academic style and Art history. My past and I suppose my future artistic endeavours are based on genuine interest for realistic painting combined with symbolism (some may call it Magic Realism). Already in Janis Rosental’s Art school my creativity was strongly influenced by Realism and Surrealism. After, in Latvian Academy my style developed, became more personal and the desire to follow my own artistic path grew stronger. Vision, idea, form and colour – these are things which drive my process. In my works I try to be as true as possible to the character of the things that I paint, therefore sincerity is the quality that I appreciate the most in a good painting.

“Hunger”: The Composition of my work Hunger is based on the popular motive in History of Art – The Last Supper. The painting itself is about the eternal feeling of hunger, a common human emotional state, that there is an inner emptiness that must be filled with something endlessly (food, drink, substances, people, etc.), conditions of consumer’s mind when nothing is actually lacking, yet everything is always too little, an obsessed state of consciousness and unquenchable abstract longing.