La Figura - paintings by Escha van den Bogerd

La Figura is a series of nude paintings "inspired by the old masters in a contemporary unique style" by Dutch artist Escha van den Bogerd.

I attended the opening at CQ Hotel on Thursday night. The concept of the evening was meant to remind the audience of the origins of this sort of art; 17th Century Italian baroque music was to accompany the viewing. Unfortunately the music took some time to arrive / set up and I never got to hear it.

Art is subjective; these are my thoughts. I think more Rubenesque figures would have been more attrractive than the modern (thin) interpretation of the female form. The figures were slightly angular, a look which became more prominent in the breasts, in particular the nipples, which made it difficult to enjoy the images.

The use of colour was really interesting, as though they had been thrown at the canvas after the picture was painted, added another layer of depth. It reminded me of Pino Daeni though the colour is less obvious.  Look for a lying nude with cold blue splashes, it was my favourite.

Dates: 7-28 November

Venue: CQ Hotel Cuba Street and The Kiwi Art House Gallery 288 Cuba Street
Price: free to view, $2-3,000 to purchase