What an honor to be invited to judge the Spirit of Resilience for Manhattan Arts International by Renee Phillips.  The first choice for my Special Recognition Award in painting is Sanda Manuila's “Trâité de Décomposition”.

 

Her beautiful oil on Canvass (30"x24") (has that special hook that draws the observer in, begging deeper exploration of the painting.  The artist uses space and dimension, with the array of beautiful Monarchs framing the path of your gaze and leading you into the mechanical decay of the underlying world. This contrecoup juxtaposition shows the vulnerability of life, represented by vibrant, curvaceous wings against the background of a static, elemental, linear world.  Sandra uses line and form powerfully to emphasize this contrast, while using color to show the inevitable “oneness”.  She reflects the fiery earth tones of the wings into the background of rust and patina blue. The irony of this lifeless structure supporting cocoons, is my final lesson in this piece.

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My criterion for judging was as follows:  "In the artist’s subject matter I will be looking for beauty, strength, empathy and that ‘hook’ that stops an observer from walking past. The artist’s use of space should draw the observer in, their story should spark curiosity, and their artistic use of line and form should be used to the fullest extent."

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Sanda's beautiful painting exemplifies these qualities.