Georgina Pr.

My childhood was full of artistic influences. When I was seven, my mother would take me to a gallery in my hometown, there I tried to imitate other artists' techniques on rough pieces of printing paper. Having seen my work, the owner of the gallery encouraged my mother to sign me up for art courses. And so my artistic journey started. I began weekly art courses and there I became acquainted with the theory of colours and its application, as well as the work of artists such as Modigliani and El Greco. I became obsessed with those classes and I would stay longer just to keep up with the next session. Later on in high school, I regularly attended private art classes, exercising my technique in drawing and painting.

 

Traveling is another factor that accounts for the formation of my own personal style. Having traveled to many countries around the world, I became influenced by their different cultures and lifestyles. I believe that my most influential trip was to Sri Lanka, where I encountered Buddhist art.  Its harmonious appearance combined with the philosophy behind it intrigued me. The most startling event during the trip was our visit to the tea fields, where women would work all day picking tea for just a dollar. Since then my art has taken on a new dimension and I have tried to create art as a social commentary. This turning point in my art won me a golden award in the Biennale 2008 for a piece about collateral losses during wartime. I was also awarded the second prize for a video I created about biodiversity in a 2012 PanHellenic competition.

 

Equally important to my art and my holistic development is my participation in the IB diploma programme. Two languages A at higher level - English and Modern Greek - have built my analytical communication skills as well as critical thinking. Studying World Art and Cultures and Visual Arts, has helped with my critical analysis of artworks, and given me insight into many art forms and cultures within different contexts. Among others, I have studied West African art from Benin, Japanese prints and Avant Garde art all of which heightened my interest in art. I have developed already existent skills and gained, through experimentation, further insight into various forms of art, for example in my portfolio I include a video, a dress, an installation and several mixed-media paintings. This journey culminated with my Extended Essay in Visual Arts. I investigated the works of John Heartfield and George Grosz and how they criticized the social corruption and decadence of their time.

 

My interest in Fine Art moves far beyond my school curriculum. Visiting museums in Paris, and Rome as well as London and completing two short courses at Central Saint Martins in Photography and Art & Design has contributed to the cultivation of my own style. Using an analogue camera and working on projects, I became acquainted with photography as a fine art; through this course I gained confidence in new techniques. To complete a project about the body, I visited the Hunterian museum and investigated deformed body parts and animal specimens. My final response was a dress influenced by Alexander McQueen and the textures I observed in the museum. Through it, I learned to work imaginatively and innovatively on a project under time constrains.

 

Despite several years of artistic engagement, only now am I able to look back and say my purpose in life is tightly entwined to creation. In the future I anticipate of taking this journey forward by amplifying my skills in different areas of the visual arts that will give me the opportunity to further develop as an artist and as a person.