Diane Farris is pleased to announce a new body of work by Vancouver artist Shannon Belkin. Belkin is known for her beautiful still-life paintings, and her bold yet sensitive portraits that capture the inner lives of her subjects. When Horses Were Gods is a stunning series of large-scale portraits of horses.
Belkin's paintings were inspired by equine mythologies around the globe — from the Arabian, Etruscan and Babylonian to Finnish and Chinese. The myths variously portray the horse as half-horse and half-man, or with the head of a man. In several cultures, the first creature on earth is believed to have been a wild horse. Abjer, the Arabian horse of the Bedouin desert warrior Antor, could fly without wings. Al Borak, the Prophet Muhammad's horse, was said to have a human head. Ki-Lin was a unicorn-like horse who personified peace and purity to the Chinese. Baz, the oldest of the Babylonian myths, was the first wild mare to be captured and tamed. Throughout Belkin's portrayals of Arabian horses, the jibbah or shield-shape between the eyes is prominent, as well as the mitbah or arched curve of the neck.
Belkin's dramatic canvasses capture the legends and mystique while presenting a strong Pop sensibility. With their warm eyes, necks, muzzles and nostrils, the five-foot heads are resplendent with personality and presence.
Shannon Belkin has exhibited in Vancouver and Alberta since 1980. She has shown at the Diane Farris Gallery since graduating in 1992 from the Emily Carr College (now Institute) of Art and Design. "Nature's Prozac" (2001) was a series of sensuous, detailed flowers and berries in large-scale formats. "Fleur Illumine" (2002) presented brilliantly exotic flowers. The vivid cacophony of the domestic barnyard is pictured online in Belkin's larger-than-life paintings of horses, roosters, cows and llamas, all in startling scale and expressive colour.
