The academic painter from Bar, Danijela Stanković Drobnjak, spent her childhood on the beach in Šušanj, on the rocks and the sea, and hence the sea as her eternal theme, she told "Vijesti" after she recently presented herself as part of the Ulcinj 32nd Summer Scene organized by Centar for culture Ulcinj.
Stanković Drobnjak presented part of her earlier works at her independent painting exhibition called "Sea Stories", and she also selected ten paintings that herald the beginning of a new cycle.
"'Sea stories' is my long-established cycle. At that time, it was very important for me to present the marine world where everything happens in parallel with our world - birth, life, death.... For this occasion, I chose 25 paintings made using oil on canvas, acrylic, and combined techniques. The pictures are in a gallery format, created during the previous five or six years, and among them there are also newer ones that were made this year, and they differ in technique, but they still build on the previous ones and do not deviate from the theme," she says in an interview with " Vijesti" and adds that she is particularly satisfied with the attendance of the exhibition because the event was postponed several times due to the new situation.
In her works, "the sea tells about its depths, about the life of its inhabitants, about a parallel world full of peace, balance, perfection and perfection". "Seashells symbolize the balance of spirit and harmony, they are music. The nymph represents a woman, a mother, a pillar of the family, the mother of sailors, fishermen, who in the world of that time is the guardian of the sea and its inhabitants... The sea is in my blood, so it is an eternal theme for me", the artist points out, so it is easy to conclude that is the environment in which she grew up and where she lives influenced her creativity. In his new works, he adds a man to the motifs of underwater life as someone who directly influences that world.
"Ten paintings from this exhibition represent the beginning of my new cycle. I'm not deviating from the topic, but now I'm going through man as the center of events and the connection with the Mediterranean, the sea, water. We were made of water, we were in water for nine months and we are made of water. She is part of us. This time, man is a connection with the cosmos, the sea, but also with himself, with the relationship with people, the city and the world in which we live. The main motif is sea water, its glass surface with perfect transparency where you can see your soul and experience the healing of your spirit", Stanković Drobnjak conveys his inspiration. In the new cycle, she also deals with an issue that has been increasingly discussed around the world in recent years, which is the impact of man on nature, and how much the human race preserves the sea, how much it adapts to it, how much it takes from it...
"With this cycle, I included that topic as well. The moment when a person returns to himself, to his spiritual needs, virtues, flaws and when he accepts himself and starts working on himself to be better, only then is he ready to take care of the sea, its inhabitants... The sea is to a large extent exploited and devastated. We have to understand that water is the most healing medicine for humanity," says the painter. In the new cycle of paintings, darker colors dominate because, he says, it talks about the depths of the sea and its secrets. Certainly, "color comes by chance", explains Stanković Drobnjak, emphasizing that her focus is on technique and the subject to which she remains faithful. However, as much as the waters of our planet are a whole and a life unto themselves, man remains at the center of everything.
"Yes, man is the center, his consciousness. In one picture, he is black, static - still in the dark, ignorant, without knowledge... Then he goes through the white color as healing, and then he becomes green, an eco-man, who realized that he must live in harmony with nature, with the sea, the environment, and most of all with himself, and then he manages well, connecting with the sea or water. My focus is to continue to start the cycle with the same theme - man, sea... I don't deviate from that theme. Maybe the techniques and color will be different, but the subject certainly won't", strictly answers the artist who graduated in painting in 2002 at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje, in the class of professor Smaj Karail.
She revealed to "Vijesti" that she has many plans for the future, but will wait until the situation with the corona virus pandemic calms down.
"I am planning a lot, many exhibitions in Montenegrin cities, but also beyond. For now, I'm using the situation to continue the new cycle, because I don't think it's time to present yet... Let this pass and we'll see," concludes Stanković Drobnjak.
Art is not important, but beautiful and sublime
Danijela Stanković Drobnjak has been a member of the Association of Fine Artists of Montenegro since 2002, and she works at the elementary school "Yugoslavia" in Bar as an art teacher, which in itself is a challenging calling, especially in the situation with the corona virus.
"There are a lot of talented students who today are also some of my colleagues. I believe that culture and art are on the margins of society's interest. This also reflects on us artists, in a positive sense. Especially in this time of covid-19. Somehow art is irrelevant to today's society. I mostly teach my students that art is not 'important' but beautiful and sublime. I usually take them to a gallery, museum or studio or invite an artist to a class. I especially strive to teach them perseverance and perseverance through art work, and the result is beauty and sophistication", she explains and continues:
"The corona period is challenging for us artists, for creation and creativity, but for acquiring knowledge and education it is very bad. I mean schooling. Art cannot be learned online. It must be tangible and visible. The living eye and the living word survive. People are in great ignorance and incompetence, taken aback by this state. It will take a long time for them to learn to behave in accordance with the situation", believes the artist.
Corona is a holiday for the planet
The pandemic that surprised all of humanity affected everyone around the world, and Danijela Stanković Drobnjak believes that this is the true period of renewal that the planet is going through.
"I would say that covid-19 is something that planet Earth is going through, a kind of renewal. I believe that corona, or isolation, is necessary for every person, and it is especially useful for artists. Throughout the history of art, we have many artists who created works of art precisely at the time of the Spanish fever and other plagues of that time. The very names of my recent paintings - 'Atlandite' (the lost world), 'Connection', 'Reconnection', 'World in the depths of the sea', 'Recovery' indicate the connection of man with the sea, as well as with the planet Earth", she said. News".
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