Anna Sobkowiak
Painter and 2D animator based in Poznan, Poland
ABOUT
Anna Sobkowiak is a painter and 2D animator living and working in Poznan, Poland. Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, Faculty of Graphic Arts. International Student Exchange Scholarship at The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague in 2004. She deals with painting, drawing, traditional graphic techniques and digital animation. The main subject of her works are relations between humans, including their feelings, thinking and acting, and the environment in which they live.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I draw incessant inspiration to practise painting from great works of David Hockney, Edward Hopper and Claude Monet. What I find mesmerizing in their works are the afirmation of life (Hockney), the intensity of the moment (Hopper) and vibrant colours (Monet).
In the very centre of most of my paintings, there is an unknown character who is my own creation — the result of my observations of inspiring individuals surrounding me, especially their idiosynchratic postures and gestures. The pictures depict mainly young people in highly ambiguous spaces and situations, which creates an atmosphere full of engagement, inner strength, passion and intensity of the moment. They construct their own world(s) often based on original, previously unrecognized emotions, emerging from interactions with accidental people as well as both known and unknown environments. I focus on their psyche and emotions, analysing feelings such as delight, joy, fascination and commitment.
In landscape painting, on the other hand, I tend to concentrate on its symbolic meaning and treat it as a safe asylum, a place where it is possible to look deeper into oneself. This is the very moment when one aims to understand themselves and their place in the world.
Website: annasobkowiak.eu
Instagram: @anna_sobkowiak_