The beauty of nature is not perfection, but harmony.
--Miljan Suknovic
Earlier this week, on a chilly afternoon, I trudged downtown to meet Miljan Suknovic in his studio. Miljan is a Serbian artist who lives and works in NYC. We became acquainted through Artfully Awear, and he invited me to his studio because he said, "I have a feeling that you might like it."
Those words ended up being an understatement, because as soon as I entered his studio, I gasped with delight. Actually, I gasped well before walking through the door because his exuberant, large scale paintings were lined up to greet me as soon as I exited the elevator. Not only were the works all-encompassing, but the temperature in his studio was so warm and the fast-paced music so intoxicating that I actually felt as though I were on an island somewhere very far away from post-snowpocalypse NYC.
Upon meeting him, I was not surprised to find that Miljan is energetic and lively, just like his paintings. He spent the next hour giving me an overview of his career and showing me works from various periods; from living and working in Serbia, Italy, Florence, Germany, and the Czech Republic, to his seven year residence in NYC.
Miljan's pervading style is that of dramatic, lyrical abstraction, but there is also an element of mathematics to his process. He does not believe that painting should be seen as separate from the architecture in which it is placed, and this has lead him to create some very interesting juxtapositions with his work. Though his recent works (pictured here) were some of my favorites, Miljan has experimented with almost every style and medium you can imagine.
If he could sum up his work as a whole, it is about discovery through experimentation.
Interestingly enough, this is something I've been thinking about recently in my own life and work - about how it is important to take time to try things and not worry about whether or not they are successful. That the importance of creating is what you learn along the way, not necessarily the finished product.
However, in Miljan's case, the finished products are quite brilliant.
Thank you, Miljan, for the stunning introduction to your work and for hosting me at your downtown resort!
Photos by Miljan Suknovic and myself.
