Gala Melamed
Professional Painter
works in the genres of portrait and still life in traditions of realism.
She received her first drawing lessons in the school of Abram Bikov.
From 1967 till 1972 she studied in Art Academy of Latvia.
After graduating the Academy was engaged in book graphic arts and interior design.
In 1988 she returned to the studio of Abram Bikov in order to focus on the portrait seriously.
In 1988 and 1989 the painter participated in studio exhibitions in Riga Club of Motor Road Employees.
In 1991 exhibition of the group “Portrait” took place in Moscow Culture Fund, and later – in Moscow Journalist House.
Since 1999 she has participated in many exhibitions of painter groups of Riga and Berlin.
In 2006 she participated in an exhibition devoted to Rembrandt in Saint-Petersburg.
Gala Melamed’s works are to be found in private collections in Latvia, Germany, Czechia, Israel, USA, and Holland.
The painter lives and works in Berlin and Riga.
Personal exhibitions:
1997 Riga, gallery ”Nellija”
1997 Berlin, Russian House of Science and Arts
1999 Berlin, Russian House of Science and Arts
2000 Berlin, Russian House of Science and Arts
2002 Riga, gallery”Nellija”
2003 Berlin, gallery”Kunstkreiz Kopinick.” Received the 1st Prize for the portrait “Ilona”.
2005 Gallery “Blue” Bonnheim, Germany
2006 Riga, gallery “Anna”
2007 Berlin, gallery “Amrit”
2008 Berlin, gallery “Vinogradov”
2009 Riga, gallery “BI Art”
2010 Berlin, Russian House of Science and Arts
Svetlana Hayenko: “Painting of Gala Melamed, if we use the definition of Pol Valeri, “allows seeing things as they were when they were looked at with love,” - and this is a gift”.
Paintings of Gala Melamed attracts one’s glance. And the reason is not only the similarity to the model, which for her is an initially set programme. Sooner the spectator is attracted by some light elation of images, a certain poeticized realism that has deep roots in the sphere of portrait. The painter follows tradition; this is a classic basis from her teacher Abram Bikov. Still her wish to avoid utilitarity never contradicts reality of life. She treats her model ardently and tremulously, attraction to reality in her works remains always. A penetrating and strong observer Gala Melamed “pulls out into the daylight” something most sincere, unexpectedly fragile and so deeply hidden, that sometimes it becomes a revelation even to the person being portrayed. She is interested in the “inner rule” of the model but not in the intensification of the negative. And in this she finds harmony.
It happens that a strong energetic splash of the model clashes with vision of the author or a portrait with an interrogative intonation is created that attracts with its confiding sincerity. Sometimes the work leaves the impression of live communication with the portrayed person. In any case it is always a meeting. Evaluation of a model is formulated with the language of painting: colour, composition, interpretation of form. Usually the painter does not create a deliberate concept of the image; she proceeds from the model, considering that the character brings in itself the style of performance. She is interested in the message of the model, its impulses that she perceives. And there is more: “unexpected presents” - gesture, movement, glance, elegance, ease and grace. Therefore she considers portrait to be a mutual creation of the painter who is inspired by peculiarities of model’s character and the model himself with his attitude towards himself and life in general. Posture plays an enormous role in this description, the painter thoroughly searches for it trying to achieve disengagement of posture and position of hands and their correspondence to the expression of the face. By the way, even an accented posing gives her the opportunity to show the model in a special way. The world in which the character exists is projected on the background, a colour space, or which is quite rare, on specific objects. Quite often almost water colour transparency of the background colours (even if there is an image there) brings into the picture a sensation of the model’s radiance, and transparent, flickering shadows enforce the poetry of images. As is well know, the greatest painters were of opinion that the way to comprehension of a painting started with the first colouristic impression. Gala Melamed’s colour description is soft and convincing. And although most often her characters are absorbed in themselves, the painter succeeds to find in the model such things that are kindred or at least comprehensible for the contemporaries.
It should be noticed also that the ability to notice the best side of life reveals itself in still lives as well, where the painter does not refuse her wish to poetize even the most unpretentious subjects. For example, still lives on the background of a window with a “breakthrough into nature”. Amalgamation of landscapes, still lives and interior in one painting caused an active interest of painters, way back in the beginning of the 20th century. But with Gala Melamed, similarly as in portrait, it is perceived as joining a certain artistic tradition and it looks like a fresh and poetic interpretation of the joy of existence.
Her painting if we use the definition of Pol Valeri, “allows seeing things as they were when they were looked at with love,” - and this is a gift”.
Svetlana Hayenko,
Member of Artists’ Union of Latvia,
Arts critic,
Associate professor of Baltic International Academy,
August 2011.
