„Everywhere within the reach of sight lacy trees burnt white with lava stood against the black fields of magma – it had a graphic effect rather than that of a painting, and one must admit, beautiful.” (Extract from the book “Inspired by Italy”)
The sunny and contradictory Mediterranean countries seem to harmonise with the temperament of the water-colourist and poetess Kai-Mai Olbri. Whereas the artist’s heart has belonged to Spain for years, she has been drawn toward Italy lately – in her opinion the people there are intelligent, yearning for knowledge and have positive attitude towards life. The exhibition in Haus Gallery is directly inspired by the creative work scholarship two-week trip to South-Italy and the island of Sicily last September. Impressed by the strong impulse Olbri’s hand reached out for a pen before a brush and as a result the story with the same heading and two novelettes came to being. Memory images of the beautiful nature and enchanting country were vivid also when they were put on paper. Also a bunch of digital photographs snapped during the trip helped the artist to revive the experienced colours, emotions and feelings. Yet for the artist a photograph is not just a model from which to copy the image but a source of inspiration and synthesis.
The undertones of the feelings experienced in Italy are intimate and rich emotion- and variation-wise - the character of the paintings varies between the blushing skies of a sunset, threatening storm clouds, withdrawn forest groves and catastrophe-hinting lava fields. On about twenty watercolours one sees different motives and subjects – the artist has been captivated by the magnificent Etna, Pompeii that has stayed alive through the centuries, white majestic houses and uniquely delightful afternoons and nights, landscapes seen during the day that have turned dream-like when painted. Also, according to the painting’s emotion the colour varies from thick dark shades to more sensitive and delicate light ones, and the brushwork from vigorous strokes to ethereal touches.
Olbri as an artist who wanders between different painting techniques didn’t hesitate to choose watercolour for the works of her Italian-theme exhibition as the slightly transparent and freely breathing watercolour seemed to be the only right choice for rendering the Italian atmosphere – oil and acrylics seemed too heavy for the artist.
Italy is often considered „too sweet” – its nature and the music composed by Italians are too beautiful to be true. Yet this is what fascinates the artist as sincerity and naturalism and the true essence of Italy stands behind all that – here are a few lines from Kai-Mai Olbri’s book “Inspiring Italy” to confirm that: On the question why everybody in Italy is so kind and friendly a local poetess said: “We have sun here!” It seems as if the energy bursting nature of Kai-Mai Olbri is rather southernly exuberant than northernly withdrawn, and through her works she renders that full-of-light feeling also to the viewer.