Art Infused with Spirituality
Irene Burgo

The Villanova University Art Gallery in Connelly Center hosted an exhibit by Russian-born artist Elena Flerova titled "Romanticism Recaptured" from March 19 to April 29. During the March 23 reception for the artist, the Public Relations Office taped an interview with her, featuring her religious paintings. The interview aired on the arts and culture segment of EWTN-TV’s program "World Over" on several dates in April.

Flerova has been hailed as a "modern master" by art critics. Using no models for humans, animals or nature, she paints from her imagination. Her work includes religious themes as well as subjects realistically depicted with elements of romanticism and fantasy. "When I paint, the architecture, the costumes, the scenery–they’re not important to me. It is the feeling I’m creating that is the soul of the painting," says Flerova.

Among works exhibited at the art gallery was "The Madonna of Villanova," a triptych which she painted especially for, and which she has donated, to the University. "Her paintings glow from within, and that’s the really important part about painting,"said the Rev. Richard Cannuli, O.S.A., founder and curator of the Villanova University Art Gallery and associate professor of art and art history. "There’s a spirituality in her work, which she was born with, which she taps into. That comes out in her paintings, and her knowledge of anatomy and nature combining those things, draws us to these paintings."

Flerova is a representational painter whose art evokes romanticism. Her style and technique reflect a different age--the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Romanesque art. Flerova’s paintings seamlessly mirror the styles reminiscent of European masters--Rembrandt, Goya, Titian–but her art is unique. She manages to weave a certain fantasy and whimsy with modern techniques in her interpretation of classical scenes, which create features distinguishing her subject matter. Art critic Victor Forbes, in the Spring 2001 issue of "Fine Art" Magazine, commented that "her re-creative abilities are superlative, noteworthy for their neo-classic attention to detail and vivid colors...you will find only in the giants of art history. I am certain she could produce major works of art on a par with those of the well-subsidized court painters of far-flung days."

Classically trained at Moscow’s prestigious Surikov Fine Art Institute, she came to the United States in 1991, where she has lived and painted in New York for the past decade. Since that time, the artist has become renowned for her paintings of Judaica, which portray Hebrew spiritual life. For more information on Flerova’s works, contact the art gallery office at (610) 519-4612.