Since he began joining art competitions and group exhibits five years ago, the faces Lynyrd Paras has painted have always appeared desolate and forlorn. Most haunting was how he rendered his subjects’ eyes – solid, dark and mysterious. The proportionately exaggerated figures of his subjects (mostly friends) with voluminous heads and slender bodies are situated in a space intended to be biographical.
For his first solo show, Lynyrd bestows his figures with some clarity in their eyes. Although still with a tinge of sadness, he has literally given some light onto what has always been referred to as the “window to one’s soul.” Moreover, he seems to share something more personal, thus, these works can be taken as autobiographical, rendering life into his own vision. In his words – “transforming sufferings into a beautiful life.” But realizing how life is not simple, Lynyrd presents to us complex paintings that relate to the notion of the coexistence of many possible meanings (polysemy) and of layered images (palimpsests).
Lynyrd’s works are simultaneously linguistic and visual, surrounding images with words. The phrases embedded in the compositions are words of comfort perhaps for himself, a loved one, and the viewer – “It’s All Good,” “Life is Beautiful.”Together with the figures in the foreground and background, they create a montage from the artist’s memories, from his past. In some cases letters or numbers become images themselves. They were randomly selected creating a playful imagery which for some can be jumbled to create some sensible words; for others just nonsensical utterances.
The artist employed the technique of layering images but without the intention of covering them up completely. The underlying figures, patterns, and texts are from his past and continue to be part of his present, like a palimpsest. This refers to “a manuscript or a piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain.” Figuratively, this refers to “something reused or altered but still bearing traces of its earlier forms.” The present, thus, is not necessarily rehashed but is rather enriched by past experiences. In the process of overlapping images, the artist expresses a diversity of links and metaphors: from his own memory; the creative hand and the coordination of hand and eye; the integration of his personal and professional life; and the wholeness of the artistic creation. He noted that these new works are his way of sharing his sorrows from a past love lost to a new love found … in a day when everything is beautiful.
