Jana Farmanová – Time for Woman’s World

Jana Farmanová, has been a prominent figure in Slovak painting for nearly three decades. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, in the Studio of Painting with Professor Ján Berger. At the time of her graduation in 1996, painting was going through a difficult period. It was pushed towards the margins, while other forms of artistic expression were preferred. Despite all difficulties, Farmanová remained faithful to the painting.

The artist focuses mainly on figural compositions that combine extensive knowledge of art history with a strong dose of innovation and passion for painting. Drawing on various historical periods or movements and putting their features into different contexts, she creates a brand-new form, giving it a new meaning. Farmanová distances herself from the veristic depiction of reality. A focal point of her paintings is a woman. A female body bears emotion, situation or experience in her works. In her own words, the artist materialises situations, feelings or experiences with her painting, giving them a body of colour and composition. While corporeality ties people up, imposing limits of behaviour on them, inner imagination is the part of human existence that gives them freedom. This ambivalence runs through the artist´s entire body of work.

Arranging paintings into the series is a key trait of Farmanová´s work. She usually focuses on a single subject and develops it in several paintings. As the artist put it, ‘grouping paintings into series represents a kind of a “montage”; as if I were thinking about pictures like film frames. I need more than one picture, as I need to “look” at the situation I am painting differently, therefore I either zoom in or change the angle from which I observe the composition or object.’[1] The series of paintings results from a stream of emotions, which the artist lets run freely, pushing her boundaries and looking for the appropriate form to express these emotions.

Jana Farmanová held many solo shows and participated in many group exhibitions in Slovakia and abroad. Her paintings are represented in numerous private collections and collections of renown cultural institutions.

[1] Personal conversation with the artist.

Author of portrait: Ester Sabik