Biruta Delle

Biruta Delle is a painter with a distinctly individual style. In her figural works, the artist examines the relationship between humans and the transcendental. Her characters are self-absorbed, focussed spiritual beings, eternally battling their thoughts, passions and inner demons. For Delle’s heroes, living with despair is the norm, and they have a tragic worldview. Her grotesque personages are driven forward by hopelessness, with their heavy burdens seemingly deforming their bodies, making them plastically expressive. The colours in Delle’s works have been calmer since the 1980s, when generalised figures made their first appearance. Using various levels of yellows and reddish-brown tones, the artist creates a reflective or even downcast mood, at the same time retaining a yearning for sunlight.

The central aspect of her painting “Thirst” is an exalted male figure, who constantly reappears in Delle’s oeuvre.  Sometimes he is desperately pleading or falling into despair, while in this painting he is frozen in place, waiting for a drop of thirst-quenching liquid on his extended lips. From everyday events, Delle has created a symbolic figure who gives thirst a metaphorical and spiritual dimension.  

Thirst. 2013.