The Joy of Colours is the first exhibition by Moldovan artist Vasile Dohotaru to be held in Malta, bringing a diverse aesthetic to the local art scene. Dohotaru is a freelance artist whose works have left an indelible mark on Eastern Europe. He is also an art teacher at the Polytechnic University, Faculty of Design in Chişinău, the capital of Moldova.

Dohotaru is a well-trained artist whose portfolio consists of a variety of media, as will be showcased in this exhibition with works in oil, pastel and black ink executed with duck feathers. All of the exhibited works are executed with finesse, the result of which is an appealing and distinctive style applied with vivacious colours that are distinctly inspired by Moldovan folklore.

Vasile Dohotaru

Although the environment in general and the Moldovan landscape in particular are his primary sources of inspiration, Dohotaru does not represent nature as he sees it. Rather, he allows his imagination to intervene the result of which are enchanting creations with figures and scenes that are uniquely his own.

A foremost theme in his oeuvre are ballerinas, a result of his studio being located close to the Chişinău’s Teatrul Naţional de Operă şi Balet. On viewing his works, one notices a palpable joie de vivre, in which Dohotaru’s fresh execution allows him to swiftly and smoothly move on from one side of the composition to the next.

Art critic Vasile Malanetchi described Dohotaru as an excellent maestro. “Through his originality, Vasile Dohotaru can catch everybody’s eye. He communicates with people through colours, chromatic rhythm and dynamism, he has an extraordinary language.”

The artist has held many solo exhibitions and participated in several collective ones that were largely held in Moldova, Russia, Romania and Germany. His works can be viewed in Romanian and Moldovan galleries, and found in several private collections in Romania, Moldova, France, USA, Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Great Britain.

The exhibition is open to the public at the Heritage Malta Gallery in Melita Street, Valletta, until June 30.

www.dohotaru.arta.md

www.vasile1955.narod.ru