DIANA DURANTEL
DIANA DURANTEL
Art Painting
Perception and feelings towards Diana’s painting
By Hailan J
March 15, 2022
As Diana presents her work, her painting is an expression of light, creation and life.
I feel that these expressions come from a profound level of spiritual state of being, that represents harmony, hope, love, beauty and peace. The exact state of mind that one feels while being connected with God or the life essence that is inside everyone of us. It is not a mere manipulation of painting technique for colour and light, it is coming from a deep sense of spiritual state of being. These paintings have brought “inner light” to be under “visible light”.
Knowing Diana has not received any formal training in painting, and mastered the skills of painting purely through self learning, these expressions are profoundly authentic and extraordinary beautiful.
It is an expression of a prayerful and meditative mind, that conveys the message of life, hope and love, which is much needed in today’s world.
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Larchmont-Mamaroneck Patch
Brilliance of Nature Informs Mamaroneck Artist's Work
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ByStefani Kim
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January 31, 2012
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Inspired most by the French Impressionists, Durantel’s works are saturated with swaths of blurred color, and focus primarily on the depiction of light and its many gradients of color. Her use of color is brilliant, dynamic and some might say reminiscent of the interplay of light through a stained glass panel...
But, it is words of Pierre-Auguste Renoir that perhaps describe most accurately Durantel’s philosophy: “To my mind a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful and pretty. Yes, pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them.” (Larchmont-Mamaroneck Patch, Jan31, 2012)
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How did you become interested in painting?
Early in life, I was attracted to the beauty of nature and the strong colors in flowers, sunsets and the changing seasons. For me, color and light are a sign of life and God’s presence in his creation around us.
How did you learn to paint? What is your background?
I am a self-taught artist, and the love of art and paint came naturally. My background is in mathematics and science. I have an engineering diploma from the Ecole Polytechnique in France, and two master’s degrees: one in pure mathematics and the other in mathematics applied to finance.
After graduating in France, I began to paint every evening. I had the chance to travel around the world and live in many different countries. The different places where I lived and visited were a great source of inspiration for my paintings and nourished my love for color and light. I especially loved Japanese gardens, with their cherry blossoms, and observing how light shines differently in different places around the world.
Over the years, I have continued to improve my technique. I have been painting with oil and acrylic for about 20 years now. As time passes, and through the years and different events of my life, my paintings have evolved and changed from figurative landscapes and flowers to something deeper and stronger, trying to reveal the presence of God in his creation and in our hearts. I paint the light and bloom of life, creating fountains of color and joy.
I paint layer after layer. Usually, my paintings take a long time because there is a lot of texture as each layer evolves.
Where do you draw inspiration?
I draw my inspiration from contemplation, emotions and from my faith — expressing joy and hope.
The beauty of nature is my first love. The play of a sunset’s radiance over the water and the color of changing seasons are great sources of inspiration. I emphasize movement and texture. I paint the joie de vivre, the light, movement and inner dance in my heart.
What are the themes of your paintings?
One of my themes is light. I am deeply touched by the words of St. John in his prologue: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). I try to express in my paintings the certainty that God is light and that he has the victory over the darkness and to share the hope of this truth, no matter what happens around us.
Another theme of my paintings is creation. I am amazed by the beauty of colors in the changing seasons, by the strength and the infinity of the sea. I love using paint and texture to express the hope of life and the joy of flowers blooming in spring, or the dance of the leaves swirling in the wind in the fall.
The Holy Spirit and his presence in our hearts is another theme of my paintings. God dwells in us. I see his Spirit in us as a fire of love, a dance that fills our heart with his presence, tenderness and consolation. It is like a breath that gives life.
How has painting been this past year in London with COVID?
It has been a hard year, with all the lockdowns and all the uncertainty. I think this is reflected in my last paintings. The messages of my paintings are the same, but the struggle behind them has been more intense. The whirlwinds I paint have been more dramatic. They seem to be searching for peace and life, but with the assurance that God is not abandoning us and that he is with us. We are not alone in this storm and night.
How do you feel that God uses your artwork to evangelize?
We all have different talents. They are gifts from God. Painting is my special way of talking about life and light and hope.
I want my paintings to be like stained-glass panels revealing a little of the beauty and the love of the Creator.
Do you have a prayer routine when you paint that helps you?
Before painting, I usually invoke the Holy Spirit. I also do this while I am painting. I listen to prayerful music. One of my favorites is a song that repeats the name of Jesus as a prayer of the heart.
Painting has been the answer to the call and talent that I have received, and it gives me life.
Do you sell your paintings only in religious settings or in secular venues, as well?
I sell in both religious and secular venues. In secular venues, I may not explicitly mention God, but joy and hope is still a message for everyone. Everyone needs joy, hope and light. We need God, who is the source of these things, but these messages can still touch everyone.
https://www.ncregister.com/features/catholic-painter-everyone-needs-joy-hope-and-light
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Exhibition: Holy Spirit, Shaping Presence
By Bess Twiston-Davies, Sep 23rd, 2019
ICN
Holy Spirit - Shaping Presence is the theme of the art exhibition in the Colonnade of the Servite church of Our Lady of Dolours in Fulham west London. (…)
(...) Swirling layers of textured red paint have been used by Diana Durantel to create 'Come Holy Spirit' and 'Spirit of Fire'. A self-taught artist, Diana began to paint while studying Mathematics. "I needed colour as a sign of God," she said. "Painting is my way of expressing my thirst for God."
Before picking up a paintbrush, she prays to the Holy Spirit. "I try to paint God's presence and spirit in our hearts, which I see as a dance full of tenderness and consolation," Diana Durantel said during the launch of the exhibition on September 16th. (…)
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Lifting our spirits through the arts
On June 21, at the Church of the Holy Trinity in New York City, Rasaan Hakiem Bourke and Diana Durantel joined their artistic talents to offer a performance and exhibition, a delectable mix of visual beauty and auditory inspiration.
The Renaissance Chamber Collaborative, founded by Rasaan who is also the Artistic Director, held a recital last Saturday featuring the music of Mussorgsky, Gabrieli and Elgar. Rasaan played the organ which was beautifully accompanied by trumpets, tuba, trombone and a french horn. (…)
Paintings remind stained glass windows
The beautiful church of the Holy Trinity was also fitting to display
Diana’s artwork.
Seven acrylic on canvas paintings were on exhibition, all depicting the emotion linked to the Creation, the Holy Spirit and Hope in God.
“I would like my paintings to be a window revealing the joy, hope and life flowing from colorful Creation”, Diana explains. And, truly, her paintings communicate her hope, her joy and her faith in a God that created us and loves us immensely. (...)
Written by: Marilys Duteil (NY)
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Larchmont-Mamaroneck Patch Editor Stefani Kim - Larchmont-Mamaroneck Patch
Brilliance of Nature Informs Mamaroneck Artist's Work
- ByStefani Kim
- Email the author
- January 31, 2012
Although there are many analogies that can accurately describe the rigors of surviving life in a Communist society, Mamaroneck resident and local artist Diana Durantel states it more simply: colorless.
Growing up under Communist rule in Romania, Durantel was struck by the absence of color in the buildings, stores and clothing that surrounded her, the drab, grey facades echoing the constraints and lack of freedom offered by society. As a child, she nurtured an interest in painting, but the art available for viewing in her country often mirrored the darkness of the society at the time.
“Very early, painting was my way to express my desire for life and something better,” she said, continuing, “Nature and its color was the only sign of life for me.”
Durantel studied math at the University of Romania and Ecole Polytechnique in France, a background that informed the tendencies toward symmetry in her paintings, however, as an artist, she is entirely self-taught.
“The love for paint and color came naturally,” she said.
Traveling through Europe as a child was both awe-inspiring and fraught with tension, as leaving Romania was often difficult. Nevertheless, her trips abroad helped open her mind to another kind of life.
“The first time I went out of the country as a child, I saw a different world—full of colors” she said, her eyes lighting up.
Inspired most by the French Impressionists, Durantel’s works are saturated with swaths of blurred color, and focus primarily on the depiction of light and its many gradients of color. Her use of color is brilliant, dynamic and some might say reminiscent of the interplay of light through a stained glass panel.
“I paint not only for the subject but for the light and movement of color,” said Durantel, continuing, “Painting brings me life—I want to express life and hope from color and movement of color.”
Describing her current style as Abstract Impressionism, Durantel’s works are inspired by her optimism and faith, now living in a free society.
A mother of three, Durantel often paints in the early morning and late at night when her children are asleep. She described her pregnancy with her third child as the inspiration for one painting, aptly named “Storm and Life.”
But, it is words of Pierre-Auguste Renoir that perhaps describe most accurately Durantel’s philosophy: “To my mind a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful and pretty. Yes, pretty! There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is without creating still more of them.”
"Life's Bloom," a show of Durantel's paintings, will be on display at the Mamaroneck Public Library through Feb. 12 .
- ARTS
- Stefani Kim
- Tuesday, January 31, 2012
- Larchmont-Mamaroneck Patch
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