Marketa Sivek By: Kelly Griffin
Marketa SIvek was born in Vsetin, Moravia (Czechoslovakia) on May 15th, 1969, where she grew up under communist rule. She was accepted to Charles University in Prague to study Archival Science. After fall of communism, Marketa immigrated to United States where she became a self-taught artist living and working in Chicago. Her art is represented by galleries in Chicago, St Louis, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Marketa’s work is part of many corporate and private collections, among them being Deloitte, American Restaurant Association, and the private collection of Tom Hamilton of the band Aerosmith. Her work has been featured in Chicago Home magazine, CS Interiors, ELLE Decor, as well as on the Rachael Ray Show, and I-90 North.
She enjoys spending her time traveling to distant destinations in search of an understanding of the visual representations of inner and outer experiences. To her, Marketa’s painting series are a “constant evolution of the growth of feelings and sensations”. She hopes her paintings will enhance the emotional aesthetic that color and texture bring to one's life.
:
Arabesque Series: Made while listening to the '24 Preludes and Fugues' of Dmitri Shostakovich. The playfulness and spontaneity of the music, as well as its forcefulness and straightforwardness are shown.
“Unintentionally, and without much effort, the music was transformed onto the canvas in lines, forms and colors that floated around freely, without the forced intentions one's brain can produce sometimes.”
Red Balls Series: About stillness and movement coexisting. The thought that something is going to happenif you wait and look long enough is shown. The balls could change positions unexpectedly or fall from the canvas but there’s a sense of unity- one circle cannot function without the other.
Crooked Squares Series: About the interplay of colors. Some of the colors are hidden and some are lurking underneath darker shades. The painting's balance and its complimentary interactions create the sense that the squares are alive.
Numerous Series of Landscapes:
Lesson Plans:
1. Series: Have the students create a series of paintings. The student will pursue an idea and push it to see how far it will go by trying out different variations. The paintings must be similar or related by color, subject matter etc.
2. Landscape: Marketa has three different landscape series. Have the students choose one of the three and make their own landscape paintings inspired by Marketa’s work.
3. Music and Painting: Marketa was inspired by a song to make her Arabesque series. Have the students choose a song and try to display their emotion by painting how they feel.
Test Questions:
1. Where is Marketa Sivek originally from? Why do you think she chose to immigrate to the United States during that time?
2. Where are some places that Marketa’s work has been featured?
3. Why does Marketa enjoy traveling to different locations so much?
4. What does Marketa hope her audience gains from her paintings?
5. What was Marketa doing when she started painting her Arabesque series?
6. What is the theme of Marketa’s Red Balls series?
Contact Marketa Sivek:
Email:
Gallery Address:Flat Iron Arts Building
1579 N. Milwaukee Ave. Suite #230
Chicago, IL 60622
References:
Sivek, M. (2010).Marketa sivek. Retrieved April 15, 2010 from
http://www.marketasivek.com.