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Jenine Killebrew

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Aug 3, 2024, 5:53:05 PM8/3/24

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My foray into the world of fine arts and painting began as a child growing up in a culturally rich family in Kolkata in North Eastern India. It all began when my parents enrolled me in a pre-school that taught various art forms including dance and music, working with clay and drawing and painting. My mother recognized my love for drawing and painting and began to have me enter child art competitions, encouraged when I received occasional gifts as prizes from family and friends. I continued to draw and paint thereafter.

When I was ten years old, I was selected as one of the top prize winners in a nationally advertised coloring contest hosted by the Unilever corporation. The competition was judged on an all-India level by an eminent panel of jury members, with the winners announced in the national media of the time. The following year, a group of my drawings and watercolor paintings were exhibited at a Birla Academy of Arts and Culture within the city, where I was awarded a trophy for one of my selected entries during the opening reception. Early successes such as these led to my deciding to choose Art as my major in college. I graduated with a BA in Fine Arts at Stella Maris College, Chennai, India. Later, I pursued further education as an emigrant in the United States where I have continued to exhibit my work, teach art classes, workshops and public demos of my work processes.

While I was completing a second Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I went on a summer study abroad trip to Paris, France in 1992. I had begun to move away from representational art at that point. While in Paris, I was influenced by the works of the Abstract Impressionists who focused on portraying mental emotions rather than what was visible and obvious. I began to think of portraying happiness, an emotion of the mind onto two-dimensional surfaces such as canvases, using cheerful colors and glowing textural materials aiming to evoke joy for myself as well my audiences through exhibitions. My work was received well during shows on Broadway, New York City from the mid-1990s, and reviewed in some publications including Manhattan Arts Magazine. Soon my art entered the online realm in 1999, and several of my early works began getting acquired through a newly established gallery of the time period.

Artists do have the additional challenge of making a living through financial success, and I am no exception. As an emigrant woman artist, I was initially hesitant, held no expectations. However, I did believe that in order to face obstacles and challenges, one had to be patient and persistent, and create a unique message and to foster a meaningful exchange. So I chose a universal goal and hope such as happiness for my subject, which led to a series of ongoing thematic paintings on this topic. Although portraying happiness is an abstract concept, I found the challenge to be exciting.

I look for inspirations from the constantly evolving four seasons and changing flora and my passion for gardening, the sensory impact and love of music, the colorful costumes and festivals, Hindu philosophy, and significant movies reminiscent of my native India, borrowing from influences of growing up in a different culture and utilizing the experience to develop my individualistic artistic style and approach. Yet as art is basically subjective, meaning that it is difficult to convey an abstract concept, I have sought to put my work in the public realm through which I have received feedback, fortunately positive responses.

A memorable and serendipitous moment came via a contact from MGM Resorts International, noticing a couple of my paintings on a website in 2004 with a request to recreate those pieces in large dimensions bearing my signature. The completed acrylic and mixed media paintings in dimensions of 6 ft. X 4 ft each were installed inside the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. My art being featured in a famed location such as the Bellagio brough wide recognition for me and my art and an immense feeling of achievement for me that early in my career.

It is indeed a challenge to combine creating, teaching, promoting art, and balancing work and family. A supportive family such as mine helps, even as I am the only artist in my immediate and extended family.

As an academically trained artist, I was able to draw on my education regarding major art movements such as Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism. Studio art helped me utilize my knowledge to build on my own experience and create a unique style of work and future direction. In my opinion, even if a work of art is abstract it needs to be able to relate in a meaningful way, and indeed knowledge of art history has helped me shape my creativity and vision in a constructive and acceptable manner.

I constantly stay in touch with books and new publications. Being active on social media helps me share my work and receive feedback. I also visit virtual art exhibitions and museum exhibits on a daily basis even when I am not able to physically visit museums as frequently. I also exhibit my work regularly, as incentive to create new work. Recently a new painting that I created for an exhibition was raffled as a donation to the Norcross Gallery and Studios in the Atlanta area, where I also teach classes in painting.

I aspire and hope to continue painting and exhibiting both within the US and abroad as long as possible, and share my work to a local and international audience. Since my art has received exposure through the media.

With its extensive programme of public events in Florence, Berlin and elsewhere, the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz sees itself as a forum for lively, international and interdisciplinary academic exchange. The Institute makes its research findings accessible to the public in exhibitions and publications. Through calls for papers, research fellowships and job opportunities, it aims to promote collaboration with academics from around the world.

With its programme of events and exhibitions, the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz sees itself as a forum for academic exchange. Through its calls for papers, fellowships and job opportunities, it aims to foster academic collaboration.

The Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz understands itself as a laboratory of basic research in art history in dialogue with other disciplines. Founded in 1897, it has been an institute of the Max Planck Society since 2002. Its research is dedicated to the histories of art and architecture in a transcultural and global perspective, with a focus on Italy, Europe and the Mediterranean. The institute is particularly committed to supporting young scholars, while its renowned library and Photothek are open to the international community of researchers.

The Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz issues a range of individual and serial publications, through which it makes its research findings accessible to the public. The Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorischen Institutes in Florenz is one of the oldest and most prestigious art-historical journals worldwide. Research reports provide information about the Institute's activities and about the academic projects of its staff and fellows.

The Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz issues a range of individual and serial publications, as well as a specialist journal and research reports, through which it makes its research findings accessible to the public.

In its function as archive and work tool, the Library, with its collections and working conditions, forms the most important basis of academic study for members of the Institute and guests. Both historical and current specialist literature from various disciplines is available for consultation by an international community of researchers. With its elaborate cataloguing and indexing system, the Library also makes a significant contribution towards assuring the quality of the research conducted at the institute.

In its function as archive and work tool, the Library with its collections forms the most important basis of academic study. Both historical and current specialist literature is available for consultation.

The Photothek is one of the most important collections of documentary photographs of Italian art and architecture. As a research facility and laboratory, it plays a leading role in the international and transdisciplinary debate on the function of photo archives in 21st-century research and societies. Its daily tasks, such as photo campaigns, cataloguing and digitization, are inseparably linked with its scholarly activities. With its projects, conferences, workshops and publications, the Photothek makes an active contribution to the academic life of the Institute.

The Photothek is one of the most important collections of documentary photographs of Italian art. As a research laboratory, it contributes to the international and transdisciplinary debate on the role of photo archives in the 21st century.