Artist to Know: Anahid Ypres - Inside Art with Michael Rose

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Michael Rose, Art Contributor

 

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PHOTO: Michael Rose

 

There are many painters in Rhode Island, a fact that makes it difficult for singular voices to set themselves apart. For artist Anahid Ypres, whose studio at the edge of College Hill is busy with activity, colorful and complex paintings speak for themselves and are evidence of the artist’s unique skill and vision. Her work sets her apart from her contemporaries and makes her one of the area’s most compelling and noteworthy painters.

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Anahid Ypres was born to Armenian parents in Iran in 1984. She returned to Armenia in her teenage years and attended Panos Terlemezyan State Academy of Fine Arts in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. Ypres has traveled extensively, including a stint in France where she met her husband, an architect. Together the couple now resides in Rhode Island with their three children and Ypres maintains an active studio in the historic John and William Russell House at 118 North Main Street in Providence.

 

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Vivid and lyrical, Ypres’ paintings touch on subjects ranging from landscapes and the figure to abstracted still lifes. Her work tends to be ambitious in scale and the underlying geometry and structure of her compositions recalls painters of the early twentieth century. She has exhibited widely, and recently participated in the National Prize Show at the Cambridge Art Association as well as a group exhibition at Gallery Z in Warwick. In the fall she participated in The Other Art Fair’s outposts in Brooklyn as well as on the West Coast, bringing the art made in her Rhode Island studio to audiences across the country.

 

Ypres’ work has a directness about it. When painting, she applies pigment directly to the canvas, typically avoiding the lengthy planning stages, studies, or sketches that others might employ when creating such large and complex paintings. Asked about her process, the artist says, “I like to be spontaneous when painting. Being spontaneous brings my work closer to me, makes it intimate, helps me to not overthink or overwork it, and doesn't apply filters between the process. I often sit and stare at my canvas before starting in order to compose directly on the surface and often add details along the way.”

 

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The artworks that populate Ypres’ East Side studio are vibrant, seemingly alive with color. In one recent still life a deep purple background sets off imagined foliage executed in pinks, blues, and greens. In a figurative work nearby, blacks and reds accentuate the languid form of a model. Carefully chosen tones subtly bounce off one another, making for lively images.

 

Speaking about the theory behind her use of color, Ypres states, “I am not using the academic light and shadow in my paintings and my shapes are fairly flat so the color combinations are used to give depth and sometimes perspective to the composition. I mix my own colors and have a few shades of each pigment ready. Having them prepared allows me to be even more spontaneous in my choices.”

 

Beyond color, there are strong compositional foundations at play in Ypres’ work. Line, design, and finely calculated structure give her paintings a feeling of balance. While her work often focuses on the formal aspects of painting, she has also created images that evoke Armenian mythology and which meld figures, landscapes, and imagined forms into wholly new scenes. Ypres is a versatile artist, but one whose oeuvre bears her clear voice.

 

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Although Ypres creates paintings that are sumptuous and which often jump off their canvases, she is a quiet artist whose primary focus is on creating work. She uses her art to connect. Speaking of what she hopes viewers take away from her paintings, Ypres says,  “I am hoping to touch people's hearts. The whole process of creating intimate paintings should help connect the viewer and the artist at first sight, to get them to enter my world without any complex barriers. I see art as my key as a reserved artist to express and open myself to the rest of the world, not necessarily to be seen but to be understood and felt.”

 

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In looking at her paintings, viewers will come to learn more about Ypres’ considerable talents. But more importantly, they will also find opportunities to look closely and to find aesthetic connections that are a joy to experience.

 

Anahid Ypres’ studio is located at 118 North Main Street Unit 6 in Providence. She is at the studio most days and arranges visits by appointment. For more information on her work, visit www.anahidypres.com.

Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.

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