Barvava Aimilia Gerodimou (Greece)

Chess Game/2013/oil on canvas/141cm×189cm

Appreciation: Xiangqi, or Chinese Chess originated from Asia (India or China) and was introduced to Europe through Persia and Arabia. After modifications of the Europeans, (the most powerful piece is the queen), it has become a popular international game. The International Chess epitomizes the history of cultural exchange between the east and west, turning fierce wars between armies into competitions of wisdom between masters. Chess players are very keen on playing chess as its symbolic significance and its uncertainty. There is only one female figure, a European woman (who is the very image of the painter herself ) in the oil painting Chess Game by a Greek female artist Barvava Aimilia Gerodimou. The female figure sitting beside the chessboard is deep in thoughts and the black set on her side is close to win. The spacious and plain background and the harmonious hue result in a sense of fantasy and a dreamlike feeling.

Barvava Aimilia Gerodimou was born in Poland in 1959. She is a member of the InternationalAssociation of Art. She has held 8 solo exhibitions and participated in morethan 40 group exhibitions worldwide during her career. She has participated inthe 4th Beijing Biennale, 2010 and Olympic Fine Arts, Beijing, 2008.