Leila Ataya is a Russian-born artist who paints surrealist art works with acrylic paint. Ataya’s paintings have a strong feminine, sensual and sexual elements, represented by feminine subjects and symbols. Cats, butterflies and fruit often appear in her art, subjects that are often associated with women and femininity. Cats are also a spiritual symbol who represent mystery and mysticism. Butterflies are a symbol of change and rebirth. Fruit is a symbol of fertility and plenty, and while apples are associated with women, strawberries have a phallic resemblance and are therefore most often used as a symbol of male sexuality.
Ataya uses nude women as subjects in many of her paintings, exaggerating the physical aspects that are considered beautiful by modern standards. The resulting girls are incredibly thin, almost anorexic, the way that many supermodels are. They have enormous, expressive eyes and voluptuous hair styles. The addition of surreal characters and creatures frolicking in the background gives the finished art work a mystical, magical appeal.
Leila Ataya has exhibited her paintings in dozens of galleries and shows alongside other modern surrealism painters like Brandt Peters, who’s artistic style shares similarities to the cartoonish nature of Ataya’s works. For more info about this artist and to see more of her paintings, visit Leila Ataya at her online art gallery.
