Palla Jeroff

Palla Jeroff Biography

Born Urumqi Xinjiang China, 1957

 

Palla Jeroff is a highly accomplished painter originally from Urumqi, Xinjiang, who has been living and working in Australia for more than 30 years. The remarkable juxtapositon of his place of origin and his deep understanding of the landscape makes him well equiped to best capture Australia’s unique topography. Palla's work hangs in major international collections including the Guangdong Museum in China. Artist Background Palla Jeroff was born in Urumqi, Xinjiang in 1957. At the age of 17, the Chinese Government selected him to continue his studies of oil painting and drawing at the University of Xi’an. After his graduation, Palla engaged in artistic teaching and research for many years and has exhibited extensively in China and Australia. He recalls thinking of a “better tomorrow” when he decided to move to Australia, but at the beginning, his life was not much easier than what he left behind. He remembers taking his portfolio to a graphic design company, where he got rejected right away with reimbursement of his journey and the words: “You are too good of an artist for us to hire you in good conscience. Don’t waste your talents, go and develop your artistic practice.” Palla looks back to this moment fondly, as it gave him an initial push that he needed to fully focus on art, no matter the struggle. He says moments like these taught him the importance of persistence, and he still retains this quality to this day. Unsurprisingly, since arriving in Australia in 1985, Palla has gained exceptional success and recognition for his paintings both nationally and internationally. He has been invited to exhibit all over the world including China, Germany, France, China and the United States of America. After a highly successful exhibition in 1998 at the acclaimed Guangzhou International Art Fair, representatives of the Guangdong Museum of Art visited Sydney to choose one of his works for the Museum’s permanent collection - one of the most prestigious in the world. Jeroff’s international recognition naturally stimulated a substantial demand for his artwork, and it is now on display in the collections of many important galleries, including the Wentworth Galleries in Sydney. Technique and Style Palla Jeroff’s remarkable ability to illustrate the Australian vistas undoubtedly stems from him growing up in Xinjiang, a province that contains the Taklamakan desert. Someone once told him that it is obvious by looking at his artwork that Palla didn’t grow up in a big city. Without truly understanding the lifestyle of people living close to the desert, he would not possibly be able to paint the vast nature of the barren lands so truthfully. The great diversity of Palla’s work reflects in his ability to use different media, such as watercolour, acrylic and oils. Palla was a pioneer of using thick, textural impasto paint. He is known for his use of colour, sometimes paired back and sparse, often wonderful rich colours both of which, in the right hands, can be used to capture the spirit of the Australian landscape. He has always been interested in the “uncertainty of art”, or the lack of need for overly realistic expression. This is especially obvious in his figurative works, where he gives little attention to the details of the face, or simply paints his subjects from the back. He attributes this to the Chinese saying that an artwork should be true to life, but also imaginary at the same time. If it is too concrete, it turns out kitschy. If it is too untrue, it is only deceiving the public. Following this philosophy, Palla creates landscapes that are effortlessly charming and realistic, but they do not pose as perfect depiction at all.  Instead, Palla doesn't shy away from chuncky layers of paint, which nonchalantly layers and lets drip or smudge.  He often uses the contrast between flatness reminiscent of the swift and composed strokes of Chinese calligraphy, and the plasticity of the rich pigment of Australian soil. This way, he achieves exceptional depth, without being excessively heavy. The resulting dynamic paintings are a true celebration of vigour and vitality, where spirit collides with the physical world. However, Palla ventures out further into a multisensory territory. His daring colour play almost makes you feel the temperature of the paintings, be it the scorching heat before the end of the day, or a piercing chill before the sun starts warming up the vast landscape. His creations make sombre greyscale meet satisfying earthy tones, refreshing lavender and yellow peek out from underneath the moody grey, hot orange shakes hands with icy blue. The paintings are intense but calm and effortless, yet it is clear that the paint has been applied with great skill and great care. Why Collect? Palla Jeroff has adopted Australia as his country and infused the art of his origin with the flavour of this new land. He was able to do it so well that he has become one of the few artists that can faithfully depict the Australian landscape while maintaining a unique style all his own. That, together with his classical training makes for a unique, yet organic combination that is worthy of its international recognition.


 

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