Inspired by Greek Mythology: Meet Artist Petra Baral

The Visions

Multi-modal artist Petra Baral was born and raised in Germany. She has been honing her style of painting since 1984, when she studied art and graphic design at Freie Kunstschule. Inspired by her own life – love, people and religion, as well as the stories and themes in Greek mythology, Petra creates vibrant pieces to reflect these influences.

Her process starts with the written word, it is only then the painting forms itself in her head. Typically she writes down her thoughts in short aphorisms or poems. The stories that Petra writes are not only based on her thoughts but also the aforementioned mythology, as well as other notable literary pieces. For example, aspects of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare are also found in the story of Amor and Psyche. The universal themes found in these words are then used as inspiration for Petra’s compositions.

Petra’s background in graphic design is evident in her work, where geometric shapes and lines play a prominent role. Her passion for colours give Petra’s paintings a positive outlook. It helps her stay connected to faith and hope, even when she paints painful experiences or gruesome stories.

Much like history, art and the many stories of humanity don’t reinvent themselves. As Petra explains, “they repeat themselves, just with different starring roles”. Her art reflects the contrast of styles, where there is light, there is also darkness and shadows. Her figures are often abstract shapes and most of the time only partially shown or separated by lines.

Her paintings also embody metaphors like colours and symbols. Recognizing the versatility of different media, canvas is not the only form Petra uses in her art. She also enjoys creating works on paper, and sculpting with clay and porcelain, which are also part of her practice and an extension of her creative process. For Petra the experimentation never stops. That is why she also experiment with various styles of painting to help her further evolve as an artist.

Petra’s wide variety of works can be seen on her website and her social media pages on Instagram and Twitter.

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