Helenna Jouja Original Paintings

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One of my earlier attempts to test myself if I could do a replica of a work of a master.  I did 2 paintings of this at the same time. One is long gone and I keep the other to beautify my home. In the end, I was surprised I could paint it and also learned and discovered the brush strokes of “Pierre Auguste Cot (February 17, 1837 - July 1883), who was a French painter of the Academic Classicism school. He was born in Bédarieux, and initially studied at l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse before going to Paris. He studied under Leon Cogniet, Alexandre Cabanel and William-Adolphe Bouguereau. From the 1870s, his popularity grew quickly. In 1874 he was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. He created several works of lasting popularity, including Le Printemps, featuring two young lovers sitting upon a swing, and The Storm. Both these paintings are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City; The Storm belongs to the museum while Le Printemps is owned privately.)

Cot also was renowned for his portraits, which made up the majority of his work. The more enduring figurative work, such as The Storm, is comparatively rare.” (From Wikipedia)

“Jeunes filles au piano” (English: Young Girls at the Piano,) acrylic and oil-on-canvas. 110x90cm. Replica In progress.

See my next painting in the style of Renoir, in combination with my own style, in Milan on October 17, 2019 for the Renoir Award 2019, with my bff, international artist Jemilly Velasco. 

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, is a French artist, a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style.

Helenna Jouja received a Renoir Award given by MADS Milano in Italy, 2019

One of my earliest attempts to paint a replica of great masters of the past. 

I didn’t actually copy the original face of the woman in this painting because I thought why I should paint an unknown face in our time, I might as well paint the face of Marlyn Monroe instead of hers.  I painted two copies of this at the same time. One is long gone and the other I used to beautify my home. 

It’s such a challenge to paint a replica rather than coming up with an original work. In painting replicas, you need to focus on copying nanometer by nanometer, otherwise you will not get it and the critics are on you trying to bully you that it doesn’t look the same as the original.  However, I accept the challenge, but I need a much longer time to produce a high quality replica. It’s only a matter of time, and interest, and demand, and I can already do it, but is it worth my time? Maybe for you it’s not, but for me, it helps me to develop my skill in painting and going beyond my capabilities as an artist is such a challenge and I love it!

The original artist of this painting was Frédéric Soulacroix (1858 - 1933), who was a French-Italian painter and was born to well-know fresco painters and sculptors. Charles Soulacroix and Giacinta Diofebo. By the age of 15 years, in 1873, Frédéric entered the Accademia di Belle Arti of Florence, and, in October 1876, he was admitted to its School of Painting. He remained in Florence for many years painting often romantic genre pieces in costume of the 18th or early 19th centuries. Among his works were Diritto di pedaggio; A declaration of Love; A Goodbye; Il brindisi; Per le scale; The message; L'ultimo sguardo; Una confidenza flìrtation; Une incroyable; Buone nuove; Cattive nuove; Leaving for the War; La leggitrìce; and Il regalo dell'amante nel giorno natalizio.

His works can be seen at the Museum of Arts of Philadelphia and at the Lord Mayor collection Mansion House in London. (From Wikipedia)

I will continue painting this replica of the male Mona Lisa of Leonardo da Vinci after 3 years, because i should not be better than the master, that’s the law, lol 😉 I was actually getting scared painting this in my studio so I stopped it and hid it because it was already looking real not a painting anymore, so alive like it’s haunting me, seriously. And it’s not even finished yet. I think if the original Male Mona Lisa remained untouched and unrestored, this would be how the original painting of da Vinci would look like. ;) so real like the enigmatic smile of Mona Lisa,  a crooked nose, as he described how Jesus would be. Because the mysterious enigmatic smile is missing in the US$450M Male Mona Lisa sold at the Christie’s Auction, even if it looks photo realistic, it doesn’t have an effect on me, unlike when I saw Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa at the Louvre, of course in person. I was so impressed because it created a different impression on me, an unforgettable experience of optical illusion. It was smiling and smearing at me, like she’s mocking me. I have never seen such a painting like that, all other paintings of the old dead masters are maybe of high quality but it‘s missing a lifelike illusion. This one from da Vinci is one of the best paintings I have ever seen in person in different museums in different cities in the world. I am suspecting, maybe the Male Mona Lisa sold at the auction has been retouched or restored too much or it’s a hoax :D I think i will repaint this not as a replica anymore but my own interpretation of how da Vinci would really paint this to look like a real Male Mona Lisa.re

„The Arch of Chase“ by Helenna Jouja, a Filipina Canadian international modern artist in Europe, is a playful combination of the widely known iconic painting „The Scream“ by Edvard Munch (1963-1944) and her own story of the painting in cooperation with her art gallerist Hubert Thurnhofer of Kunstraum (art gallery) in the Ringstraßen Galerien in Vienna, Austria, Europe. In this painting Helenna Jouja made some radical transformation of „The Scream“ making the controversial character of “The Scream” have a distinctive figure of a young woman, referring her as the Statue of Scream, turning her into an important figure of the past like what is usually displayed in a museum; and adjusting its color and images to fit her new story that whoever touched the flower of the Goddess of the Arch of Chase would forever chase the first one he sees. Replicating the colorful sunset of Munch, Helenna Jouja was able to match her own idea of sunset to fit that of Munch‘s, while the rest of the characters showed different emotions after touching the flower of the Goddess of Chase. 😀 

Original painting of Helenna Jouja with the replica of Egon Schiele in a shirt and his painting of a woman, the one who is being kicked in the photo.

The story: Helenna travelled to Paris in search of her true love! There she was badly hurt- rejected, mocked, heartbroken! She complained, „why do men act like heartless statues?“ „Do you have to touch them to feel that they also love you?“ „ Will there ever be someone who will love you back?“  The story of a Beautiful Painter, Helenna Jouja. Unforgettable romance at „the Chaser’s Park.“

Original painting of Helenna Jouja with the replica of Egon Schiele‘s painting of a woman, the one who is being kicked in the photo.

The story: Helenna travelled to Paris in search of her true love! There she was badly hurt- rejected, mocked, heartbroken! She complained, „why do men act like heartless statues?“ „Do you have to touch them to feel that they also love you?“ „ Will there ever be someone who will love you back?“  The story of a Beautiful Painter, Helenna Jouja. Unforgettable romance at „the Chaser’s Park.“