BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Bangkok Post – Thailand
Jun 22, 2006

One of the most prolific, and commercially successful, artists in
Bangkok is Danish-Armenian Elizabeth Romhild.

Since 1996, she has been staging exhibitions here almost every year,
her most recent being "Cynosure" at H Gallery; and for this Romhild
has taken a step in a new direction: She has juxtaposed a recurring
motif in her work – sensual ladies in a vivid livery of oils who
emanate the power and joy of womanhood – with images of wild animals
from the African continent.

Her Savannah series comprises three double-panelled paintings depicting
a gnu, a lion and an elephant in tandem with hypnotically compelling
African women in exotic costumes (or scarcely any) and magnificent
headgear. The beasts seem tame by comparison.

The series proved an instant success and was quickly sold, with
Savannah I going to a certain Thai gentleman, and Savannah II and
Savannah III to a collector in Singapore.

"I really enjoyed working on the three Savannah diptychs, which were
inspired by our Kenya safari trip last April," the artist remarked.

"I’ve played with the resemblance between the female and animal
heads. I also find there’s a strong contact between them.

"The buffalo being the most dangerous animal in Africa, despite being
vegetarian they tend to kill just for the sake of it, and the proud and
powerful Masai warrior woman is fearless." In this painting Romhild has
contrasted the woman’s curly hairdo with the buffalo’s curled horns.

"The lion, proud of his mane, and the woman, with her turban and that
proud look in her eyes, also resemble each other.

"The medicine woman’s headdress and the elephant’s ears are aligned
in the way they seem to move together."

"Cynosure" was on view for one day only. Afterwards the exhibits
were immediately packed away for air-freighting to Denmark where
Romhild opened her "Temptress" exhibition at the Galerie Knud Grothe
Charlottenlund in Copenhagen on June 17.