Exploring the Fictional Landscapes of Philip Govedare’s Paintings

2024-03-05

Philip Govedare crafts oil paintings that mimic aerial landscapes, blending natural and man-made features.
The artist is a dedicated educator, teaching painting and drawing at the University of Washington.
An exhibition of Govedare’s latest works is scheduled for June 2024 at Seattle’s Winston Wätcher Fine Art.

At first view, the works of Philip Govedare seem to be traditional photos of landscapes made from an aircraft. However, if to look closer, it can be seen that those are not photos but rather well-carried-out oil paintings. Visually interesting, the paintings represent natural geographical features and man-made interventions on Earth.

But inspired by faraway western landscapes, Govedare’s work was never of a single place. He only based his art on memory, observation, and imagination in formulating a powerful and evocative landscape. He can evoke the mood through the description of different weathers and lighting, even the geological formations.

Exploring the Fictional Landscapes of Philip Govedare's Paintings

“So, while my paintings might raise some questions about our part in nature and, yes, the changing [or destroying] of the earth’s surface and biosphere, above all, they are an affirmation of the beauty and mystery existing in the natural world,” Govedare tells My Modern Met. “I hope my work proves thought-provoking on the theme of our place as integral beings to that of nature and apprises all that is mysterious and transcendent in the world we inhabit.

Govedare is also an artist-teacher and an artist-researcher on the subject of nature. In this respect, his oil paintings almost act as an answer to its state, while at the same time issuing an imperative for the celebration of beauty and an imperative for armed struggle in the future.

This coming June 2024, Winston Wätcher Fine Art at Seattle will be presenting a range of Govedare’s paintings for his solo exhibition.
Artist Philip Govedare creates stunning oil paintings showing fictional landscapes from an aerial perspective.