Janet Lynch

Janet Lynch – Aphrodite 

“This exhibition partly grew out of a visit to Paphos in Cyprus , the mythical birth place of the goddess Aphrodite . Here I discovered that the cult of Aphrodite had been prevalent since the dawn of time and that far from there being only one Aphrodite, she took on different forms at different times , all of them in total contrast with the soft compliant beauty that the Botticelli Birth of Venus has ingrained into our culture.
She was of course beautiful but also powerful, vengeful, and capricious. She chose her lovers at will and changed the fortunes of whole countries when she felt like it.
Looking at the modern inhabitants of Paphos, I felt her legacy was everywhere. I saw strong beautiful energetic women some whom I have depicted in this exhibition. Other significant mythological female figures are also represented .
In addition, a different hero, sister Plautilla Nelli the first great woman renaissance painter has had a great influence on my work for this show.
She depicted beauty and empathy with the device of tears running down the faces of her subjects , showing the depth of their emotion. For me too the most vital quality of a work of art is that it should be moving.
These Icons seem to chime with the resurgence of female empowerment happening today. This exhibition is an artistic celebration of that change.”

Janet Lynch lives and works in West Cornwall. She studied at St. Martins School of Art and then later returned to art eduction at Hornsey College after taking time out to raise her family. She has had a prestigious career to date including solo exhibitions at White Space Gallery, Islington Arts Factory and Lauderdale House in London. Her work has also been featured in group exhibitions at a wide variety of locations including The Barbican, Royal Academy Summer Show, Beardsmore Gallery and the Hyde Park Gallery in London and most recently she has just had two paintings selected for the Discerning Eye exhibition at Mall Galleries, London 2019.