Artist: Carmen Belean

Adrian Sutton Gallery presents Ballads of Water and Earth, an exhibition of paintings and watercolours by Romanian artist Carmen Belean. This represents the artist’s first solo show with the gallery.

The series of paintings and watercolors in this exhibition, drawn from Belean’s photographic studies of Greek resorts, unveil lush green gardens and turquoise pools inhabited by one or two female figures bathing gracefully like river deities or strolling through palm-lined paths. The landscapes seem enclosed yet boundless, and the subjects appear to blend seamlessly into the natural backdrop. Here, solitude does not become withdrawal from the world, but manifests itself as a sanctuary in which women can thrive in peaceful harmony with nature, free from external scrutiny. A recurring motif in Belean’s work, the private garden becomes a metaphor for feminine autonomy. Through this motif, she subtly critiques societal constraints, reclaiming gendered spaces in art history as sites of creative sovereignty and empowerment.

Unlike contemporary artists who inspired her pool compositions - such as David Hockney, Eric Fischl, or Caroline Walker - Belean does not position herself as a detached observer but rather immerses herself within her works, merging her identity with the earth and the water.

Reflecting on her artistic practice, Carmen Belean articulates her deep connection to the poetic vision of William Blake: “I want to think that my works on paper, especially, are like ‘songs’ or ‘poems,’ and the term ‘innocence’ is more like a synonym for nature... I want to bring this connection with nature, a kind of idyllic pantheism through my work.” Blake’s pantheistic sensibility subtly reverberates through Belean’s work. Though not a strict pantheist, Blake perceived nature as a divine revelation, a realm where the material and spiritual converge:

”To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.”

In a similar spirit, Belean transforms the landscape into a space of mystical introspection. Nature in her work is not a passive backdrop but a living, breathing force that shapes both emotional and philosophical depth. Infused with Romantic cues, her watercolors unfold as lyrical meditations on the connection between nature and self, portraying the feminine subjects as suspended in time. Their presence, both ethereal and resilient, merges seamlessly into the natural world. Their solitude is not isolation but self-reflection, imbued with quiet tenderness and poise. This is the place where innocence and experience do not stand in opposition but intertwine.

Text by Luana Hildebrandt