Jun 1, 2017

Meet Bárbara Moura: Klimt Alumn Living In The Digital Era

Artist: Bárbara Moura

Age: 27

Born in: Lisbon, Portugal

Based in: Vienna

About your artwork:

My illustration's themes usually revolve around feminism, sexuality, world problems

or emotional struggles, often personalized in the form of self-portraits.

I see your work and I’m thinking an ironic Klimt meets the digital era– while still being completely original. Who/what has been the biggest influence & inspiration behind your work?

Haha yes, I hear that quite often, I think Klimt represents a breakthrough in expressing female sensuality, so maybe I don’t mind at all! I can get inspired by literally everything. But as far as influences go I think the pre-raphaelites, the art of the turn of the XX century, victorian illustration, Art Nouveau. Harry Clarke, Aubrey Beardsley, W. Heath Robinson, Francis Bacon’s use of color. Erotic art, poetry, music... I could keep going!

“I use symbology associated with mysticism, occultism, alchemy and astrology”

Artists are some of the most politically/socially engaged people. Do you find yourself actively supporting a particular movement or cause?

Through my drawings I actively try to portray two "spectrums"; the flaws and the fails, as I like to call it.

The ‘flaws’ belong to the individual core of being human, and often mean emotional or behavioral flaws that we all have, so I think I try as much as possible to create drawings that are not judgemental when it comes to these subjects.

On the other hand, I try to make drawings that represent ‘fails’, as a more universal or collective of things and circumstances that happen around us, and therefore much more political and judgemental, such as when we talk about human rights, lgbtq, racism, feminism and so on.

Your work is heavy with symbolism. What are some of the main themes you work with?

Yes indeed it is, I’ve always been very drawn to symbolism and always found very interesting to appropriate it for metaphors or hidden meanings. It is very common that I use symbology associated with mysticism, occultism, alchemy and astrology.•