AGAC Top 25 Finalist - Nikita Kask - Girl with the Pearl Earring

Top 25 Finalist in the AGAC 2023

- Artist: Nikita Kask

- Name: Girl with the Pearl Earring

- Size:  395 mm x 500 mm 

- Medium: Oil on Canvas

- Framed

- Price: R8,840

Nicolette is a young South African artist and sculptor, and she has been awarded as a Top 25 Finalist in the ARTi Gallery Art Competition 2023!  

About this piece: 

What inspired me: After a few years of developing my art skills, I fell in love with creating artworks such as realistic portraits because of how the facial expressions speak to you and tells a unique story. That is why I decided to recreate the mysterious "Girl with a Pearl Earring". The girl who is being portrayed in my artwork, is a Thai girl named Lalisa Manobal, from the famous K-pop group, "Blackpink".

She is wearing a beautiful traditional Thai crown, also known as a Makuta. The meaning of my painting is that the girl isn't afraid to express herself or her culture and confidently wears her crown, and it contrasts to the original painting because the true identity of "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is unknown and mysterious.

About the Artist: 

My name is Nikita Kask and I am 14 years old. I've been interested in art and being creative since a very young age. I've tried multiple hobbies, but nothing ever surpassed my love for art. I've been to art classes before, but I am mostly self-taught. I enjoy trying out as many different art styles and mediums as possible to develop and discover my art skills.

I've always had a love for realistic art, because whether it's a face, an animal, or a nature scene, the artwork speaks to you and doesn't even need to be explained or have a meaning. Some of the mediums that I use are charcoal, graphite, pens, watercolour and oil.

My passion for art started growing since I was 12, and during that time I've received some certificates from small-scale art competitions, one of which was a competition between high school students, the GMMDC National "MathArt" Competition 2023, where I achieved Gold in the grade 8 category. Only about 2 months after the competition, I discovered ArtiGallery's Art Competition.

Even though I had only painted one oil painting before and knew that a month would be difficult for me to start and complete an entire portrait (since I was also juggling school), I knew that art was going to be a main part of my future. It was an opportunity that couldn't be missed.

Achieving in ArtiGallery's competition gave me new inspiration and opened a door to my future. I will continue to discover, create, and enjoy my passion for art for many years to come, and I want to grow my profile as an artist.