Veronika Benoni

Veronika liked painting from her childhood. On taking the decision to become an artist she appreciated that this would require a lot of long and hard study but Veronika was greatly supported in her intention by her grandpa - an architect. Memories from her childhood connected with the painting and conversations with her grandfather remain the strongest influence on her life. She studied at the College of Arts in Leningrad and graduated from the college but continued her studies attending the classes at the USSR Academy of Arts. During one of her summer vacations, which she tried to spend at home near the seaside, she met Ulian Benoni. Their interests coincided and they turned to jewellery art for some time as silver-smiths, where jewellery pieces designed by Veronica and Ulian were bestsellers in Moscow and Leningrad jewellery stores. The renowned Central House of Artists in Moscow exhibited their work. The political instability of the then Soviet Union led them to Prague where they settled in 1994 and Veronika painted and sold pictures strongly influenced by old Prague itself with its fascinating streets and architecture. In 1998 the Benonis established their school of graphics and painting. In the year 2001 they opened in Mala Strana, Prague central area, their first picture gallery. These days the Benoni School would refer to itself as a concept of new artistic techniques of rendering the polydimensional reality on a flat picture surface. The elliptical perspective method is meant to create for the viewer an illusion of being drawn inside the composition centre. Alongside these activities the school apprentices directed by the Benoni masters continue to develop the traditional trends of modern painting. Alesha Sranda, Jarda Khalupka, Natalie Pecha, Ruvim Tartakovsky and Victor Oster are reputable and widely known names of painters belonging to the school.