Art Teacher at Adventist School Selected to Exhibit Her Work at the Louvre

Raquel Falk, an art education teacher at Vitória Adventist Academy in Vitória, Espirito Santo, Brazil, has been selected to exhibit some of her paintings at the Louvre in 2022. A company specializing in promoting local artists gave her a special invitation, which will allow her to exhibit original works at the world-renowned venue in Paris, France.

Falk grew up in a city near Vitória, in a family with many physical needs. Despite her humble upbringing, her grandmother, Marmelina, a confectioner, and her mother, Olga, a seamstress, became Falk’s inspiration on her way to becoming the artist she is today. Her efforts paid off, as she was eventually accepted into the visual arts program at the Federal University of Espírito Santo.

“Growing up in a home of limited means, I always dreamed of wanting more,” she said. “It is what has driven me until this moment.”

Falk has been a teacher for 20 years and has served in Adventist education for five of those years. It was only in 2018, however, that she decided to spend time working on watercolor paintings. Her works have been widely shared on social media. It was probably there that her work was discovered.

“My goal is to inspire my students,” Falk said. “I suggest activities that delve into their creative side. While we don’t overlook the theory, the history of art, and the study of movement, I try to combine theory and practice in my classroom.”

According to her, the results are reflected the students’ interest in art. “Many of my students are increasingly moving into the art world as a result of bringing some of my work as an artist to the classroom,” she said.

Paris Exhibition

Falk said that for the 2022 exhibition at the Louvre, she plans to come up with two paintings inspired by the theme of dancers, something she has studied extensively, and that requires particular and complex techniques. “The idea is that a particular painting may explore the flow of the paint on canvas without taking into account real-life proportions,” she explained. “I will try to work on the lightness and delicacy you can perceive in dancers.” She said that she has already exhibited several paintings based on that motive.

The exhibition at the Louvre will take place in October 2022. According to organizers, it is estimated that at least 30,000 people will stop by the sections where the paintings will be exhibited. It is a significant feat at the most visited museum venue in the world, which houses around 615,000 works, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.