By Lily Tucker, Banner Staff

There is no better season than autumn to muse on the emotions that art brings up for us. Snuggling into the comfort of a warm blanket with a soothing cup of tea as the leaves fall outside blesses us with time to take in the beauty art offers. The Banner’s Artist of The Issue, Marianne Levitova ’25 expresses the power of making art a priority. 

What are your inspirations?

I’ve been painting ever since I was really little, not for any particular reason but because I was just always wanting to do it. So, a majority of my art has come from my everyday life. For example, the subjects in my AP portfolio were mainly still lifes of objects in front of windows around my home and places that are important to me. Sometimes, if I’m just sketching in a notebook, I’ll do something more illustrative and conceptual, almost in a way similar to the process of journaling, using instinct and feeling to inspire my art.

What would you say to encourage young Winsor artists?

Don’t let the preconception that art is secondary to academics prevent you from pursuing it both inside and outside of your academic career at Winsor. I know that I have always felt a little bit of guilt for focusing on art as much as I do because it may seem like I’m sacrificing hard academic work for the arts. However, the arts, whether that be visual or performance, have allowed me to deepen my understanding of other academic disciplines, like art history and psychology.

Why is art the most interesting form of expression?

I feel that I’ve always been a very expressive and thoughtful person, and because art really is all about the expression of ideas, it allows me to interact with other artists and their thoughts and feelings in a way that somehow goes even deeper than just a conversation. Anyone can feel anything, but the way that they express those feelings is unique to them, and that’s what makes art so vibrant.

What is art’s importance? 

The arts allow us to look at different subjects through our own unique perspective. They also allow us to explore and dive deeper into interests that may not be easily accessible in our environments.

If you would like to see more of Levitova’s art, feel free to explore her beautiful AP Portfolio pieces, which are displayed in the hallway outside the Senior Homeroom! 

Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity. ☐

Painting from Levitova’s AP Portfolio: Photo from Smugmug