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For Immediate Release
June 19, 2004

Primavera Fine Art Foundation Announces its First Painting

ATLANTA, GA - Primavera, a newly established foundation dedicated to the support of Catholic vocations through the commission and sale of religious art, is pleased to announce its first painting.

The inaugural piece, to be completed in September 2004, is entitled Our Lady of Light (La Madonna della Luce) and is inspired by Pope John Paul II's recent addition of a new Mystery (or section) to the Rosary. This painting will be the first in a series of three by the internationally recognized artist, Natalia Tsarkova.

The Artist

Natalia Tsarkova, a native Russian now living and working in Rome, Italy, has been chosen as the artist for this first important series of paintings. She has achieved many accolades, not the least of which was being the first woman ever admitted into the renowned Academy of the Fine Arts of Moscow.

Tsarkova's ability to capture expression has won her the praise of many members of the European royal and political elite. She had been commissioned to paint portraits of many members of royal families in Europe. She painted the only official portrait of Pope John Paul I and the official portrait of the current Pope, John Paul II.   Both portraits are on display in the Vatican Museum in Rome.   The Holy Father was so pleased with her work that he commissioned a second painting.

Tsarkova is not only known for her portraiture. Her adaptation of The Last Supper was internationally recognized when it opened just beneath Leonardo da Vinci's original masterpiece in Milan, Italy. Critics said that this is the only rendition of The Last Supper to ever rival Da Vinci's. The Primavera Fine Art Foundation is honored to be working with such a well-respected and sought-after artist.

The Painting

Until recently, the Rosary was divided into three sections called Mysteries, those being The Joyful (Birth), Sorrowful (Death) and Glorious (Resurrection). In anticipation of 2003, a year already declared the year of the Rosary, Pope John Paul II named a fourth mystery to complement the previous three. He decreed that the fourth mystery be called the Luminous Mystery, or the Mystery of Light, and that it celebrate the life of Jesus Christ. This addition marks the first amendment to the Rosary since the 16th century.

Inspired by the Pope's decree and after discussions with the Primavera Fine Art Foundation, Tsarkova began working on an original composition that would draw attention to the Mysteries of Light and link them to the theological virtue of hope - another of the Pope's favorite topics at the start of the millennium. Her composition focuses on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Christ child, and the Rosary, making reference to all the Mysteries but giving special emphasis to the Mysteries of Light and the hope that they represent for mankind.

Tsarkova believes that this is her most ambitious piece yet, and is pleased to be working on a project that will bring sacred art into a more relevant and contemporary arena.

"I thought it was an incredible story," Natalia said, referring to the genesis of the Primavera Fine Art Foundation. "They [the Bentleys] had this idea like a 'flash' - to help renew Christianity through sacred art. I truly believe that these paintings are a very important project, and I'm so happy to have this opportunity. The artistic scope [of "Our Lady of Light"] is very interesting, and the composition is not at all simple ... The Last Supper [a previous painting] , compositionally, was very challenging, but this [ Our Lady of Light ] is perhaps even more difficult."

For more information please visit the web site, www.primaverafineart.org, or contact The Bentleys at Pr imavera Fine Art Foundation, P. O. Box 923713, Norcross, GA 300 10 , 770. 825-0925 or info@primaverafineart.org.