International Artists Promotion Group

In the winter Art Show ’14 journal the journal “Russian Art & Paris” offer our readers a number of contemporary artists whose work deserves serious attention. We continue the talk about the wonderful and elitist art of etching. This time you can get acquainted with the work of two artists: an exhibitor of the State Tretyakov Art Gallery, the Moscow artist Alena Dergiliova and the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Mikhail Kocheshkov from city of Vladimir. The paintings section is presented today also by two contemporary artists: Aleksandr Egorov (Vladimir) and Mikhail Shmyrov (Bryansk).

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ARTIST ALENA DERGILIOVA,  (MOSCOW)

The graphic art of Alena Dergiliova is difficult to define in a few words. The phrase “lyrical grotesque” will probably sound strange and unusual, especially in relation to an graphic-artist working in the classical techniques of etching and watercolor. The point, apparently, is not in the accuracy of the formal wording. Value is contained foremost in the quality of the art form, in which the thoughts and feelings of the artist are served. Expectations for etching are traditionally very high. This kind of graphic art is best not approached without a virtuoso technique – an amateur can be discerned at a glance. Yet technical skills alone do not turn a sheet of paper passed through the etching press into an etching. A genuine charm, a unique aura of etching occurs only if there appears a scene that is not depleted, but rather enriched, by the black-and-white image. It is hard to say which has greater meaning – the ability of the artist to see an etching motif in the world around him, or a particular feel for the etching board on which the essential details required for etching will be revived. In addition, a black-and- white image has a unique feature – it is concentrated on only the main idea, only the essence of the depicted scene. No dispersion or verbosity, one who is not able to separate the essential from the secondary – will never create a real etching.
•  “Apple tree” is an etching by Alena Dergiliova, that is one of the most classical in form. The plot appears as a conflict between two harmonious forms, united into a single space. There are live forms, created by nature, such as tree branches and artificial forms, created by man, like the Cathedral bell tower. Compositionally this conflict is developed through black color – the movement of large masses of black (Cathedral bell tower) and the tremulous, translucent graphics of black branches. The compositional conciseness drastically enhances the natural qualities of black and white, its inner nature – topicality, the focus on sincerity, and the accuracy – at least from the author, at most from the event. There appears an effect, present here and now, equivalent to the philosophical category – “grasp”. Thus, the artistic decision – the selection of the moment filled with meaning, creates a sense of belonging in the event. There arises a contact of the artwork with the viewer, and their dialogue begins. The importance of this dialogue is determined in equal amounts by both participants. The energy of the artistic image, its aesthetic and intellectual depth, determine the quality of the artist’s work. The reading of an artistic image, its description – is the work that must be done by the viewer. The small etching “Apple tree” is the quiet sadness of autumn, fallen leaves, old Cathedral walls; it is the fate of generations who have touched these walls, it is the finiteness of life in the infinity of existence.
•  The stylistics of graphics by Alena Dergiliova are sincere, almost intimate – derived from the soft, “spoken” rhythm of most compositions. An artist leads his creative narrative to the rhythm of a home conversation – without raising his voice, avoiding sharp accents. A particular role in this is played by the knowledge of that which is the subject of the image. When a person believes in his own truth, he is not inclined to get short-tempered, even in a dispute. To learn and to understand that which you are depicting is a necessary condition for an image to have meaning. A slow movement from form to meaning is starting to appear in the art of our time. It is a difficult movement. Modern audiences are unaccustomed to meaning. The problem is that the absence of meaning leads to a degradation of feelings. The acquaintance with the art of Moscow artist Alena Dergiliova, artwork filled with feelings and meaning is a good reason to think about it. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text:  “Apple tree” Etching. (21 x 15 cm)

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“Palace of Denis Davydov” Etching. (37 x 30 cm)

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“Pavel Tretyakov” Etching. (39 x 49 cm)

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“Palace of Aksakov” Etching. (28 x 21 cm)

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ARTIST ALEKSANDR EGOROV,  (VLADIMIR)

In the dynamically started twenty-first century, the transparent and soft lyricism of landscapes by Aleksandr Egorov may seem a little outdated and monotonous. The creativity of this artist is best associated with the aesthetics of the second half of the past century rather than the current century. Is this really it? Is it possible that over a few decades, our perception of landscape art has changed to such an extent that the artwork is devalued by its basic qualities? Or is it simply in style, in the habitual visual language? You can pose the question more broadly – is it possible in principle to have a situation where the artist “falls out” from the era in which he lives (we do not consider examples of deliberate falsification, when the artist forges the style of previous masters). In this sense, the question no longer seems straightforward and simple. Like any of us, the artist is a man of his own time. If he picks up a “signal ” that time has stopped, do not rush to blame the artist. It is possible that there is something is wrong with time.
•  The Russian landscape of the European part of the country is a very difficult genre. It covers plots that together form a portrait of Russia. To say something new or to find yet unknown features, is incredibly difficult. So much has already been done, that it can last for many kilometers of gallery space. Is there meaning in going back again and again to the well-known plots? Yes, there is. When the exhaustion of plot occurs, artist begins work on more complex characteristic – intonation (artists often use the term “mood”, but it’s not the same. “Mood” is an emotionally-semantic content of the landscape motif. If there is no “mood” then there is no scenery). Thoughtful, precise intonation allows one to approach the most mysterious phenomenon in art – to capture the pulse of time.
•  The landscapes of Aleksandr Egorov are compositionally simple. At the core of each composition is a clear and thoughtful color rhythm (“Old Vladimir”, “Warm winter”, “Autumn evening”). The color harmony, bright and expressive, is original in every work. The tonal range is the main tool of the master. Particularly the masterful use of tonal structure allows to build a piercing intonation of the quickly vanishing winter day (“Winter in Vladimir”, “First snow”), to convey the twilight breath of moist snow (“Spring silence”) and the pre-dawn silence of a field (“Birth of the dawn”). The same compositional simplicity creates an atmosphere of openness to the viewer, an atmosphere of open dialogue between the artist and the viewer, the artwork and the human soul. What is this dialogue about? About life, of course. About the time that is before our eyes right now. About the time that we have been granted to live. In this dialogue, the emotions of the artist are restrained, he is showing the result – what he saw. And as a counterpoint in this dialogue is the sound of silence – the silence of fields, the silence of cathedrals, the silence of the sky, like a small artistic tale about a country fallen asleep in the snow. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text:  “Winter”  Pastel on paper. (42 x 59 cm)

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“Winter in Vladimir” Pastel on paper. (42 x 59 cm)

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“Warm winter” Pastel on paper. (42 x 59 cm)

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“First snow” Pastel on paper. (42 x 59 cm)

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ARTIST MIKHAIL KOCHESHKOV,  (VLADIMIR)

Graphics is the art of the very especial. Large art exhibitions arrange works by graphic artists in the farthest halls. Black and white image in most cases, small size, low-key plot – it is not considered to be for the mass audience. This may very well be the case, but then the natural question is, who is the viewer for graphic artists? Who is he and how is he different from the rest? The answer to this question should be logically found in the nature of graphic art, which is based on black and white constructions of compositions. Is the black and white model of the world around its simplification? From aesthetic perspectives – yes, definitely. However, art operates not only by form, but also by content. To be more specific – content that bears meaning. The record of content in the form of an abstract model – be it mathematics or philosophy – is familiar enough for us and does not raise thoughts about simplification. Abstract model reveals meaning. This in particular, and in many ways, is the focus of graphic art.
•  For the viewer, familiarity with the artist begins with a simple question – what is the artist interested in, in the first place. Looking at the works of Mikhail Kocheshkov, answering this question is not too difficult – existence as such. Let’s look at a small etching “Still life with a chair”. According to the genre characteristics, this is still life in an interior. Objects united in a freely fragmented composition are easily replaceable – their internal communication is not formalized. The point is not what these objects are designed for, but that they exist. The artist seeks an answer to the question: what does it mean to exists? What is existence? In the field of attention is not a special case of the life of a subject (what is the existent?), but rather a more fundamental question – what does it mean for the existent to exist? Notice the main intonation that literally permeates the entire composition. This intonation is surprise. Equally clearly, this motif sounds in the artist’s landscape works (“In the fields”, in the paintings “The Wall, lighted by the sun”, “Light autumn”). The eternal human thirst – to understand and comprehend existence as a whole, as a theme in art is rare. This topic is complicated due to the lack of an explicit and obvious object for an image. Therefore, it seems logical that the artist desires to transcend the limits of a formal plot, to avoid plot, to abandon plot completely. The rejection of one of the tools (plot), is compensated, and often successfully replaced, by active work with another tool – angle of vision: panorama, which Mikhail Kocheshkov uses masterfully, even in such an unexpected genre as interior still life (“In the studio”); fragmentation (“Sheds under snow”, “Suzdal motive”); low horizon, typical of monumental painting (“Murom”, “Summer clouds”). An unexpected viewpoint, as in a new, unfamiliar glance at the space in which existence takes place – is the plot of many works.
•  Society persistently reduces the role of the artist to a “decorator” of interiors. This is how it always has been and our time is no exception. The slogan – “make beauty for us” is formulated by a crowd, but the artist fits poorly into a crowd. He has different life-space. In the life-space of artist Mikhail Kocheshkov, there is more existence than objects. For the understanding of objects, mankind has accumulated a huge toolkit – from the microscope to the Mars rover. For the comprehension of existence, there are no instruments other than those given to each of us by God. In this sense, the artist Mikhail Kocheshkov and viewers of his artworks are in equal conditions. Most of the work of the artist – to see, feel, understand – is available to every viewer. The only difference is that the artist spends much more time on this. Usually an entire lifetime. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text:  “In the fields”  Pencil on paper. (42 x 65 cm)

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“Still life with a chair”  Etching. (21 x 17 cm)

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“The land”  Etching. (19 x 54 cm)

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“Still life with a white drapery”  Etching. (24 x 19 cm)

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ARTIST MIKHAIL SHMYROV,  (BRYANSK)

Bryansk’ painter Mikhail Shmyrov, working much and successfully in all the major genres of painting, is quite a versatile artist. The portrait and landscape, thematic painting and still life – in each of these genres Mikhail Shmyrov can demonstrate to the viewer first-class artworks. How can such a wide range of interests be explained? What creative persona is behind such a long list of plots? And finally, the main question – what is the central link connecting the creative work of this artist into a coherent whole? Any artist perceives the surrounding world as an aesthetic space, subordinate to the laws of inner harmony. Dostoevsky’s famous statement – “Beauty will save the world” can be interpreted as a call for artists to reveal and portray this beauty. In other words, to make the inner harmony tangible and visible. A discussion of the artwork of Mikhail Shmyrov – is primarily a talk about the subtlest art of color harmony, exactly that which is the most difficult to explain in words. The color, color scale, color melody – are sensual categories intractable by language formulas and mathematical symbols. How can this mysterious space be entered by a spectator, and is there a door through which you can get there? There is, apparently, and it is called – painting.
•  Soft, devoid of aggressive color contrasts, color scheme; flawless tonal design of the composition; clear, particular graphically-defined relationships of large color masses – are the main features of artworks by Mikhail Shmyrov. The color integrity of artistic space largely determines the restrained emotional scale – it attains the mood of concentration, reflection, silence. An interesting effect arises – the artwork almost distances itself from the casual viewer, protecting the emotional field created on canvas. Such distancing being characteristic of self-contained artworks that are closed within themselves with a high degree of accuracy indicates the presence of a work of fine art. A true work of art is often tacit. Its aura – is the aura of pulling the viewer into the pictorial space, as opposed to pop art, in which the energy is directed outward from the picture’s plane into the surrounding world. Another characteristic trait of the creative work of Mikhail Shmyrov – the subordination of the plot and mood, their interpenetration, testifies its belonging to real fine art, its authenticity.
•  Valuable characteristics of artwork, which any art collectors so love and which not always obvious in fine art, are determined by two poles – the scope of the artist’s talent and the scope of the artist’s personality. These two poles are always present in each creative artwork and are realized in a generalized form by picture’s artistic idea. The significance of the artistic idea – is a key parameter of artwork. If the main theme of the paintings of Mikhail Shmyrov can be described as a conflict of time and eternity, the artistic ideas, being derived from the topic, reveal to us the artist’s understanding of it. The flow of time – life, the understanding of its forms through color, rhythm, dynamics of three-dimensional space, is the essence and content of the artistic images of Mikhail Shmyrov. These images are subjective as any reality is subjective, but precisely because of this – they are authentic, certain and accurate. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text:  “Haystack”  Oil on canvas. (40 x 45 cm)

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“Vvedenskaya church”  Oil on canvas. (50 x 40 cm)

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“The beginning of autumn. Snezshka river”  Oil on canvas. (50 x 55 cm)

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“Bullfinch”  Oil on canvas. (70 x 74 cm)

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ATTENTION RUSSIAN ART & PARIS READERS:

Our next publication – “Art Expo New York 2014″ – will be online on April 10st.