Paintings painted in the 21st century. History of contemporary art in Russia, contemporary painting in Russia
There is a very large number of contemporary Russian artists, whose activities are known only in certain circles - the broad masses are often far from modern art and, by inertia, are content with knowledge only about the work of Russian classics. We want to correct this situation, so we will further tell you what a Russian contemporary artist is like using the example of the following five authors.
Ilya Kabakov
This contemporary artist is one of the most significant Russian painters of his time, who personifies modern art, in particular, the soul of Moscow conceptualism. One of the paintings, “Beetle,” painted in 1982, was sold in 2008 at an auction in London for almost six million dollars and was included in the list of the most expensive paintings created by Russian artists. Modern paintings by Kabakov are now exhibited in many museums around the world: in New York's Pace Gallery, Moscow's Multimedia Art Museum and others.
I don’t know how others resisted this terrible complex: “You are already 25 years old, and you are not Raphael yet!” But for me this is one of the most terrible stimulating moments. ( Ilya Kabakov)
Another iconic work of the artist, “Holidays No. 6,” depicts a typical Soviet illustration, decorated with candy wrappers on top - they seem to camouflage the picture and thus represent feigned optimism that hides the dreary reality behind it. In general, the work of Ilya Kabakov is characterized by the concept of escapism - an escape from the surrounding reality and immersion in art.
Sergey Volkov
Sergei Volkov wrote many of his modern paintings under the impression of a trip to Germany, where he had to go on a creative business trip. A whole series of paintings is dedicated to German architectural Gothic and folklore and is covered in a certain symbolism. After a series of “German” paintings, the modern artist painted a series on themes dedicated to North American Indians and presenting portraits of freedom-loving Indian leaders.
And today the main theme of the painter’s work is the beauty of Moscow landscapes: “Taganka”, “Stankevich Street”, “Kadashevskaya Embankment”. Volkov's modern painting is an impressionistic depiction of a simple, everyday capital, such as it is, but at the same time in bright colors that appear in the sun's rays, traffic lights and colorful trams.
Grigory Bruskin
Grigory, or Grisha Bruskin, as his artistic name sounds, admired the profession of an artist since childhood. While studying at art school, he drew inspiration from the works of French Renaissance painters.
I can call myself a happy person as long as I can work. ( Grigory Bruskin)
In the 80s, when Bruskin was in exile, his work acquired a certain structure, with the help of which he was able to organize various symbols, signs and social myths. According to this approach, the modern artist combined his works into entire series or collages, where he depicted objects and inscriptions that were an allegory of some concept. One of these paintings, “Fundamental Lexicon,” subsequently brought him fame when it was purchased by Milos Forman himself, an Oscar-winning Czech and American director, at one of the auctions.
Semyon Faibisovich
Another famous Russian artist working in the popular style of photorealism. The author combines his modern paintings in a series: for example, “Roam”, “Obviousness”, “At the Station”. The latest cycle of works includes the artist’s most expensive painting, “Soldier,” which was auctioned at Phillips de Pury for as much as 311 thousand pounds.
As the artist himself says, earlier in his works he wondered what exactly we see around us, drawing situations from everyday life: here is a person waiting for the arrival of an electric train, here he is riding in a trolleybus... Now Faibisovich is more interested in how we see: To convey the desired effect, the modern artist films future scenes using an old mobile phone and then transfers them to canvas.
Valery Koshlyakov
Contemporary artist Valery Koshlyakov is one of the most famous Russian painters, who has repeatedly represented the country at various world biennales. The Louvre, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pompidou Center, the Russian Museum - you will find his works everywhere. The author's most famous painting was the painting "Versailles", which was sold in 2008 for 72.5 thousand pounds at the famous Sotheby's auction.
I am modern only in the sense that I am your contemporary, and not in the sense that I make contemporary art. ( Valery Koshlyakov)
Monuments of past eras are the artist’s favorite subject of painting. Koshlyakov’s modern painting has its own peculiarity, namely, a predilection for using not the most traditional materials for creativity: cardboard, fabric, packaging boxes, etc., although in recent years the painter has often returned to canvas. In an attempt to achieve a matte surface, the Russian artist avoids oil paints, preferring acrylic and tempera.
You can also appreciate the palette of contemporary Russian fine art by watching the following video report from one of the exhibitions of the Manege Museum:
Take it for yourself and tell your friends!
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Contemporary art seems pretentious and empty to many, but this does not change the fact that many 21st century artists receive fabulous sums for their paintings. Find out which contemporary artist has managed to earn the most from his work and who is just a little behind him in our article.
The Art Newspaper Russia presents the rating: the most expensive living Russian artists. If you are still sure that there were no Russian artists in the Western scene, we are ready to argue with that. The language of numbers.
The conditions were simple: each living artist could be represented by only one, his most expensive work. When compiling the rating, not only the results of public auctions were taken into account, but also the most high-profile private sales. The authors of the rating were guided by the principle “if something sells loudly, then someone needs it,” and therefore appreciated the work of marketers and press managers of artists who brought record private sales to the public. Important note: the rating is based solely on financial indicators; if it were based on the exhibition activity of artists, it would look somewhat different. External sources for analytics were resources Artnet.com, Artprice.com, Skatepress.com And Artinvestment.ru.
The US dollar was chosen as the currency for the world ranking; the British pound sterling was taken as the equivalent of sales of Russian artists (since 90% of domestic sales took place in London in this currency). The remaining 10% of works sold in US dollars and euros were recalculated at the exchange rate at the time of the transaction, as a result of which some positions changed places. In addition to the actual cost of the work, data was collected on the total capitalization of artists (the number of top works sold at auction over all years), on the place of a contemporary artist in the ranking of artists of all times, on the place of the participant’s most expensive work among all works sold by other authors, and also about nationality and country of residence. Statistics on repeat sales of each artist also contain important information as an objective indicator of investment
attractiveness.
Last year, 2013, significantly changed the position of contemporary artists in the international sales rankings. Of the top 50 most expensive works of art, 16 modern works of art were sold last season - a record number (for comparison, 17 works were sold from 2010 to 2012; there was only one sale in the 20th century). The demand for living artists is partly identical to the demand for all contemporary art, partly to the cynical understanding that the capitalization of assets after their death will invariably increase.
Among the Russian participants, the brothers turned out to be the most respectable Sergey And Alexey Tkachev(b. 1922 and 1925), the youngest - Anatoly Osmolovsky(b. 1969). The question is who will be new Jean-Michel Basquiat, while open. In the sales of our artists, clear classes of buyers are visible: the leaders are bought by foreign collectors and Russian oligarchs, places from 10th to 30th are provided by emigrant collectors, and the conditional bottom of the top 50 is our future, young collectors who have entered the market with “new » money.
1. Ilya Kabakov
It seems that in general he is the main Russian artist (which does not prevent Kabakov, who was born in Dnepropetrovsk, from describing himself as Ukrainian), the founding father of Moscow conceptualism (one of), the author of the term and practice of “total installation”. Since 1988 he has lived and worked in New York. He works in collaboration with his wife, Emilia Kabakova, which is why the title should look like “Ilya and Emilia Kabakov,” but since Ilya Iosifovich became known earlier than Ilya and Emilia, then let it remain so. The works are in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, MoMA, Kolodzei Art Foundation(USA), etc.
Year of birth: 1933
Work: "Beetle". 1982
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP)1: 2,932,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 10,686,000
Place: 1
Average Job Cost (GBP): 117,429
Number of repeat sales: 12
2. Erik Bulatov
Using techniques that would later be called social art, he combined figurative painting with text in his works. In Soviet times, a successful illustrator of children's books. Since 1989 he has lived and worked in New York, and since 1992 in Paris. The first Russian artist with a personal exhibition at the Pompidou Center. The works are kept in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Pompidou Center, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, etc., and are included in the collections of the Foundation Dina Verni, Viktor Bondarenko, Vyacheslav Kantor, Ekaterina and Vladimir Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1933
Work: “Glory to the CPSU.” 1975
Date of sale: 02/28/2008
Price (GBP)1: 1,084,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 8,802,000
Place: 2
Average job cost (GBP): 163,000
Number of repeat sales: 11
3. Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid
The creators of Sots Art - an ironic movement in unofficial art that parodies the symbolism and techniques of officialdom. Since 1978 they have lived in New York. Until the mid-2000s they worked in pairs. As an art project, they organized the “sale of souls” of famous artists through an auction (soul Andy Warhol since then it has been owned by a Moscow artist Alena Kirtsova). Works are in the collections of MoMA, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre, and in the collections Shalva Breus, Daria Zhukova And Roman Abramovich and etc.
Year of birth: 1943, 1945
Work: “Meeting of Solzhenitsyn and Böll at Rostropovich’s dacha.” 1972
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 657,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 3,014,000
Place: 7
Average job cost (GBP): 75,350
Number of repeat sales: 3
former comar&melamid artstudio archive
4. Semyon Faibisovich
A photorealist artist who remains the most accurate realist even now, when Semyon Natanovich is less interested in painting than in journalism. He exhibited on Malaya Gruzinskaya, where in 1985 he was noticed by New York dealers and collectors. Since 1987, it has been regularly exhibited in the USA and Western Europe. An active supporter of the repeal of the law on the promotion of homosexuality in Russia. Lives and works in Moscow. Works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Moscow House of Photography, museums in Germany, Poland, the USA, and are included in the collections Daria Zhukova And Roman Abramovich, Igor Markin, Igor
Tsukanova.
Year of birth: 1949
Work: “Soldiers” (from the “Station Stations” series). 1989
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP)1: 311,200
Total capitalization (GBP): 3,093,000
Place: 6
Average Job Cost (GBP): 106,655
Number of repeat sales: 7
5. Grigory (Grisha) Bruskin
The main character of the first and last Soviet auction Sotheby's in 1988, where his work Fundamental Lexicon became the top lot (£220 thousand). At the invitation of the German government, he created a monumental triptych for the reconstructed Reichstag in Berlin. Winner of the Kandinsky Prize in the “Project of the Year” nomination for the exhibition Time H at the Multimedia Art Museum. Lives and works in New York and Moscow. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkin, the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, MoMA, the Museum of Jewish Culture (New York), etc., are included in the collections of the Queen of Spain Sofia, Peter Aven, Shalva Breus, Vladimir and Ekaterina Semenikhin, Milos Forman.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “Logies. Part 1". 1987
Date of sale: 07.11.2000
Price (GBP)1: 424,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 720,000
Place: 15
Average job cost (GBP): 24,828
Number of repeat sales: 5
6. Oleg Tselkov
One of the most famous artists of the sixties, in the 1960s he began and still continues a series of paintings depicting rough, as if sculpted from clay, human faces (or figures), painted with bright aniline colors. Since 1977 he has lived in Paris. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, the Zimmerli Museum of Rutgers University, etc., and are included in the collections Mikhail Baryshnikov, Arthur Miller, Igor Tsukanov. The largest private collection of Tselkov's works in Russia belongs to Evgeniy Yevtushenko.
Year of birth: 1934
Work: "Boy with Balloons." 1957
Date of sale: 11/26/2008
Price (GBP)1: 238,406
Total capitalization (GBP): 4,232,000
Place: 5
Average job cost (GBP): 53,570
Number of repeat sales: 14
7. Oscar Rabin
Leader of the “Lianozov group” (Moscow nonconformist artists of the 1950s-1960s), organizer of the scandalous Bulldozer exhibition 1974. He was the first in the Soviet Union to sell works privately. In 1978 he was deprived of Soviet citizenship. Lives and works in Paris. In 2006 he became a laureate of the Innovation Prize for his contribution to art. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Zimmerli Museum of Rutgers University, and are included in the collections of Alexander Glezer, Vyacheslav Kantor, Alexander Kronik, Iveta and Tamaz Manasherov, Evgeniy Nutovich, Aslan Chekhoev.
Year of birth: 1928
Work: “The City and the Moon (Socialist
city)". 1959
Date of sale: 04/15/2008
Price (GBP)1: 171,939
Total capitalization (GBP): 5,397,000
Place: 3
Average job cost (GBP): 27,964
Number of repeat sales: 45
8. Zurab Tsereteli
The largest representative of already monumental art. Author of the monument to Peter I in Moscow and the monument Good conquers Evil in front of the UN building in New York. Founder of the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, president of the Russian Academy of Arts, creator of the Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery, which operates at the above-mentioned academy. Sculptures of Zurab Tsereteli, in addition to Russia, adorn Brazil, Great Britain, Georgia, Spain, Lithuania, USA, France and Japan.
Year of birth: 1934
Work: “Dream of Athos”
Date of sale: 12/01/2009
Price (GBP)1: 151,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 498,000
Place: 19
Average job cost (GBP): 27,667
Number of repeat sales: 4
9. Viktor Pivovarov
One of the founders of Moscow conceptualism. Like Kabakov, the inventor of the concept album genre; like Kabakov, Bulatov and Oleg Vasiliev, a successful illustrator of children’s books who collaborated with the magazines “Murzilka” and “Funny Pictures”. Since 1982 he has lived and worked in Prague. The works are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the Pushkin Museum. A. S. Pushkina, Kolodzei Art Foundation(USA), in the collections of Vladimir and Ekaterina Semenikhin, Igor Tsukanov.
Year of birth: 1937
Work: “Triptych with a snake.” 2000
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 145,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 482,000
Place: 20
Average job cost (GBP): 17,852
Number of repeat sales: 6
10. Alexander Melamid
Half of the creative tandem Komar - Melamid, which broke up in 2003. Together with Vitaly Komar, participant Bulldozer exhibition(where they died Double self-portrait, a seminal work of Sots Art). Since 1978 he has lived and worked in New York. There is no information about which famous collections contain Melamid’s works, created by him independently.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “Cardinal José Saraiva Martins.” 2007
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 145,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 145,000
Place: 36
Average job cost (GBP): 145,000
Number of repeat sales: —
11. Francisco Infante-Arana
The owner of perhaps the most extensive list of exhibitions among Russian artists. Member of the kinetic group "Movement", in the 1970s he found his own version of photo performance, or “artifact” - geometric forms integrated into the natural landscape.
Year of birth: 1943
Work: “Building a sign.” 1984
Date of sale: 05/31/2006
Price (GBP)1: 142,400
Total capitalization (GBP): 572,000
Place: 17
Average job cost (GBP): 22,000
Number of repeat sales: —
12. Vladimir Nemukhin
Metaphysician. A classic of the second wave of Russian avant-garde, a member of the “Lianozov group”, one of the participants in the Bulldozer exhibition, curator (or initiator) of important exhibitions of the 1980s, when the unofficial Soviet
art was just becoming aware of itself.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “Unfinished Solitaire.” 1966
Date of sale: 04/26/2006
Price (GBP)1: 240,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 4,338,000
Place: 4
Average Job Cost (GBP): 36,454
Number of repeat sales: 26
13. Vladimir Yankilevsky
Surrealist, one of the main names of post-war Moscow unofficial art, creator of monumental philosophical polyptychs.
Year of birth: 1938
Work: “Triptych No. 10. Anatomy of the soul. II." 1970
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 133,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 754,000
Place: 14
Average job cost (GBP): 12,780
Number of repeat sales: 7
14. Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky
Scenic project Paintings to order, which they began in the hopeless 1990s for painting, received what it deserved in the 2000s. The duet became popular with collectors, and one painting ended up in the collection of the Pompidou Center.
Year of birth: 1963, 1964
Work: "Night Fitness". 2004
Date of sale: 06/22/2007
Price (GBP)1: 132,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,378,000
Place: 11
Average job cost (GBP): 26,500
Number of repeat sales: 4
15. Sergey Volkov
One of the heroes of perestroika art, known for his expressive paintings with thoughtful statements. Soviet auction participant Sotheby's in 1988.
Year of birth: 1956
Work: “Double Vision.
Triptych"
Date of sale: 05/31/2007
Price (GBP)1: 132,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 777,000
Place: 12
Average job cost (GBP): 38,850
Number of repeat sales: 4
16. AES + F (Tatyana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeniy Svyatsky, Vladimir Fridkes)
AES projects were distinguished by their good presentation in the slack 1990s, which is why they were remembered. Now they are making large animated murals that are broadcast on dozens of screens.
Year of birth: 1955, 1958, 1957, 1956
Work: “Warrior No. 4”
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 120,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 305,000
Place: 27
Average job cost (GBP): 30,500
Number of repeat sales: —
17. Lev Tabenkin
A sculptor and painter with a sculptural vision, as if sculpting his heroes from clay.
Year of birth: 1952
Work: "Jazz Orchestra". 2004
Date of sale: 06/30/2008
Price (GBP)1: 117,650
Total capitalization (GBP): 263,000
Place: 28
Average job cost (GBP): 26,300
Number of repeat sales: 7
18. Mikhail (Misha Shaevich) Brusilovsky
Sverdlovsk surrealist, author of meaningful allegories.
Year of birth: 1931
Work: "Football". 1965
Date of sale: 11/28/2006
Price (GBP)1: 108,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 133,000
Place: 38
Average job cost (GBP): 22,167
Number of repeat sales: —
19. Olga Bulgakova
One of the main figures of the intelligentsia “carnival” painting of the Brezhnev era. Corresponding Member
Russian Academy of Arts.
Year of birth: 1951
Work: “Dream of Red
bird." 1988
Date of sale: 11/22/2010
Price (GBP)1: 100,876
Total capitalization (GBP): 219,000
Place: 31
Average job cost (GBP): 36,500
Number of repeat sales: —
20. Alexander Ivanov
An abstract artist who is known primarily as a businessman, collector and creator of the Faberge Museum in Baden-Baden (Germany).
Year of birth: 1962
Work: "Love". 1996
Date of sale: 06/05/2013
Price (GBP)1: 97,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 201,000
Place: 33
Average Job Cost (GBP): 50,250
Number of repeat sales: —
21. Ivan Chuikov
An independent wing of Moscow pictorial conceptualism. Author of a series of paintings-objects Windows. Somehow in the 1960s he burned all the paintings, which is why gallery owners are still sad.
Year of birth: 1935
Work: "Untitled". 1986
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 96,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,545,000
Place: 10
Average Job Cost (GBP): 36,786
Number of repeat sales: 8
22. Konstantin Zvezdochetov
In his youth, a member of the Mukhomor group, which called themselves “the fathers of the “new wave” in the Soviet Union” -
with good reason; with the onset of creative maturity, participant of the Venice Biennale and Kassel
documenta. Researcher and connoisseur of the visual in Soviet grassroots culture.
Year of birth: 1958
Product: "Perdo-K-62M"
Date of sale: 06/13/2008
Price (GBP)1: 92,446
Total capitalization (GBP): 430,000
Place: 22
Average job cost (GBP): 22,632
Number of repeat sales: 2
23. Natalya Nesterova
One of the main art stars of the Brezhnev stagnation. Loved by collectors for its textured, painterly style.
Year of birth: 1944
Work: “The Miller and His
son". 1969
Date of sale: 06/15/2007
Price (GBP)1: 92,388
Total capitalization (GBP): 1,950,000
Place: 9
Average job cost (GBP): 20,526
Number of repeat sales: 15
24. Maxim Kantor
An expressionist painter who performed in the Russian pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1997 - as well as a publicist and writer, author of a philosophical and satirical novel Drawing tutorial about the ins and outs of the Russian art world.
Year of birth: 1957
Work: “The Structure of Democracy.” 2003
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 87,650
Total capitalization (GBP): 441,000
Place: 21
Average Job Cost (GBP): 44,100
Number of repeat sales: 2
25. Andrey Sidersky
Creates paintings in the style of psy-art he invented. Translated works of Carlos Castaneda and Richard Bach into Russian.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: “Triptych”
Date of sale: 12/04/2009
Price (GBP)1: 90,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 102,000
Place: 42
Average job cost (GBP): 51,000
Number of repeat sales: —
26. Valery Koshlyakov
Known for paintings with architectural motifs. The largest representative of the “South Russian wave”. Often uses cardboard boxes, bags, and tape. The first exhibition with his participation was held in a public toilet in Rostov-on-Don in 1988.
Year of birth: 1962
Work: "Versailles". 1993
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 72,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 346,000
Place: 26
Average job cost (GBP): 21,625
Number of repeat sales: 8
27. Alexey Sundukov
Laconic, leaden-colored paintings about the “leaden abominations” of everyday Russian life.
Year of birth: 1952
Work: “The Essence of Being.” 1988
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 67,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 255,000
Place: 29
Average job cost (GBP): 25,500
Number of repeat sales: 1
28. Igor Novikov
Belongs to the generation of Moscow nonconformist artists of the late 1980s.
Year of birth: 1961
Work: “The Kremlin Breakfast, or Moscow for Sale.” 2009
Date of sale: 03.12.2010
Price (GBP)1: 62,092
Total capitalization (GBP): 397,000
Place: 24
Average job cost (GBP): 15,880
Number of repeat sales: 3
29. Vadim Zakharov
Archivist of Moscow conceptualism. The author of spectacular installations on profound topics, represented Russia at the Venice
biennial
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Baroque". 1986-1994
Date of sale: 10/18/2008
Price (GBP)1: 61,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 243,000
Place: 30
Average job cost (GBP): 20,250
Number of repeat sales: —
30. Yuri Krasny
Author of art programs for children with special needs.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “The Smoker”
Date of sale: 04/04/2008Price (GBP)1: 59,055
Total capitalization (GBP): 89,000
Place: 44
Average job cost (GBP): 11,125
Number of repeat sales: 8
31. Sergey and Alexey Tkachev
Classics of late Soviet impressionism, students of Arkady Plastov, famous for their paintings from the life of the Russian village.
Year of birth: 1922, 1925
Work: “In the Field.” 1954
Date of sale: 01.12.2010
Price (GBP)1: 58,813
Total capitalization (GBP): 428,000
Place: 23
Average job cost (GBP): 22,526
Number of repeat sales: 4
32. Svetlana Kopystyanskaya
Known for installations of paintings. After the Moscow auction Sotheby's in 1988 he works abroad.
Year of birth: 1950
Work: “Seascape”
Date of sale: 10/13/2007
Price (GBP)1: 57,600
Total capitalization (GBP): 202,000
Place: 32
Average job cost (GBP): 22,444
Number of repeat sales: 2
33. Boris Orlov
A sculptor close to social art. He is famous for his works in the ironic “imperial” style and his masterful craftsmanship of bronze busts and bouquets.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: "Sailor". 1976
Date of sale: 10/17/2013
Price (GBP)1: 55,085
Total capitalization (GBP): 174,000
Place: 34
Average job cost (GBP): 17,400
Number of repeat sales: 1
34. Vyacheslav Kalinin
The author of expressive paintings from the life of the urban lower classes and drinking bohemia.
Year of birth: 1939
Artwork: “Self-portrait with a hang glider”
Date of sale: 11/25/2012
Price (GBP)1: 54,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 766,000
Place: 13
Average job cost (GBP): 12,767
Number of repeat sales: 24
35. Evgeny Semenov
Known for his photo series with Down's disease patients playing the roles of gospel characters.
Year of birth: 1960
Work: "Heart". 2009
Date of sale: 06/29/2009
Price (GBP)1: 49,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 49,000
Place: 48
Average job cost (GBP): 49,000
Number of repeat sales: —
36. Yuri Cooper
He became famous for his nostalgic canvases with old household items. Author of the play Twelve paintings from the life of the artist, staged at the Moscow Art Theater. A.P. Chekhov.
Year of birth: 1940
Work: “Window. Dassa Street, 56." 1978
Date of sale: 06/09/2010
Price (GBP)1: 49,250
Total capitalization (GBP): 157,000
Place: 35
Average job cost (GBP): 2,754
Number of repeat sales: 14
37. Alexander Kosolapov
A socialist artist whose work has become a target for all sorts of attacks. During the Art Moscow 2005 fair, one of his works was destroyed by a religious fanatic with a hammer.
Year of birth: 1943
Work: "Marlboro Malevich." 1987
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 48,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 510,000
Place: 18
Average job cost (GBP): 15,938
Number of repeat sales: 1
38. Leonid Sokov
A leading sculptor of Sots Art who combined folklore with politics. Among the famous works Device for determining nationality by nose shape.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: “A bear hitting a sickle with a hammer.” 1996
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 48,500
Total capitalization (GBP): 352,000
Place: 25
Average job cost (GBP): 13,538
Number of repeat sales: 7
39. Vladimir Ovchinnikov
One of the patriarchs of unofficial art in Leningrad. Orthodox version of Fernando Botero.
Year of birth: 1941
Work: “Angels and Railway Tracks.” 1977
Date of sale: 04/17/2007
Price (GBP)1: 47,846
Total capitalization (GBP): 675,000
Place: 16
Average job cost (GBP): 15,341
Number of repeat sales: —
40. Konstantin Khudyakov
Author of paintings on religious subjects. Currently working in digital art technology.
Year of birth: 1945
Work: “The Last Supper.” 2007
Date of sale: 02/18/2011
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 97,000
Place: 43
Average job cost (GBP): 32,333
Number of repeat sales: —
41. Ernst Neizvestny
An icon of Soviet nonconformism - ever since he openly objected to General Secretary Nikita Khrushchev at the vernissage of the legendary exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Moscow Union of Artists. After that, he made a monument at Khrushchev’s grave and a monument in front of the UN European headquarters.
Year of birth: 1925
Work: “Untitled”
Date of sale: 06/08/2010
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 2,931,000
Place: 8
Average job cost (GBP): 24,839
Number of repeat sales: 13
42. Anatoly Osmolovsky
One of the main figures of Moscow actionism of the 1990s, art theorist, curator, publisher and head of the Baza Institute research and educational program, laureate of the first Kandinsky Prize.
Year of birth: 1969
Work: “Bread” (from the “Pagans” series). 2009
Date of sale: 04/23/2010
Price (GBP)1: 46,850
Total capitalization (GBP): 83,000
Place: 46
Average job cost (GBP): 11,857
Number of repeat sales: —
43. Dmitry Vrubel
Photorealist painter, known mainly for his painting of Brezhnev and Honecker kissing (more precisely, thanks to the author’s reproduction on the Berlin Wall).
Year of birth: 1960
Work: “Fraternal kiss (triptych).” 1990
Date of sale: 11/25/2013
Price (GBP)1: 45,000
Place: 40
Average job cost (GBP): 16,429
Number of repeat sales: 2
44. Leonid Lamm
The author of installations that combine motifs of the Russian avant-garde and scenes of Soviet prison life. Lives in America. In the 1970s, he spent three years in prisons and camps on false charges.
Year of birth: 1928
Work: “Apple II” (from the “Seventh Heaven” series). 1974-1986
Date of sale: 12/16/2009
Price (GBP)1: 43,910
Total capitalization (GBP): 115,000
Place: 41
Average job cost (GBP): 14,375
Number of repeat sales: —
Irina Nakhova’s picturesque installations of the 1980s in her apartment can claim authorship in the “total” genre.
45. Irina Nakhova
Muse of Moscow conceptualism. Winner of the 2013 Kandinsky Prize for “Project of the Year”. In 2015 at the 56th Venice Biennale
will represent Russia.
Year of birth: 1955
Work: "Triptych". 1983
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 38,900
Total capitalization (GBP): 85,000
Place: 45
Average job cost (GBP): 17,000
Number of repeat sales: 1
46. Katya Filippova
Avant-garde clothing designer who became famous during perestroika. She decorated the windows of the Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette, and was friends with Pierre Cardin.
Year of birth: 1958
“Work: Marina Ladynina” (from the “Russian Hollywood” series)
Date of sale: 03/12/2008
Price (GBP)1: 38,900
Total capitalization (GBP): 39,000
Place: 49
Average job cost (GBP): 39,000
Number of repeat sales: —
47. Boris Zaborov
Theater artist, book illustrator. In 1980 he emigrated to Paris and worked on costumes for the Comedy Française.
Year of birth: 1935
Work: “Participant”. 1981
Date of sale: 10/30/2006
Price (GBP)1: 36,356
Total capitalization (GBP): 67,000
Place: 47
Average job cost (GBP): 13,400
Number of repeat sales: 2
48. Rostislav Lebedev
Classic socialist artist, colleague (and workshop neighbor) of Boris Orlov and Dmitry Prigov. Creatively transformed visual propaganda from Soviet times.
Year of birth: 1946
Work: “Russian Fairy Tale”. 1949
Date of sale: 06/03/2008
Price (GBP)1: 34,000
Total capitalization (GBP): 122,000
Place: 39
Average job cost (GBP): 24,400
Number of repeat sales: 2
49. Andrey Filippov
Belongs to the Moscow conceptual school. The author of paintings and installations united by the theme “Moscow - the Third Rome”. Since 2009, together with Yuri Albert and Victor Skersis, he has been a member of the Cupid group.
Year of birth: 1959
Work: "Seven Feet Under the Keel." 1988
Date of sale: 05/31/2006
Price (GBP)1: 33,600
Total capitalization (GBP): 137,000
Place: 37
Average job cost (GBP): 12,455
Number of repeat sales: 3
50. Vladimir Shinkarev
The founder and ideologist of the Leningrad art group “Mitki”, in whose novel Mitki this term was first used. The novel was written out of boredom while working in the boiler room.
Year of birth: 1954
Work: “Lenin Square I”. 1999
Date of sale: 06/30/2008
Price (GBP)1: 32,450
Total capitalization (GBP): 33,000
Place: 50
Average job cost (GBP): 16,500
Number of repeat sales: —
Sales vs exhibitions
Market recognition and recognition by the professional community seem like different things to many, but the division into “commercial” and “non-commercial” artists is very arbitrary. Thus, of the Russian artists who have exhibited at the Venice Biennale of Contemporary Art over the past ten years (and this is the pinnacle of their professional career), seven (if counting by person, then 11 people) are included in our rating. And the top 10 artists from the rating either exhibited at the Venice Biennale before, or had personal exhibitions in major museums. As for those wonderful artists who were not included in the rating, their absence or not very outstanding sales can be explained simply and banally. Collectors are conservative and even from the most avant-garde creators they prefer to buy paintings (paintings, objects similar to paintings or photographs) or sculpture (or objects similar to sculpture). There are no record-breaking performances or giant installations in our rating (installations are usually bought by museums, but the prices are museum-quality, at a discount). That is why such stars as Andrey Monastyrsky, Oleg Kulik, Pavel Pepperstein(until recently I mainly did graphics, and graphics are a priori cheaper than painting) or, for example, Nikolay Polissky, whose grandiose designs have not yet found any understanding collectors.
In addition, the market is also conservative because recognition comes slowly - note that in the top 10 all artists were born in 1950 or older. That is, promising participants of the biennale still have everything ahead of them.
The face of contemporary art in Russia combines with a variety of contrasts. The beginning of the 21st century is a certain transitional moment in the history of art, when the process of rethinking the artistic heritage takes place and the lines of further development of fine art are outlined. We live in a period when not only the way of life of the previous generation is becoming obsolete, but also, as a result, the spiritual component is changing. People and their thoughts are undergoing a kind of renewal, and all this is the threshold of a new era.
The birth of new ideas, as always at such moments in history, are fruitful, but more than ever, those that reflect the ambiguous, unusual and sometimes frivolous attitude of the artist to the meaning of painting as a spiritual quest stand out among the fruits that have artistic and ideological weight.
Perhaps the current opinion is not entirely objective and this period should be comprehended only after its full formation, because no one excludes the idea that painting is destined to become something else and acquire a new meaning in the form of conceptualism. But this would be unnatural for painting, and at the same time, most modern art researchers say that the trends of new conceptual art, which were another revival of avant-garde painting of the early 20th century, are destructive for the continuation of the line of “classical” painting. By its nature, the avant-garde denies tradition and thereby has a detrimental effect on the role of “meaningful” painting; in this sense, it appears as its enemy. But in itself, little explored, and therefore relevant, the avant-garde movement grabbed part of the thread of the history of the development of painting at the beginning of the 21st century in the form of conceptual art.
"Priesthood" and "foolishness" of modern painting
In addition to the conceptual line, the academic line also stands out. She is supported by the Russian Academy of Arts. As for the second institutional structure - the Creative Union of Artists of Russia - there is a more interesting picture here. This organization includes a large number of artists from completely different areas of painting, which our cultural heritage contains, including figures of the conceptual direction. But the Russian Academy of Arts does not proclaim its goal to produce exclusively academic artists.
In such a “motley” world of modern painting, which does not have a stable foundation and is not united by a common idea, several directions have nevertheless clearly emerged in our country. As the domestic art critic Alexander Yakimovich calls the two main ones - “priesthood” and “foolishness”. It is this “priesthood” that fuels the hopes of many researchers, artists and viewers for the future of Russian painting.
Contemporary Russian artists fall into the first direction, many of whom have still managed to experience the spirit of the USSR. These masters left the innermost essence of painting untouched. Their canvases, imbued with meaning, are filled with a religious spirit, the breath of ancient sacred images, and the warmth of utopian ideas. Their works still contain a philosophical view of the world.
"Sashkin's bouquet" N. Nesterova. 2009
"Paris". N. Nesterova. 2005
Such are the instructive creations of Natalia Nesterova - “Sashkin’s Bouquet”, “Paris”. Through the naivety of her images, the artist conveys to us the truth of the futility of our existence. This is not a mockery of the senseless activities of man, but a demonstration of human narrow-mindedness, which can ruin everything that is alive and deep that remains in us. These ideological tendencies could be traced back in her early “masquerade” works.
"IX". Series "Matriarchy". O. Bulgakov. 2007
"Return of the Prodigal Son" From the series “Biblical Sketches”. O. Bulgakova. 2007
The ancient silent images of Olga Bulgakova, in a passionate, flaming color, overwhelm the consciousness and appeal to the primordial foundations of our being. The “Matriarchy” and “Biblical Sketches” series, as well as other works by O. Bulgakova, are an excellent example of modern oil painting in an expressive manner, which only enhances the semantic equivalent of the artist’s works. Truly worthy of being called a masterpiece, The Return of the Prodigal Son. Laconism and expressiveness of forms, smoldering figures linked in a fit of emotion. There is nothing more that needs to be added here; this image conveys the love between a child and a parent as it is. Without any mediocrity, the picture embodies the very subconscious that should forever remain unquestioned in the human soul.
"Carrier". Series “City. Entrance from the yard." D. Ikonnikov. 2003
“At the hour of early spring sunset...” From the series of St. Petersburg works. D. Ikonnikov. 2006
Dmitry Ikonnikov is inimitable in conveying the “little things” of life. It takes enormous willpower to take your eyes off his work. Everything that our vision can catch, but consciousness misses on an everyday day, is captured by the artist. In his works, the secondary things in our lives come to the fore. The artist has his own execution technique, thanks to which each of his works glows from the inside. Thus, everyday moments acquire the meaning of a joyful, in their own way idyllic existence, which can be seen in the wonderful series of works dedicated to St. Petersburg, the “City” series. Entrance from the yard”, etc.
"Everyone." A. Mosiychuk. 2000
The religious and mystical images of Anatoly Mosiychuk are also particularly impressive. Through them we can partake of the innermost human faith, the depths of the human soul and, sometimes, unilluminated, difficult to access and unclear. The Master is sometimes very difficult to understand. What he depicts is not stated in words, but is read on an intuitive level. For example, the painting “Everyone” represents various characters, or rather ghosts. And that’s why they are ghosts because they have no individuality. Although they have different occupations, this does not help them form culture in themselves or develop high spirituality. These are souls that cannot find themselves in any way, and the golden, smoky color that is characteristic of the artist’s works only emphasizes this idea, the mystical nature of the images, which are so reminiscent of the feelings that sometimes arise within a person of our time.
"Mother and Child". L. Naumova. 2015
Larisa Naumova, like previous artists, shows her love for primitivism and naivety in her performance. Her works are distinguished by a rich, fresh, Venetian flavor, and the plots and characters are not as simple as they appear at first glance. Often religious and symbolic, and sometimes seemingly everyday, the scenes in her works are always filled with high meaning. The painting “Mother and Child” raises the theme of love in its most sincere and pure manifestation; for this, the artist resorts to rethinking the iconography of the Madonna and Child, thereby turning love into a shrine. Among other things, the work of L. Naumova harmoniously combined the academic school and free technique.
"Titanic". Series "Puppet Theater". A. Sitnikov. 2010
The work of Alexander Sitnikov, on whom the Soviet era left an indelible impression, is absolutely extravagant. In his works, the artist goes beyond the conscious, which can be seen in the series of paintings “Concerto”, “Puppet Theater”, etc. It is worth recognizing that his work in some moments is closer to conceptual, since his idea is higher than the painting itself .
Contemporary conceptual art in painting
The second movement, which stands out against the colorful background of the modern world of fine art, is largely a conceptual direction. As mentioned above, most researchers and connoisseurs of painting disapprove of such trends. Artists of this movement are called doubters in the values of painting. In their works they resort to the destruction of painting with the help of painting itself.
"The Fall of Icarus" O. Lang. 2012
Oleg Lang is one of the founders of this movement, one of the first “doubters”. If before 2000 one could see fullness and untouchable sacredness in his works, then in more modern paintings we can observe the disintegration of ideological integrity; the canvases became carriers of motley disharmony (“The Fall of Icarus”).
"Antique Boy" O. Koshlyakov. 1995
Valery Koshlyakov often presents masterful solutions in terms of visualization and execution technique. But his works are united by one idea - a mockery of those who are afraid to break ties with traditions. This is clearly conveyed by the series “Collages” (“Antique Boy”), which contains the idea of unquestioning generally accepted values, but which are so unstable that they disintegrate before our eyes and are about to completely collapse into oblivion.
"Breakfast on the grass." I. Lubennikov. 2013
Ivan Lubennikov, a muralist, takes the pictorial qualities of his works to such an extreme that they become like decorative posters, the essence of painting is lost in them (“Breakfast on the Grass”).
"John". K. Khudyakov. 2008
Konstantin Khudyakov, like I. Lubennikov, wants to escape from painting. The artist works in the style of digital painting, the features of which also break the foundations of painting. It is no longer clear to our eyes whether what is depicted is a painting. On the other hand, the visual possibilities surpass the illusionism of the “classical” painting (“John”).
Alternative contemporary painting
The so-called alternative painting is the third line of development. Famous Russian artists include Vladimir Dubossarsky and Alexander Vinogradov, who have been working in a duet since 1994. As the artists themselves say: “We are not classical painters. Our method is flow” And indeed, their painting is distinguished by the absence of the painful, and even more so the sublime. Very often they take parts of famous works and connect them with some overly festive, bacchanalian noise. In this regard, their painting is empty, as are the works of those who follow in the same direction (“Triumph of the Titans of the Renaissance”).
"The Triumph of the Titans of the Renaissance." Duet Dubossarsky - Vinogradov. 2009
The two latest trends in the painting of contemporary artists can be combined under the sign of indifference to spiritual quests. Such trends make us fear for the future of painting and, as a consequence, for the spiritual education of a person. The variety of genres, techniques and styles gives rise to a huge mass of works of varying quality and meaning. Now among the paintings of contemporary artists it is not often possible to find something outstanding, but if this happens, then it is unlikely that their work will remain unappreciated like the works of N. Nesterova, O. Bulgakova, D. Ikonnikov, L. Naumova and others.
If you think that all great artists are in the past, then you have no idea how wrong you are. In this article you will learn about the most famous and talented artists of our time. And, believe me, their works will remain in your memory no less deeply than the works of maestros from past eras.
Wojciech Babski
Wojciech Babski is a contemporary Polish artist. He completed his studies at the Silesian Polytechnic Institute, but associated himself with. Lately he has been painting mainly women. Focuses on the expression of emotions, strives to obtain the greatest possible effect using simple means.
Loves color, but often uses shades of black and gray to achieve the best impression. Not afraid to experiment with different new techniques. Recently, he has been gaining increasing popularity abroad, mainly in the UK, where he successfully sells his works, which can already be found in many private collections. In addition to art, he is interested in cosmology and philosophy. Listens to jazz. Currently lives and works in Katowice.
Warren Chang
Warren Chang is a contemporary American artist. Born in 1957 and raised in Monterey, California, he graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1981, where he received a BFA. Over the next two decades, he worked as an illustrator for various companies in California and New York before embarking on a career as a professional artist in 2009.
His realistic paintings can be divided into two main categories: biographical interior paintings and paintings depicting people at work. His interest in this style of painting dates back to the work of the 16th century artist Johannes Vermeer, and extends to subjects, self-portraits, portraits of family members, friends, students, studio interiors, classrooms and homes. His goal is to create mood and emotion in his realistic paintings through the manipulation of light and the use of muted colors.
Chang became famous after switching to traditional fine arts. Over the past 12 years, he has earned numerous awards and honors, the most prestigious of which is the Master Signature from the Oil Painters of America, the largest oil painting community in the United States. Only one person out of 50 is given the opportunity to receive this award. Warren currently lives in Monterey and works in his studio, and he also teaches (known as a talented teacher) at the San Francisco Academy of Art.
Aurelio Bruni
Aurelio Bruni is an Italian artist. Born in Blair, October 15, 1955. He received a diploma in scenography from the Institute of Art in Spoleto. As an artist, he is self-taught, as he independently “built a house of knowledge” on the foundation laid in school. He began painting in oils at the age of 19. Currently lives and works in Umbria.
Bruni's early paintings are rooted in surrealism, but over time he begins to focus on the proximity of lyrical romanticism and symbolism, enhancing this combination with the exquisite sophistication and purity of his characters. Animated and inanimate objects acquire equal dignity and look almost hyper-realistic, but at the same time they do not hide behind a curtain, but allow you to see the essence of your soul. Versatility and sophistication, sensuality and loneliness, thoughtfulness and fruitfulness are the spirit of Aurelio Bruni, nourished by the splendor of art and the harmony of music.
Aleksander Balos
Alkasander Balos is a contemporary Polish artist specializing in oil painting. Born in 1970 in Gliwice, Poland, but since 1989 he has lived and worked in the USA, in Shasta, California.
As a child, he studied art under the guidance of his father Jan, a self-taught artist and sculptor, so from an early age, artistic activity received the full support of both parents. In 1989, at the age of eighteen, Balos left Poland for the United States, where his school teacher and part-time artist Cathy Gaggliardi encouraged Alkasander to enroll in art school. Balos then received a full scholarship to the University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he studied painting with philosophy professor Harry Rosin.
After graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree, Balos moved to Chicago to study at the School of Fine Arts, whose methods are based on the work of Jacques-Louis David. Figurative realism and portraiture formed the majority of Balos' work in the 90s and early 2000s. Today, Balos uses the human figure to highlight the characteristics and shortcomings of human existence, without offering any solutions.
The subject compositions of his paintings are intended to be independently interpreted by the viewer, only then will the paintings acquire their true temporal and subjective meaning. In 2005, the artist moved to Northern California, since then the subject matter of his work has expanded significantly and now includes freer painting methods, including abstraction and various multimedia styles that help express ideas and ideals of existence through painting.
Alyssa Monks
Alyssa Monks is a contemporary American artist. Born in 1977, in Ridgewood, New Jersey. I began to be interested in painting when I was still a child. She studied at The New School in New York and Montclair State University, and graduated from Boston College in 1999 with a bachelor's degree. At the same time, she studied painting at the Lorenzo de' Medici Academy in Florence.
Then she continued her studies in the master's degree program at the New York Academy of Art, in the department of Figurative Art, graduating in 2001. She graduated from Fullerton College in 2006. For some time she lectured at universities and educational institutions throughout the country, teaching painting at the New York Academy of Art, as well as Montclair State University and Lyme Academy of Art College.
“Using filters such as glass, vinyl, water and steam, I distort the human body. These filters allow you to create large areas of abstract design, with islands of color peeking through - parts of the human body.
My paintings change the modern view of the already established, traditional poses and gestures of bathing women. They could tell an attentive viewer a lot about such seemingly self-evident things as the benefits of swimming, dancing, and so on. My characters press themselves against the glass of the shower window, distorting their own bodies, realizing that they thereby influence the notorious male gaze on a naked woman. Thick layers of paint are mixed to imitate glass, steam, water and flesh from afar. However, up close, the amazing physical properties of oil paint become apparent. By experimenting with layers of paint and color, I find a point where abstract brushstrokes become something else.
When I first started painting the human body, I was immediately fascinated and even obsessed with it and believed that I had to make my paintings as realistic as possible. I “professed” realism until it began to unravel and reveal contradictions in itself. I am now exploring the possibilities and potential of a style of painting where representational painting and abstraction meet – if both styles can coexist at the same moment in time, I will do so.”
Antonio Finelli
Italian artist – “ Time Observer” – Antonio Finelli was born on February 23, 1985. Currently lives and works in Italy between Rome and Campobasso. His works have been exhibited in several galleries in Italy and abroad: Rome, Florence, Novara, Genoa, Palermo, Istanbul, Ankara, New York, and can also be found in private and public collections.
Pencil drawings " Time Observer“Antonio Finelli takes us on an eternal journey through the inner world of human temporality and the associated scrupulous analysis of this world, the main element of which is the passage through time and the traces it leaves on the skin.
Finelli paints portraits of people of any age, gender and nationality, whose facial expressions indicate passage through time, and the artist also hopes to find evidence of the mercilessness of time on the bodies of his characters. Antonio defines his works with one, general title: “Self-portrait”, because in his pencil drawings he not only depicts a person, but allows the viewer to contemplate the real results of the passage of time inside a person.
Flaminia Carloni
Flaminia Carloni is a 37-year-old Italian artist, the daughter of a diplomat. She has three children. She lived in Rome for twelve years, and for three years in England and France. She received a degree in art history from the BD School of Art. Then she received a diploma as an art restorer. Before finding her calling and devoting herself entirely to painting, she worked as a journalist, colorist, designer, and actress.
Flaminia's passion for painting arose in childhood. Her main medium is oil because she loves to “coiffer la pate” and also play with the material. She recognized a similar technique in the works of artist Pascal Torua. Flaminia is inspired by great masters of painting such as Balthus, Hopper, and François Legrand, as well as various artistic movements: street art, Chinese realism, surrealism and Renaissance realism. Her favorite artist is Caravaggio. Her dream is to discover the therapeutic power of art.
Denis Chernov
Denis Chernov is a talented Ukrainian artist, born in 1978 in Sambir, Lviv region, Ukraine. After graduating from the Kharkov Art School in 1998, he remained in Kharkov, where he currently lives and works. He also studied at the Kharkov State Academy of Design and Arts, Department of Graphic Arts, graduating in 2004.
He regularly participates in art exhibitions; to date there have been more than sixty of them, both in Ukraine and abroad. Most of Denis Chernov's works are kept in private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Italy, England, Spain, Greece, France, USA, Canada and Japan. Some of the works were sold at Christie's.
Denis works in a wide range of graphic and painting techniques. Pencil drawings are one of his most favorite painting methods; the list of themes in his pencil drawings is also very diverse; he paints landscapes, portraits, nudes, genre compositions, book illustrations, literary and historical reconstructions and fantasies.
Painting is one of the most developing arts today. The world around us is in constant development, it is constantly changing, and, therefore, artists of different times see it differently. This contributes to the fact that new directions in painting are constantly emerging and new schools are emerging.
The main popular trends in painting of the 21st century
Perhaps the most popular areas of painting of the 21st century can be considered:
- Street art;
- Fantasy;
- Photorealism.
Street art can be conditionally classified as one of the areas of graffiti. This type of modern painting allows the artist to fully realize himself. The paintings are created on various street objects and dilute the grayness of the world around us. The main task of an artist working in the street art style is to create a picture that will attract people's views and lift their spirits. Recently, the popularity of street installations has been growing, with the help of which artists create original illusions on city streets.
Fantasy is a new direction in the visual arts. It developed in parallel with the creation of literary works in the fantasy style and is based on the depiction of mythical and fairy-tale creatures. This direction was finally formed only at the beginning of the 21st century. Fantasy differs from fantastic realism in that in the paintings the fairy-tale creatures look quite real, and the imaginary world is as close as possible to the surrounding world. The most famous artists working in this direction are:
- Boris Vallejo;
- Frank Frazetta;
- Julia Bell;
Photorealism is a style of painting that emerged in the second half of the last century. Today it is extremely popular and many modern masters prefer to work in this area. This artistic movement is based on photographic images of the world around us. The goal of artists working in this direction is to show reality and reflect modern realities. Very often photographs are used as a basis for creating paintings. As a rule, works are created on large canvases, so this direction of painting is also called hyperrealism or superrealism.
Today, painting amazes with the variety of subjects and ways of depicting them. Indeed, in the modern world, every artist has the opportunity not only to work in their chosen direction, but also to develop it.
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