Russian artists of the 21st century and their paintings. Oil painting: interesting artists of the 21st century

Many people have a rather contradictory attitude towards contemporary art, so everything created after the 19th century causes a certain skepticism - the majority still gravitate towards more classical forms than Malevich’s “Black Square” and complex installations. However, modern oil painting is not always paint spilled onto the canvas; it can inherit the traditions of academic painting, and at the same time retain the atmosphere of the 21st century.

Modern oil painting

Among the huge number of contemporary artists, there are many truly talented authors who paint oil paintings, whose paintings delight even harsh critics. We have selected ten noteworthy names whose works should not leave viewers indifferent.

Valentin Gubarev

Valentin Gubarev is an artist with a strong personality and an unusual vision of the world.

Paradoxically, he chooses the themes, plots and images of his works in a rather banal way, from everyday life. They do not look like masterpieces of Russian painting, but they captivate with their charming simplicity.

The strength of these paintings lies in the fact that after viewing all the subjects painted in oil on them, they look like some old acquaintances, guys from our yard. like this oil painting you can look at it indefinitely, penetrating into this strange but very curious world.

The characters in Gubarev’s paintings are familiar to everyone: it’s either us or our neighbors, but, in general, this is our past and present society, seen through the lens of healthy humor, some irony, nostalgia for fun times.

Jeremy Mann

In his creative work, Mann strives to depict his city, San Francisco, and imbue these paintings with drama, mood and character.

It brings a unique atmosphere and dynamics to the city's surroundings. Many of the artist's works are inspired by rain and wet pavement reflecting street lights and neon signs.

Mann paints his oil paintings on wood panels using a variety of techniques: staining the surfaces with stains, erasing the paint with a solvent, applying sweeping ink strokes to the canvas and always providing his painting with harmonious and colorful shades.

Gerhard Gluck

Cartoonist Gerhard Gluck is perhaps the most brilliant and skillful middle-class satirist in Germany. The artist’s style has already become recognizable - Gluck’s caricatures and other works are known throughout Germany and beyond. His characters are stocky Europeans, with faces without a pronounced chin. They are all depicted in stories of their daily lives.

“This was the first time the Brochards ordered something online.”

"Everyday Gioconda"

Before becoming an artist, Gluck worked as a school art teacher. One day one of his friends suggested that he send sketches to a couple of newspapers. As a result, Gluck received a positive response from one of them, quit his job at school and continued his activities exclusively as a cartoonist.

“Andre would have loved to feed the fish, but he was afraid of the consequences.”

Although all of Gluck’s caricatures reveal various aspects of human nature, and sometimes not the most positive ones, this funny oil painting cannot be called evil.

Laurent Parselier

Laurent Parselier's obvious talent was evident during his studies at the School of Art, after the publication of several of his art albums under the title "Strange World".

His popularity began to spread even further when he won a street painting competition. Fans fell in love with him for his unique style and relaxed manner of painting in oils.

Laurent's works combine complex color compositions and enormous amounts of light. Parselier prefers to paint his paintings in a realistic manner, because in this way, according to him, everyone can guess what kind of place is depicted in the picture.

Kevin Sloan

Kevin Sloan is an American artist whose oil painting can be called modern realism. Kevin himself explains it as a reality with a catch.

The artist’s paintings will truly take you to some other, magical world. The author loves to use symbolism, poetic metaphors and allegories in his paintings, trying to convey the wonders of the natural world and its abundance.

The artist has been painting in oils since high school, and still, 37 years later, it remains his main passion.

Kevin's favorite thing is to draw animals. As he says, they give him more freedom of choice in who and how to paint than in the case of people, and allow him to better focus on the story that he is putting into the basis of the picture.

Richard Estes

Initially, Estes was interested in traditional academic painting, but then he began to paint in the genre of photorealism, because he always wanted to learn how to depict reality on canvas as fully as possible. However, in the artist’s paintings, reality appears idealized, along with perfect forms, clear lines and precise composition.

Estes's favorite subject was city landscapes, when you see them, you begin to doubt whether this is really a painting and not a photograph.

Modern paintings in this genre have become very popular among connoisseurs of 21st century painting.

Oil painting: landscapes and still lifes

In modern painting, in addition to portraits, such genres as landscape and still life are especially popular. We invite you to pay attention to the following names of contemporary artists who create oil paintings in these genres.

Dmitry Annenkov

Dmitry Annenkov seems to be able to draw any subject in such a way that the viewer himself will look at it with different eyes. Not a single detail is hidden from the keen eye of this Russian artist.

He often paints the simplest and most banal, everyday and antique objects, giving each of them its own unique character - as if a soul appears in them. At the same time, they look so alive and realistic that you want to reach out and take them out of the picture. Dmitry is a true master of such a genre of painting as still life.

Now Dmitry is collaborating with various galleries around the world, including from countries such as the USA, Norway and France.

Justina Kopanya

A Polish artist who paints oil paintings that are stunning in volume and depth, all thanks to a special original technique.

Despite the sweeping and expressive nature of the works, the seascapes do not lose the transparency of the water and the lightness of the sails, and even vice versa - they attract with their voluminous texture, which you want to feel by touch.

Justina says that the main goal of her paintings is to convey atmosphere, not realism, and asks that her oil paintings be perceived as fragments of memories.

Despite the fact that various landscapes significantly dominate among her works, she considers people to be her main inspiration.

Xing-Yao Tsen

This young artist, originally from Taiwan, began painting when he was ten years old. Now twenty-nine and with his own style, Xing-Yao Tsen's paintings are recognized by both major art magazines and reputable art galleries.

The artist most often paints cityscapes of San Francisco, where he graduated from the Academy of Arts with a bachelor's degree.

He performs his oil works in a unique “floating” manner - some believe that due to this technique, his oil works can be confused with watercolors. The best time to create landscapes of Xing-Yao Tsen considers sunset and dawn hours.

Pedro Campos

Another fan of photorealism is Pedro Campos, a Spanish artist from Madrid. This oil painting can easily be confused with photography, but who would have thought! One way or another, Pedro’s paintings bring viewers into indescribable delight.

To create oil paintings, he chooses a variety of objects, the main thing being their texture, level of transparency, ability to reflect glare and other parameters that allow him to convey the volume and depth of a non-standard still life.

Most likely, it was his previous work as a restorer that contributed to Pedro’s interest in such realistic still life painting.

You can watch a video selection of other works using the oil painting technique here:

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 Rozin.

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; at the moment 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.

Major international auctions are increasingly including contemporary Russian artists in their auctions of post-war and contemporary art. In February 2007, Sotheby’s held the first and almost sensational specialized auction of Russian contemporary art, which brought 22 auction records. “Artguide” decided to find out which of our contemporary artists collected the largest sums at international auctions and, having compiled the top 10 most expensive living Russian artists based on the results of auction sales, discovered some interesting patterns. All sales prices are based on auction house data and include buyer's premium.

Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky. Night fitness. Fragment. Courtesy authors (www.dubossarskyvinogradov.com)

Of course, there could be no doubt about who exactly became the leader of the auction race: Ilya Kabakov’s grandiose “Beetle”, sold in February 2008 at Phillips de Pury for almost £3 million, is probably remembered by everyone who is interested in contemporary art. A funny children's rhyme, the text of which is written on a wooden panel with a beetle, even acquired a thoughtful intonation in the art historical and market interpretation: “My beetle breaks out, jumps, chirps, it doesn’t want to get into my collection” - this metaphorically means the passion of a collector of modern art, for this same beetle bargaining. (The verse quoted by Kabakov, written by the architect A. Maslennikova, an amateur poet from Voronezh, was published in the children’s collection of poems, rhymes and riddles “Between Summer and Winter”, published in 1976 by the publishing house “Children’s Literature” - and Kabakov illustrated this book True, that beetle was not in his black and white illustrations).

It should be added that if we were not making the top 10 most expensive living artists, but the top 10 of their most expensive works, then Kabakov’s paintings would take the first three places on this list. That is, the three most expensive works of a living Russian artist belong to him - in addition to “Beetle”, these are “Luxury Room” 1981 (Phillips de Pury, London, June 21, 2007, £2.036 million) and “Vacation No. 10” 1987 (Phillips de Pury London, 14 April 2011, £1.497 million). On top of that, the generous Kabakov “gave” another record to the Vienna auction Dorotheum - a year ago, on November 24, 2011, the painting “At the University” went there for €754.8 thousand, becoming the most expensive work of contemporary art ever sold at this auction.

The silver medalist will probably also be easily named by many - this is Eric Bulatov, whose canvas “Glory to the CPSU” was sold for a record amount for the artist at the same Phillips de Pury auction as Kabakov’s “Beetle.”

But the third place of the nonconformist Evgeny Chubarov, whose late work “Untitled” went to Phillips de Pury for £720 thousand in June 2007, could be called a surprise, if not for the fact that a few months earlier, in February the same year, Chubarov had already created a sensation at Sotheby's in London, at a specialized auction of Russian contemporary art, where his work with the same title (or rather, without it) was sold for £288 thousand (with an upper estimate of £60 thousand), not only beating the supposed top lot of that auction, Bulatov’s painting “Revolution - Perestroika” (sale price £198 thousand), but also becoming the most expensive work of a living Russian artist at that time. By the way, here it is, the irony of currency exchange rate fluctuations: in November 2000, Grisha Bruskin’s polyptych was sold in New York for $424 thousand, and then in pounds sterling it was £296.7 thousand, and in February 2007, when it was installed Chubarov’s first record is already only £216.6 thousand.

Works by fourth place winners Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid are frequent and quite successful lots at Western auctions, although their estimates rarely exceed £100 thousand. The duo’s second most expensive work is “The Yalta Conference. The Judgment of Paris" was sold at Macdougall's auction in 2007 for £184.4 thousand. But it should be taken into account, of course, that the painting that brought them fourth place belongs to fairly early works that rarely appear at auction and that it was exhibited in 1976 at the first (and very high-profile) foreign exhibition of Komar and Melamid at the Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York.

Following Komar and Melamid, Oleg Vasiliev and Semyon Faibisovich consistently hold a high bar at auctions. Vasiliev was third at that extraordinarily successful 2008 Phillips de Pury auction, which brought records to Ilya Kabakov and Erik Bulatov, and Faibisovich was fourth. Then Vasiliev’s painting “Variation on the theme of the cover of the magazine “Ogonyok”” from 1980 was sold for ₤356 thousand with an estimate of ₤120 thousand, and “Another look at the Black Sea” by Faibisovich from 1986 was sold for £300.5 thousand with an estimate of ₤120 thousand. Estimate £60-80 thousand Works by both artists often fetch six-figure sums at auction.

True, it was not the record-breaking “Soldiers” that brought Faibisovich fame at auction, but the painting “Beauty,” sold at Sotheby’s on March 12, 2008 - this was the auction house’s second auction of contemporary Russian art, not counting the Moscow auction in 1988. The painting (its other name is “The First of May”) then went for £264 thousand with an estimate of £60-80 thousand; a real battle broke out between buyers for it. Another painting by Faibisovich “On Moskovskaya Street” at that auction exceeded the estimate twice and was sold for £126 thousand. We add that, according to the Artprice portal, Semyon Faibisovich is the only Russian artist included in the top 500 best-selling 2011-2012.

About the same can be said about Oleg Tselkov, who occupies eighth place in the top 10. Already half a century ago, he found his style and theme, a recognizable and authoritative artist, he regularly supplies auctions with his fluorescent round faces, which have continued success. The second most expensive painting by Tselkov, “Five Faces,” was sold in June 2007 at MacDougall’s for £223.1 thousand, the third, “Two with Beetles,” was sold in November of the same year at the same auction (MacDougall’s always puts up for auction several Tselkovs of different price range) for £202.4 thousand.

Grisha Bruskin has played a special role in the auction history of Russian contemporary art since 1988, with the Moscow Sotheby's auction entitled Russian Avant-Garde and Soviet Contemporary Art, where his “Fundamental Lexicon” was sold for a sensational £220 thousand, 12 times higher estimate. About the same thing, and maybe even more sensational, happened with the polyptych “Logia. Part I” in 2000 at Christie’s in New York: the polyptych went for $424 thousand, exceeding the upper estimate by 21 (!) times - this alone can be considered a kind of record. Most likely, this extraordinary purchase is due not least to the significance of Bruskin’s name as the hero of the legendary Moscow Sotheby’s auction, because no other auction sales of Bruskin even come close to these amounts.

The price of Oscar Rabin does not fluctuate, but is steadily and very noticeably growing, especially for works of the Soviet period - all the most expensive works of this master sold at auction were painted in the late 1950s - early 1970s. These are (in addition to his record-breaking "Socialist City") "Baths (Smell the Cologne "Moscow", 1966, Sotheby's, New York, April 17, 2007, $336 thousand) and "Violin in the Graveyard" (1969, Macdougall's, London, November 27 2006, £168.46).

The top ten are closed by representatives of the younger generation - Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky, whose most expensive paintings were sold at Phillips de Pury (the second most expensive is “The Last Butterfly”, 1997, Phillips de Pury, New York, $181 thousand). These artists, in general, continue a trend that is quite clearly noticeable in the ranking of the most expensive paintings by living artists. We’ll talk about it a little lower, but for now here’s, finally, a list of the most expensive works of living Russian artists.

Top 10 works by living Russian artists

1. Ilya Kabakov (b. 1933). Bug. 1982. Wood, enamel. 226.5 x 148.5. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, February 28, 2008. Estimate £1.2-1.8 million. Sale price £2.93 million.

2. Erik Bulatov (b. 1933). Glory to the CPSU. 1975. Oil on canvas. 229.5 x 229. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, February 28, 2008. Estimate £500-700 thousand. Sale price £1.084 million.

3. Evgeny Chubarov (b. 1934). Untitled. 1994. Oil on canvas. 300 x 200. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, June 22, 2007. Estimate £100-150 thousand. Sale price £720 thousand.

4. Vitaly Komar (b. 1943) and Alexander Melamid (b. 1945). Meeting between Solzhenitsyn and Bell at Rostropovich's dacha. 1972. Oil on canvas, collage, gold foil. 175 x 120. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, April 23, 2010. Estimate £100-150 thousand. Sale price £657.25 thousand.

5. Oleg Vasiliev (b. 1931). Before sunset. 1990. Oil on canvas. 210 x 165. Sotheby’s auction, London, March 12, 2008. Estimate £200-300 thousand. Sale price £468.5 thousand.

6. Semyon Faibisovich (b. 1949). Soldiers. From the series “Stations”. 1989. Oil on canvas. 285.4 x 190.5. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, October 13, 2007. Estimate £40-60 thousand. Sale price £311.2 thousand.

8. Oleg Tselkov (b. 1934). Boy with balloons. Canvas, oil. 103.5 x 68.5. MacDougall's auction, London, November 28, 2008. Estimate £200-300 thousand. Sale price £238.4 thousand.

9. Oscar Rabin (b. 1928). City and Moon (Socialist City). 1959. Oil on canvas. 90 x 109. Sotheby’s auction, New York, April 15, 2008. Estimate $120-160 thousand. Sale price $337 thousand (£171.4 at the dollar to pound sterling exchange rate as of April 2008).

10. Alexander Vinogradov (b. 1963) and Vladimir Dubossarsky (b. 1964). Night training. 2004. Oil on canvas. 194.9 x 294.3. Phillips de Pury & Company auction, London, June 22, 2007. Estimate £15-20 thousand. Sale price £132 thousand.

It is known that auction prices are an irrational thing and one cannot judge by them the true role and significance of the artist in the artistic process. But from them and from the top lots one can roughly judge collector’s preferences. What are they? You don't need to be an expert to answer this question. They are obvious. Firstly, all the artists (except perhaps Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky) are “living classics” in years, and very respectable ones at that. Secondly, for almost each of them the records were set not by works of recent years, but by much earlier ones, that is, the pattern “the older, the better” is relevant here too. Thirdly, without exception, all works from the top 10 are easel paintings. Fourthly, these are all large and very large paintings. The only ones that can be considered more or less “standard” in this regard are “The City and the Moon” by Oscar Rabin and “The Boy with Balloons” by Oleg Tselkov; all the others greatly exceed human height in height (not even in width). Finally, for all these artists, the theme of the Soviet (in particular, nonconformist) past is in one way or another relevant, in many cases accentuated in their works. It seems that our collectors are experiencing acute nostalgia for this very Soviet past (it is well known that it is Russian collectors who buy Russian art in the West).

Younger than the other leaders of auction sales, Alexander Vinogradov and Vladimir Dubossarsky are somewhat stubbornly trying to break out of the dozens of harsh nonconformists, but this is only at first glance. In fact, if you imagine which of the generations following Kabakov, Bulatov, Rabin, Vasiliev, Tselkov can best meet the above criteria for purchase (large-sized easel paintings, rehashes of Soviet genres, motifs and stylistics), then this will probably turn out to be Vinogradov and Dubossarsky, worthy heirs of the masters of previous decades. At least judging by auction sales.

The art of modern painting is works created currently or in the recent past. A certain number of years will pass, and these paintings will become part of history. Works of painting created from the 60s of the last century to the present day reflect several trends in modern art that can be classified as postmodernism. During Art Nouveau times, the work of painters was more widely represented, and in the 70s of the twentieth century there was a change in the social orientation of the art of painting.

Contemporary art

Artists of modern painting primarily represent new trends in fine art. In cultural terminology, there is the concept of “contemporary art”, which in some way correlates with the concept of “contemporary painting”. By contemporary art, artists most often mean innovation, when the painter turns to cutting-edge themes, regardless of their focus. The picture can be painted in and depict any industrial enterprise. Or on the canvas there is a landscape landscape with a wheat field, meadow, forest, but at the same time a combine harvester will certainly be drawn in the distance. The style of modern painting assumes a social orientation of the picture. At the same time, landscapes by contemporary artists without social overtones are valued much more highly.

Choosing a direction

Since the late 90s, artists of modern painting have abandoned industrial themes and transferred their creativity into the mainstream of pure fine art. Masters of fine portrait painting, landscape subjects, and still lifes in the style of Flemish painting appeared. And gradually, true art began to appear in modern painting, in no way inferior to the paintings created by outstanding artists of the 18th and 19th centuries, and in some ways even superior to them. Today's brush masters are helped by a developed technical base and an abundance of new tools that allow them to fully reflect their plans on canvas. Thus, artists of modern painting can create to the best of their abilities. Of course, the quality of paints or brushes is important in the process of painting, but the main thing is talent.

Abstract expressionism

Modern artists adhere to painting methods that allow the use of non-geometric strokes applied in large numbers on a large canvas. Large brushes are used, sometimes paint brushes. Such painting can hardly be called art in the classical sense of the word, but abstraction is a continuation of surrealism, which appeared back in 1920 thanks to the ideas of Andre Breton and immediately found a lot of followers, such as Salvator Dali, Hans Hofmann, Adolf Gottlieb. At the same time, artists of modern painting understand expressionism in their own way. Today, this genre differs from its predecessor in the size of the canvases, which can reach three meters in length.

Pop Art

A counterbalance to abstractionism was the conceptual new avant-gardeism, which promoted aesthetic values. Modern artists began to include images of famous figures in their paintings, such as Mao Zedong or Marilyn Monroe. This art is called "pop art" - a popular, generally recognized direction in painting. Mass culture replaced abstract art and gave rise to a special type of aesthetics, which in a colorful, spectacular manner presented to the public what was on everyone’s lips, some recent events or images of well-known people in different life situations.

The founders and followers of pop art were Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, Peter Blake, Roy Lichtenstein.

Photorealism

Contemporary art is multifaceted; often a new direction arises in it, combining two or more types of visual creativity. Photorealism became such a form of artist’s self-expression. This style of painting appeared in the USA in 1968. It was invented by avant-garde artist Louis Meisel, and the genre was introduced two years later, at the Whitney Museum during the exhibition “Twenty-Two Realists.”

Painting in the style of photorealism is associated with photography; the movement of the object is frozen in time. A photorealist artist collects his image, which will be captured in the picture, using photographs. From a negative or slide, the image is transferred to the canvas by projection or using a scale grid. Then a full-fledged picture is created using painting technologies.

The heyday of photorealism occurred in the mid-70s, then there was a decline in popularity, and in the early 90s the genre was revived again. Established artists worked mainly in the USA, among them there were many sculptors who also created their works using image projection. The most famous masters of painting based on photorealism are Richard Estes, Charles Bellet, Thomas Blackwell, Robert Demekis, Donald Eddy, Duane Hanson.

Photorealist artists of the younger generation - Raffaella Spence, Roberto Bernardi, Chiara Albertoni, Tony Brunelli, Olivier Romano, Bertrand Meniel, Clive Head.

Contemporary artists of Russia

• Serge Fedulov (born 1958), a native of Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Territory. Participant of several exhibitions in Latin America and Europe. His paintings are distinguished by their realism and contrasting color combinations.
• Mikhail Golubev (born 1981), graduated from the art class of the Omsk School of Painting. Currently lives in St. Petersburg. He is distinguished by an unusual style of creativity; all his works are paintings-reflections with deep philosophical overtones.
• Dmitry Annenkov (born 1965) in Moscow. Graduated from the Stroganov Art Institute. Popular abroad, but gives preference to Russian exhibitions. Annenkov's art is realistic; the artist is a recognized master of still life.

Russian impressionists

• Alexey Chernigin, Russian impressionist artist (born 1975), is the son of the famous artist Alexander Chernigin. Studied painting and graphic design at the Nizhny Novgorod Art School. Graduated from the Nizhny Novgorod Architectural Institute with a degree in Industrial Design. Member of the Union of Artists of Russia since 1998. Since 2001, he has been a teacher at NGASU at the Department of Interior Design.
• Konstantin Lupanov, Krasnodar artist (born 1977). Graduated from the Industrial Academy at the State University of Culture and Arts with a degree in Monumental Painting. Participant of many art exhibitions in St. Petersburg. He is distinguished by a rare style of oil painting with swirling strokes. Lupanov's paintings are completely devoid of contrasting color combinations; the images seem to flow into one another. The artist himself calls his works “cheerful, irresponsible daub,” but there is some coquetry in this statement: the paintings are actually painted quite professionally.

Russian artists painting in nude style

• Sergei Marshennikov (born 1971), one of the most famous Russian artists of our time. Graduated from the Ufa College of Arts. His paintings are an example of blatant realism. The works give the impression of an artistic photograph, the composition is so precise and every stroke is verified. The artist’s wife, Natalya, most often plays the role of model, and this helps him create a sensual picture.
• Vera Vasilyevna Donskaya-Khilko (born 1964), granddaughter of the famous opera singer Lavrenty Dmitrievich Donskoy. The brightest representative of modern Russian painting. He draws in the style of a plot nude. In the artist’s creative palette one can find beauties from an oriental harem and naked village girls on the river bank on the night of Ivan Kupala, a Russian bath with hot women going out into the snow and swimming in an ice hole. The artist draws a lot and talentedly.

Contemporary Russian artists and their work are of increasing interest to connoisseurs of fine arts around the world.

Contemporary painting as world art

Currently, visual creativity has taken forms different from those that were in demand in the 18th and 19th centuries. Contemporary artists of the world turned to the avant-garde in a narrower interpretation, the canvases acquired sophistication and became more meaningful. Society today needs updated art; the need extends to all types of creativity, including painting. Paintings by contemporary artists, if they are made at a sufficiently high level, are sold out and become the subject of bargaining or exchange. Some paintings are included in the list of especially valuable works of art. Paintings from the past, painted by great painters, are still in demand, but contemporary artists are becoming increasingly popular. Oil, tempera, watercolor, and other paints help them in creativity and the successful implementation of their plans. Painters, as a rule, adhere to one style. This could be a landscape, portrait, battle scenes or another genre. Accordingly, the artist chooses a certain type of paint for his work.

Contemporary artists of the world

The most famous contemporary artists differ in their painting style, their brush is recognizable, sometimes you don’t even need to look at the signature at the bottom of the canvas. Famous masters of modern painting are Philip Pearlstein, Alexander Isachev, Francis Bacon, Stanislav Plutenko, Peter Blake, Freud Lucien, Michael Parkes, Guy Johnson, Eric Fischl, Nikolai Blokhin, Vasily Shulzhenko.

Modern art is usually called all kinds of artistic movements that emerged at the end of the 20th century. In the post-war period, it was a kind of outlet that again taught people to dream and invent new realities of life.

Tired of the shackles of the harsh rules of the past, young artists decided to break the old artistic norms. They sought to create new, previously unknown practices. Contrasting themselves with modernism, they turned to new ways of revealing their stories. The artist and the concept behind his creation have become much more important than the outcome of the creative activity itself. The desire to move away from the established framework led to the emergence of new genres.

Disputes began to arise among artists about the meaning of art and ways of expressing it. What is art? By what means can one achieve genuine art? Conceptualists and minimalists found the answer for themselves in the phrase: “If art can be everything, then it can be nothing.” For them, a departure from the usual visual means resulted in various events, happenings and performances. What is the peculiarity of contemporary art in the 21st century? This is what we will talk about in the article.

Three-dimensional graphics in the art of the 21st century

The art of the 21st century is famous in 3D graphics. With the development of computer technology, artists have access to new means of creating their art. The essence of three-dimensional graphics is to create images by modeling objects in three-dimensional space. If you consider most forms of contemporary art in the 21st century, 3D image making appears to be the most traditional. 3D graphics has many sides, in the truest sense of the word. It is used to create programs, games, images and videos on a computer. But it can also be seen right under your feet - on the asphalt.

3D graphics moved onto the streets several decades ago and have remained one of the most important forms of street art ever since. Many artists paint three-dimensional images in their “paintings” that can amaze with their realism. Edgar Müller, Eduardo Rolero, Kurt Wenner and many other contemporary artists today create art that can surprise anyone.

21st century street art

Previously, occupation was the lot of wealthy people. For centuries it was covered with the walls of special institutions, where access to the uninitiated was denied. Obviously, his enormous power could not languish forever inside the stuffy buildings. It was then that it got out into the gray gloomy streets. Chose to change our history forever. Although at first everything was not so simple.

Not everyone was happy about his birth. Many considered it the result of a bad experience. Some even refused to pay attention to its existence. Meanwhile, the brainchild continued to grow and develop.

Street artists faced difficulties along the way. For all its diversity of forms, street art was sometimes difficult to distinguish from vandalism.

It all started in the 70s of the last century in New York. At this time, street art was in its infancy. And his life was supported by Julio 204 and Taki 183. They left inscriptions in different places in their area, then expanding the distribution area. Other guys decided to compete with them. This is where the fun began. Enthusiasm and the desire to show off resulted in a battle of creativity. Everyone was eager to discover for themselves and others a more original way to make their mark.

In 1981, street art managed to cross the ocean. Street artist from France BlekleRat helped him with this. He is considered one of the first graffiti artists in Paris. He is also called the father of stencil graffiti. His signature touch is the drawings of rats, which refers to the name of their creator. The author noticed that after rearranging the letters in the word rat (rat), the result is art (art). Blek once noted: "The rat is the only free animal in Paris, which is spreading everywhere, just like street art."

The most famous street artist is Banksy, who calls BlekleRat his main teacher. The topical works of this talented Briton can silence anyone. In his drawings, created using stencils, he exposes modern society with its vices. Banksy has a traditional style that allows him to leave an even greater impression on the audience. An interesting fact is that Banksy’s identity is still shrouded in mystery. No one has yet managed to solve the mystery of the artist’s identity.

Meanwhile, street art is rapidly gaining momentum. Once relegated to fringe movements, street art has ascended to the stage of auctions. Artists' works are being sold for incredible sums by those who once refused to talk about him. What is this, the life-giving force of art or mainstream trends?

Forms

Today there are several quite interesting manifestations of contemporary art. Review of the most unusual forms of contemporary art will be presented to your attention below.

Ready-made

The term readymade comes from English, which means “ready”. In fact, the goal of this direction is not to create anything material. The main idea here is that depending on the environment of an object, a person’s perception of the object itself changes. The founder of the movement is Marcel Duchamp. His most famous work is the “Fountain”, which is a urinal with an autograph and date.

Anamorphoses

Anamorphosis is a technique for creating images in such a way that they can only be fully seen from a certain angle. One of the brightest representatives of this trend is the Frenchman Bernard Pras. He creates installations using whatever comes to hand. Thanks to his skill, he manages to create amazing works, which, however, can only be seen from a certain angle.

Biological fluids in art

One of the most controversial movements in contemporary art of the 21st century is drawing painted with human fluids. Often followers of this modern art form use blood and urine. The color of the paintings in this case often takes on a gloomy, frightening look. Hermann Nitsch, for example, uses animal blood and urine. The author explains the use of such unexpected materials by a difficult childhood during the Second World War.

Painting of the XX-XXI centuries

A brief history of painting contains information that the end of the 20th century became the starting point for many iconic artists of our time. In the difficult post-war years, the sphere experienced its rebirth. Artists sought to discover new facets of their capabilities.

Suprematism

Kazimir Malevich is considered to be the creator of Suprematism. Being the main theoretician, he proclaimed Suprematism as a way to cleanse art of all unnecessary things. By abandoning the usual methods of conveying images, artists sought to free art from the extra-artistic. The most important work in this genre is the famous “Black Square” by Malevich.

Pop Art

Pop art has its origins in the USA. In the post-war years, society experienced global changes. People could now afford more. Consumption has become the most important part of life. People began to be elevated to cults, and consumer products to symbols. Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and other followers of the movement sought to use these symbols in their paintings.

Futurism

Futurism was discovered in 1910. The main idea of ​​this movement was the desire for something new, the destruction of the framework of the past. Artists depicted this desire using a special technique. Sharp strokes, flows, connections and intersections are signs of futurism. The most famous representatives of futurism are Marinetti, Severini, Carra.

Contemporary art in Russia of the 21st century

Contemporary art in Russia (21st century) smoothly flowed from the underground, “unofficial” art of the USSR. Young artists of the 90s were looking for new ways to realize their artistic ambitions in a new country. At this time, Moscow actionism was born. His followers challenged the past and its ideology. The destruction of borders (literally and figuratively) made it possible to depict the attitude of the younger generation to the situation in the country. Contemporary art of the 21st century has become expressive, frightening, shocking. The kind that society has been closing itself off from for so long. Actions of Anatoly Osmolovsky (“Mayakovsky - Osmolovsky”, “Against everyone”, “Barricade on Bolshaya Nikitskaya”), the movement “ETI” (“ETI-text”), Oleg Kulik (“Piglet gives out gifts”, “Mad Dog or the Last Taboo” , guarded by a lonely Cerberus”), Avdey Ter-Oganyan (“Pop Art”) forever changed the history of modern art.

New Generation

Slava PTRK is a contemporary artist from Yekaterinburg. Some may be reminded of his work by Banksy. However, Slava’s works contain ideas and feelings that are familiar only to a Russian citizen. One of his most notable works is the “Land of Opportunity” campaign. The artist created an inscription from crutches on the building of an abandoned hospital in Yekaterinburg. Slava bought crutches from city residents who once used them. The artist announced the action on his social network page, adding an appeal to his fellow citizens.

Museums of Contemporary Art

Perhaps, at one time, contemporary fine art of the 21st century seemed like a marginal medium, but today more and more people are striving to join the new field of art. More and more museums are opening their doors to new means of expression. New York is a record holder in the field of contemporary art. There are also two museums here, which are among the best in the world.

The first is MoMA, which is a repository of paintings by Matisse, Dali, and Warhol. The second is a museum. The unusual architecture of the building is adjacent to the works of Picasso, Marc Chagall, Kandinsky and many others.

Europe is also famous for its magnificent museums of 21st century contemporary art. The KIASMA Museum in Helsinki allows you to touch the objects on display. The center in the capital of France amazes with its unusual architecture and works of contemporary artists. The Stedelijkmuseum in Amsterdam houses the largest collection of paintings by Malevich. The capital of Great Britain has a huge number of contemporary art objects. The Vienna Museum of Modern Art has works by Andy Warhol and other talented contemporary artists.

Contemporary art of the 21st century (painting) - mysterious, incomprehensible, fascinating, has forever changed the vector of development not only of a separate sphere, but also of the entire life of mankind. It reflects and creates modernity at the same time. Constantly changing, the art of modernity allows a person who is constantly in a hurry to stop for a moment. Stop to remember the feelings that lie deep inside. Stop to pick up the pace again and rush into the whirlwind of events and affairs.