About how he came
to painting and the musical component of creativity, the businessman and former general director of Karo Film spoke in an interview with Posta-Magazine.
To people related to the film industry, Igor Ilchuk for a long time was known as CEO cinema network "Karo Film" and president of the association "Kinoalliance". A successful businessman, traveler, exemplary family man and father of two sons, a few years ago Igor became seriously interested in painting, but at first it remained only a hobby for him. Having turned, in his words, “to professionals”, Igor today devotes himself completely to this hobby, which has become work and the meaning of life. Today his exhibition “Cosmos. City. Man", which presents the artist's works dedicated to the space theme. Apart from interesting technique performance, this project is attracted by the fact that each painting has musical accompaniment, since music for the author is an integral part of life and directly affects the perception of painting.
We met with Igor Ilchuk at the K35 Gallery, located in a loft on Savvinskaya Embankment, on the eve of the exhibition. And we talked with him and with the owner of the gallery, Maria Saava, about their cooperation, about how Igor came to painting and whether it is difficult to combine business and creativity.
Igor, how did you become an artist? After all, you started painting already in adulthood, and, being a serious businessman, they suddenly changed their lives so drastically.
I never cease to be amazed at what happened. But it seems to me that everything went towards this, albeit in a roundabout way. I started painting even before working at Karo Film. In show business, I have long and always been somehow connected with art. But cinema until a certain time occupied my whole life, and very fascinated me. However, at some point I realized that you can’t just work, that there is another life. leaving no thought of career growth, I began to look for other opportunities to realize myself. Tried a lot of things. He was fond of jurisprudence, ancient Roman law, civil law, entered legal institute and finished it. But this passion did not continue, although I even worked in a foreign company as a legal adviser - specifically to gain experience.
- You even once entered the Aviation Technology Institute.
Yes, it was also one of the experiences in my life. But a year later I realized that it was not mine. And then it so happened that my father, a professor who worked (and continues to work) at the Academy. Plekhanov, helped me transfer there. And I graduated from it externally. I wanted to get free bread as soon as possible. Then I worked in the banking sector, my career was very closely connected with Media Most, which gave me a lot. There were other hobbies, sports, for example. And in 1996, I accidentally got to the exhibition of Mikhail Vrubel in Tretyakov Gallery. And it was like a lightning strike! At first I was interested technical aspects his paintings - how it is done, is it technically possible to repeat. And in trying to understand this, I realized that technique is secondary, and primary is the very skill of the author, his pictorial power. In an attempt to understand all this, I delved into the history of art, the study Silver Age, then - the avant-garde.
Maria Saava ("K35") and Igor Ilchuk in front of the painting "The Blue Planet"
- Where did you get your art education?
To study the basics of mastery, I entered classes for adults at the lyceum at the Surikov School. Then there was a break of five years, when I completely immersed myself in the study of the school of Pavel Nikolayevich Filonov, the founder of analytical art. And that gave me a theoretical basis. His “Letter to an Aspiring Artist” is still the basis for me, everything else is inner work artist. Each line needs to be checked - how honest it is, not fake, how much it harmonizes with the canvas.
“Who knows how to act with a form in art (only, for example, in painting or drawing), he owns it in relation to any kind of material: glue, oil, watercolor, sculpture, and so on, and, moreover, any kind of technique and with the same degree perfection."
© Pavel Filonov
- Did all this happen in parallel with your main work?
Yes, but starting around 2007, I devoted all my leisure time, especially due to our long winter, to paintings. It remained my hobby of the year until 2012. Then we just realized that we were selling Karo Film, and the new shareholders announced to me that they no longer needed my services. Then I realized that I need to understand how to build life further. There was an option to stay in the business, or retire, which is early, or do something completely new. I realized that I don't want to work for any other film company. I didn’t want to devote myself to sports or lie on the beach either. I consulted with my family, with my wife, who has supported me all this time, and she said that she would not mind if I devoted a few years to a professional artistic career.
How did the people around you react?
In golf there is such a thing when a player becomes a professional - so I decided to become a professional artist after finishing my work at Karo. I announced this to friends and acquaintances, saying that if they have a commercial interest in my work, they can show it. What they took advantage of - I immediately received an offer for several exhibitions, held them abroad. The first was in North Carolina (14 paintings), the second in Florida (30 paintings). Due to a number of circumstances, I began to focus on a foreign audience, perhaps also because the procedure for organizing exhibitions abroad is more democratic and simple than in our country. Although at first glance. In general, I am interested in working in many territories. I have a studio here in Russia, in the USA and in France.
"Mercury"
- Business experience obviously helps you with this. No plans to return to business?
It helps, of course. But to be honest, I don't see any today. Russian company where I would like to work. Yes, and foreign, represented in Russia, too. I'm much more interested in being creative now. I am very glad that I have pictures, it saves from bad mood, For example.
- The state of depression, dissatisfaction is characteristic of creative people.
I wouldn't generalize. For example, I also consider myself a creative person. But in life guided by the principle: work, build and not whine. Deineka once said this. And I fully support him in this.
- Is it because you didn't start out as an artist?
Of course there are creative downturns, but I somehow calmly get out of them. You know, I'm used to recording all the interesting thoughts that come to my mind. I write them in order to re-read during the blues and try to translate something into painting.
- What else inspires you?
Music is an integral part of my life. I always listen to something when I write. The range of interests in this regard is quite wide - all classical works, including contemporary authors- Schnittke, for example. Bach, Rachmaninoff. When I once heard his “Third Concerto” on the radio, my impressions were about the same as after Vrubel in the Tretyakov Gallery. Acquaintance with the work of Rachmaninov led to the fact that one day I, using my connections, agreed that I could make sketches during a rehearsal of the Grand Symphony Orchestra. Tchaikovsky, and as a result the painting "Rakhmaninov" was born. There are a number of concerts that I would like to draw. I'm interested in Vivaldi, Bach, Chopin, Grieg. But in a specific performance, since this is also of great importance. I like classic rock Led Zeppelin, Metallica... I can talk endlessly about music! The works of famous artists also inspire me, I would like to embody some of their ideas in my own way. Let's say Dali has a series of "Metamorphoses". Or Gustav Klimt - one of my teachers, along with Filonov or Kandinsky. Why teachers - because I learn not only from their theoretical works, but also contemplating their work, because no one can say better than the picture itself for the artist.
- Someone from contemporary artists close to you?
Yes, this is Pollock, Rothko - he influenced me very much with his courage. Portality, which is in his paintings, is close to me. I can also name Chagall, Picasso, but their early periods. Deineka, Grabar, Petrov-Vodkin of the 30s. I don't have an art history education, what I see in galleries inspires me, I learn from paintings.
Does travel influence your work?
It is always an expansion of horizons, fresh impressions. In this planet, I really like to sail on steamboats - there is a very harmonious combination of knowledge and relaxation. I paint a lot of pictures on cruises. In general, there are no uncomfortable conditions for painting pictures. I drew my first picture on the plane on the way from Moscow to Los Angeles, and then I finished it on the way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
"Name and Time"
So, you are not wasting your time.
I just want to do a lot of things. I even stopped watching movies with my wife, because I sat and thought: “Igor, what are you doing here, go to work!”. The wife, fortunately, is not offended. But before, I was paid money for watching films ... I consider myself lucky. They say that the ability to draw and see the world in this way is a gift, but in fact I am just a kind of “brush”. Every day I get up and pray that I have this left. Because as everything came, so it can go. Now my task is to work and work again.
Maria Saava: - Listening to Igor, I remembered the saying about what a man must do in his life. Having a son and building a house are more social things, if I may say so. And to plant a tree is, figuratively speaking, to do something that will remain after you on long years for your family or a wider range of people. It seems to me that the creativity that Igor came to (although he calls creativity what he did earlier) - we will be able to see for a very long time. This is the same tree that is still young and gaining strength.
- How did you meet?
I first saw Igor's website, I liked his paintings, we met in person and decided to cooperate.
Igor: - I think that in modern world an artist cannot do without a gallery owner, this also applies to determining the pricing policy and promoting paintings, because I want my paintings to please people, and not stand in my studio.
Maria: - I really liked his work and I realized that I would like to exhibit his paintings in our gallery. If we do not go into the commercial component, then for us in the first place is the element of emotionality. If an artist doesn't touch me, I won't be able to represent him the way I need to.
- Igor, why are the presented works space-themed?
In my youth, I spent a lot of time studying Indian meditation practices. staying Orthodox Christian, I am a follower of the teachings of Osho Rajneesh, I have a Sanskrit name. The inner liberation that happened to me when I decided to change my life and paint professionally would not have happened without this influence. Practicing some kind of meditative practices, a person, including me, feels a connection with certain comic vibrations - let's call it that. And I depicted them in my works. And then - the pictures come already in finished form, I, as I said, are just a brush.
- Are you an expensive artist?
Looking with whom to compare.
Maria: - As a gallery owner, I orient Igor to the fact that we need to be conservative in terms of prices, because he is still a polishing artist. But at the same time, I understand that what Igor does is a very correct and honest job. What is so lacking in contemporary art today, in my opinion and the opinion of my foreign colleagues, is the artist's honesty towards himself and the viewer. People get tired of conceptuality and postmodernism, of low-quality art. This causes irritation and misunderstanding.
- Igor, what do you expect from this exhibition?
This series of paintings has not yet been exhibited, this is my first large-scale exhibition in Moscow. And not quite ordinary - a combination of music and pictures. I wonder how the viewer will perceive this experiment. I look forward to impressions.
Details from Posta-Magazine:
As part of the exhibition, on April 27, the gallery will organize a free master class by Igor Ilchuk, where everyone can talk with the artist and look at the process of painting by him.
"In the garden where we met,
Your favorite chrysanthemum bush has blossomed..."
"In that garden" ArtRage, graphic tablet
Elena Yushina
Interview with the artist
Today you will have a wonderful meeting with talented person, beautiful woman and amazing artist Elena Yushina. Elena's pictures scattered all over the Internet. Her painting is lyrical, elegant and luminous. And the artist’s friendship with light allows her to create something magical out of the ordinary… 
1. Elena, a traditional question, tell us how and when did you decide to become an artist?
For as long as I can remember, I have been drawing. That is, I do not remember myself NOT drawing. 
Girl with a pencil
2. Can you tell us a little about your family?
I am married and have a son 
Sonny
Now the son is an adult, he has been living and working in Holland for 15 years. 
My Holland
We travel a lot, and of course, traveling gives us new impressions and emotions.
3. Have you been passionate about drawing since childhood?
It would probably be appropriate to remember my mother, who instilled a love for art (not only for painting, but also for music) and developed my “drawing” abilities. She graduated from the famous Gnesinka, taught music theory and piano, was my best, most faithful and unusually interesting friend. Everything that I can in life (in every sense), I owe to her.
4. Do you remember your first painting?
When the sea was big
No, I don't remember... For a long time it was difficult for me to call pictures, what I JUST painted, trying to express, convey what I see and feel. And still, what I draw, I affectionately call "pictures"
5. When did you feel like an artist?
To be honest, only last couple years, when I began to paint "seriously". It so happened that I worked in areas far from art and painting, and “drawing” (as I called my painting) has always been DEEP for myself, for the soul. 
If you leave...
6. How do you think the artist sees the world around him differently?
7. Completing the picture, do you feel satisfaction or do you feel sorry to part with it?
No, you know, I gladly "let her go" as a grown child. I never redo or go back to what I wrote before. They live separate life. Moreover, only by letting go, I can start something new. 
An artist who paints rain
8. Do you have a favorite painting?
If you are talking about my work, then no. There are more successful, there are less - from the point of view of what I wanted, what was possible. After all, two things are important in the work: WHAT is depicted, and HOW, that is, with what “skill”, technique. There are works in which there is more emphasis on "what", but how "lame"... And vice versa... There are works that are technically more advanced, but in which there is less "me". 
second half of summer
9. What do you like to draw more? And what do you like to draw more?
Everything that touches me. It can also be a ray of light in which dust particles swirl, 
motes
Or drops on glass 
Rainy season (pastel)
Or a foggy forest.. Or leaves in a vase.. 
Autumn (graphic tablet)
Or two girls walking clumsily in the wet snow... 
Caution girls, snowfall (pastel)
With what? First there was watercolor. 
Almost two years ago I tried pastels for the first time. Moreover, without knowing the theory at all, in his own way, learning from his mistakes ... Now it begins new period- oil. 
There will be a thunderstorm (cardboard, oil)
And I'm glad for that. I really love to learn, I love to do something new, and the “routine”, even successful, depresses me.
10. You have amazing work, amazing sense of light. When preparing for an interview with you, I went to many pages where your work is published, read the comments. Emotions alone - delight, surprise, declaration of love for your talent. And I understand these comments very well, because I literally fell ill with your paintings. Has there been criticism in your life? And how do you feel about her? 
Narva flowers
You know, unfortunately, I had real, professional criticism only during my studies, from teachers. And of course, there is a lack of advice, critical appraisal, parsing errors. Criticism helps, saves time, which is wasted, until you “reach” something yourself ... And it happens that you will never reach without criticism
11. Elena, do you paint in the studio or in the open air?
Silver day... (pastel)
You have noticed that very often in my works there are windows from the inside... I like to draw "from the window"... Although... It's so different.
12. Many of your paintings convey comfort, warmth and peace. Surely this mood of the paintings arises due to inner harmony and love for the world around you. But at the same time, there are paintings that are very emotional and characteristic. In what state of mind are they born? Does the tone and shades of your work depend on your mood?
Yes, you know, you just “overheard” my thoughts. The most important thing for me is to be “in tune” with myself. It is not necessarily peace, but it is necessarily harmony. Harmony of love, harmony of sadness, harmony... 
Melody for saxophone
And the emotional coloring is very often created by music. I "draw" the music that sounds in my head. Often these are illustrations of how I "see" this or that musical composition. And of course, the color scheme "corresponds" to the mood.
13. Top 5 favorite artists?
Korovin (struck in early childhood when my mother showed me his work), Serov, Levitan, Renoir, Polenov, probably more...
14. Elena, can you single out anyone from contemporary artists?
Yes, although it is customary to say, to complain about the "times", I believe that the "times" are good now. And a lot of VERY interesting professional artists whose work I love and look forward to new ones. Pavel Yeskov, Vadim Dolinsky, Helena Pavlenko... I named them not in the order of my admiration for their skill and talent... They are very different and very talented
15. What is your source of inspiration?
Autumn leaves
Life, my experiences, music, poetry, the world around me, beautiful Crimea, where I live, different countries in which I am ... Everything that surrounds me that makes me cry, laugh, revere ...
16. When you work - should there be silence?
No that you. Nothing bothers me when I draw. And I can draw in between work, household chores. It's like my "parallel" world - my work. I instantly switch from one world to another. Rather, they live in me at the same time and do not interfere with each other. 
dissonances
17. What character traits help you in your work?
All the same "harmony". I am not "torn apart" by contradictions between what I have and what I would like to have (I mean material wealth, fame, recognition)
18. Do you have a hobby? On your page - and work with ceramics, and with stones, and modeling ... Do you like to experiment? 
Gaudí style night light
Everything that I do with “hands”, I consider my hobby - that is, my passion ... I make my ceramic houses with passion 
House-night lamp made of ceramics
With passion I collect stones that seem very beautiful to me... 
Little snow gave winter ...
I photograph with passion. 
Fire. Thesalises
And if I'm not interested in something, then I just don't do it.
19. Your photos are great too! Each can be considered for a long time. Each has its own mood and energy. How long ago did you start doing photography? And does it happen that the captured frame is reflected in your paintings in the future? 
don't go away
Photography is an amazing invention of mankind, and I am happy that I can "exploit" it, in good sense this word. Photography allows you to “stop the moment”. That moment that will never happen again. And of course, it happens that I “fix” these moments in order to recreate them later in my works. True, photographs often serve to reproduce “details” ... And the state, mood is what it was at the moment when I saw “mine” through the camera lens.
20. By the way, you have pets in your photos. Are these your pets?
On different sides
Yes. Animals have always been a part of my life, since childhood. These are family members, friends, and at the same time wards ... They are like children ... They cannot go and earn a living like adults. Therefore, they are sometimes more pitiful than people. And they bring the joy of the most sincere communication. 
What is this, spring?
21. A perfect day starts with a perfect morning. What is your ideal morning?
Morning
This is when the coffee maker “purred”, signaling that it is already possible to get up, and yesterday’s unfinished work is waiting for me ... 
Morning coffee (art photo)
Pour a cup and come up to see with a “fresh” look what I painted there yesterday, and look forward to what needs to be done today ... And the smell of oil paints ...
22. Elena, in your self-portrait there is such sadness in your eyes ... And what are you like in life? Introvert or extrovert?
Moonlight
You know, I'm probably both... This is again about harmony, which is in the fact that everything has a place. I do not like noisy gatherings, although I often had to participate in them due to circumstances. I love my friends, I love meeting them, but I also love solitude. I am an extrovert by circumstances, and I can be the soul of the company, but in fact I am a sad person .. Not sad, but sad ...
23. What do you like to do most in everyday life? And do you love?
Clean the house. Throw away rubbish and unnecessary things. I feel free and rejuvenated afterwards.
24. Do you have a dream?
Eat. But she's not "public" 
felichita
25. The question that I ask everyone is how to restore the taste for life?
I don't know... I never lost him. Probably, this is also my happiness - I'm not looking for anything, it somehow comes to me by itself. There are joys in everything... And the whole point is whether you see these joys, whether you can enjoy them. 
Enchanted garden
26. What parting words or advice can you give to beginning artists?
Do not try to do something "against" your essence. Learn in the technical sense, and "listen" to yourself in the sense of your identity. Do not try to imitate, even if you really like something.
27. What question would you like to hear and did not hear in this interview?
You asked very correct and interesting questions. Interested and not indifferent, for this - thank you very much. Probably, I just want to once again emphasize what I consider very important. In any kind of art, two things are important - what you want to talk about, and how, by what means you do it. That is, "WHAT" and "HOW" ... That's when these two components are equivalent High Quality So that's what "art" is.
28. And finally - please wish something to the readers of my blog
Your question about how to restore the taste for life... It struck me, made me think... Do not lose the taste for life... This is probably the worst thing that can happen in life 
Expectation
Blitz Poll
Oh, I must disappoint you .. I can not truthfully answer the blitz poll. I don’t have a “favorite” film, color, music once and for all…. For me, there are no “most important” qualities ...
I love Nadir's aria from Bizet's opera The Pearl Divers, the songs of The Beatles, the music of Pink Floyd...
I love Nabokov, Chekhov...
I love fried potatoes but I can't say it's mine Favorite dish... Tomorrow I will be happy to eat something completely different ...
What about human qualities? They are not divided, in my opinion, into "male" and "female" ... 
My Dutch thoughts
There are values such as honesty, kindness, compassion... Generosity, condescension... And for me it doesn't matter at all whether it comes from a man or a woman.
There is only one thing I will not tire of repeating... Prayer of an American soldier during the Second World War from "Ice-9" by Karl Vonnegut:
"God give me the strength to overcome what I can overcome,
Humility to endure what I can't change
And wisdom to tell one from the other"
Thank you very much, Elena, for the interview and for your creativity! May your dream come true! Let inspiration not leave you, we will wait for your new works.
And I highly recommend my readers to go to the author's website and take a walk there. Not only will you plunge into the world of beauty, you will also read the wonderful comments that Elena accompanies her paintings. 
What is "fog"? (pastel)
“Fog... What about fog?...
ordinary water,
And his romanticism is a lie...
Will disappear in the morning without a trace...” 
Shards of summer
"There are fragments of summer in the yard, I will tell you a secret
Everything will return the shadow from the Sun to the Moon
At sunrise, a ray of light woke you up by accident
I left, but it's only until spring...” 
In the era of pre-war jazz
"In the era of pre-war jazz, where the piano drops individual notes,
like a torn necklace - pearls ... "Bi-2 
The morning has come imperceptibly
”... Counted off infinity minutes
clock, the only source of sounds...
So the morning approached imperceptibly,
but its edge in winter is almost imperceptible…” 
golden chimes
"Golden chimes, bells of the sun
You fill my soul, the coming spring ... "
I. Kovalev 
december sun
"In the slanting rays of the December sun
The leaves of a fallen campfire are burning ... " 
And the lamp is off
"And the lamp does not burn ..,
And the calendars lie...
And if you have long wanted to tell me something ....
Then say…”
"Admiral" 
Forgiven souls
“Suddenly I remembered that my father called the flying snow “forgiven souls”... There, he said, forgiven souls fly... As a child, it seemed to me that in the structure of the universe he distinguishes something that others do not distinguish.” D. Rubin “Parsley Syndrome”
She was born from the works published in the author's blog. Already on the cover, he asks questions: “What do ideas look like? Where do they come from? However, the art of asking such questions is valuable in itself. Snyder created something unique: a synthesis of comics, philosophy and poetry - new way fit eternal themes under one shell. We translated the interview with Snyder - it turned out to be interesting.
Meet Grant Snyder
Snyder's childhood was spent reading newspaper comics in the spirit of Calvin and Hobbs and The Far Side and drawing in the company of his twin brother Gavin. “Our parents gave us an easel,” Gavin recalls. “Grant took one side and I took the other. We tore off a large piece of paper from a roll, attached it to an easel, took felt-tip pens and plunged into imaginary worlds. They drew pirates, asteroids, aliens, yeti and used pictures to tell each other whole stories.
“I continued to draw even at an age when most children had already stopped,” says Snyder. “However, I didn't take comics seriously until my senior year at university.
As a dental student, Snyder received the Charles Schultz Award, which is given to comics (Schultz is a famous comic book artist, author of the Peanuts series about the boy Charlie Brown, his dog Snoopy and their friends, which has been published for 50 years). It included a $10,000 prize and a trip to the National Press Club in Washington DC. This attracted the attention of the Kansas City Star newspaper, which suggested that Snyder publish a series of comic strips (short one-page comics) Karma Delayed.
Blog. Start
In 2009, Snyder started the blog Incidental comics, which gave him the freedom to draw whatever he wanted. “When I first started posting these comics online,” Snyder says. “No one really read them, so they didn’t represent any importance.” However, soon thousands of readers were visiting the page for their favorite weekly strips. Then Snyder was invited to draw witty comics for The New York Times and New Yorker.
Geoffrey Kindley: You call your work "introspection in self-service mode", but it seems that the term "philosophical" is quite suitable for them. While working on an illustrated study of creativity, you draw images of endless variations of mental activity - one strip is even called "Inner Decathlon". The result is a kind of comic about thinking, and I can't remember anyone doing that before.
Grant Snyder: I like this term - "thinking comic". It reflects the purpose of almost all my work - to express mental state in graphic form. I also try (and sometimes fail) to find a closer connection between comics and poetry. Both use extremely concentrated utterance, powerful imagery, and ideally should give the reader new meanings. Lately I'm obsessed with the poetry of Billy Collins. I even tried to imitate his manner of following an idea wherever it led. His poetry often deals with the process of writing texts, which is significant for me as a writer, but his view of the balance between literature and life is completely non-trivial.
And yet I try not to think about these things when I draw each individual comic. I found that in my case, to have big ambitions (say, to plan a series of comics on a given topic or chart my future creative projects) means moving away from the research and discovery that should be present in every new strip. Perhaps this is the reason why I prefer to work in small short bursts of inspiration: I always prefer to create one independent page than an entire essay or graphic novel. As a reader, I prefer a haiku to a long poem. My mind is impatient.
Many of the comics you admire - Matt Groening ("The Simpsons"), B. Cliban, Roz Chast, Tom Gold ("Goliath"), Chris Ware (Building Stores), Daniel Close ("Patience") - have a somewhat acrimonious look. to the world, and your manner is uncharacteristically open and enthusiastic. Don't you feel like an outsider compared to other comics artists?
No, I'm actually pretty close to the stereotypical comic book artist: a grumpy, slightly misanthropic introvert. This is my basic view of the world. Perhaps this is so because of the lonely hours spent at the desk? The enthusiastic mood of my drawings is an attempt to overcome the natural way of seeing the world.
Plus, a lot of the elation and joy in my comics goes hand in hand with a lot of frustration. Let's say one of my strips is called "Hit the Wall". Here, each opening frame is a kind of creative wall, the way to overcome which I propose in the following pictures. As a method, for example, the option of riding a horse, sticking a spear into the ground and thus jumping over the wall is considered. In moments of frustration, I always look for a way to get out of this state.
It's a fine line: inspirational speeches can get too sentimental quite easily. Sometimes I find the right balance, sometimes not. Of course, it is easier to be cynical than sincere, but for me a sincere statement is much stronger.
It may come as a surprise to some that you are a Wichita orthodontist, husband, and father of three. People often imagine that artists work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You have a splendid comic book, The Essential Work of Poets, which mentions, among others, William Carlos Williams, a pediatrician; Wallace Stevens, insurance agent; Robert Frost, failed farmer; and T. S. Eliot, bank clerk. Why do you think we expect an artist to be above all this daily routine?
Much of this stems from a misunderstanding of how art is created. People tend to believe that inspiration, discovery, and the joy of creation are what the creative process is mostly made of, that artists live in it. magical world ideas. But actually most time you back off, get frustrated, redo, redo, throw away, start again, and endlessly struggle with it until the last deadline.
The creative process - apart from those rare moments of pure inspiration - is a real regular work. It lies on your desktop and requires that it be dealt with daily. That's the only way it can be done. Even when inspiration does not come, you still have to sit in your chair, otherwise nothing will ever be finished. These moments are hidden from the public eye, no one sees those hours at the desk waiting for ideas, no one sees the hours of editing and bug fixing. They only see the final product.
When do you make time for creativity? Early morning or late night?
Over the years, my schedule has changed. When I was in dental college, I used to spend all Saturday drawing comics. For me, my wife, and anyone who had the misfortune to be around me at the time, it was stressful.
When my daughter was born, I realized that this method was no longer suitable. Gradually I re-educated myself and finally turned into a lark. Now most of working week I wake up at 5:30, make myself coffee, and draw at my desk for an hour or two before heading to work. It doesn't seem like much time in a day, but if I stick to a schedule, four or five days a week those hours add up to a pretty impressive amount of time.
In the early hours of the morning, no one distracts me: no letters to answer, no small children to feed or who demand to read a book to them. Often I want to turn off the alarm, but I still remind myself that a clear schedule and creative solitude are necessary for me to finish something.
You are obviously very disciplined.
I try to be like that! I have an internal obligation to publish at least one strip per week. When I fail, I feel a little useless. It may not be the healthiest approach when your self-respect depends on creative productivity, but it's part of my personality. Ever since I started the weekly comics in 2009, I've generally hit the mark. Every week I hope that the fear of a blank slate will finally let me go. But he never lets go. There is a comic in the book called "Creative Thinking". There, from frame to frame, I sit at my desk and repeat: "This time I know what I'm doing."
Sometimes it seems that the more I draw comics, the more difficult it is for me. In response to many ideas, I have to say to myself, "I've done this before and it worked, I can't do it again." I must look for new ways. Luckily, the paths are endless, it's just that every time I have to rediscover them.
In your comics, you often refer to writers and artists - Haruki Murakami, George Saunders, Georgia O'Keeffe, Rene Magritte. All these game allusions - what do you need them for?
IN high school I had a moment of enlightenment. We went on vacation as a family and spent the day at the Art Institute in Chicago. I was blown away by their collection of contemporary art. There was Warhol's gigantic portrait of Mao, the mind-blowing work of Salvador Dali, and Edward Hopper's Night Owls. Some pictures I had seen before in books, some were like nothing I had seen before. And just at the same time, I began to try my hand at writing lyrics. One of my first experiences was the description of the impressions of that trip and the works of art I saw.
But, to put it a little more pragmatically, I'm always looking for a source for new words and pictures. It's funny when in a comic you can interact with your favorite picture. I have done this many times with paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe, portraits by Magritte, cityscapes by de Chirico.
My character can wander around and explore other people's visual worlds.
I always immerse myself in the work of the authors I like, and, of course, their work has a tangible impact on my comics. The most obvious example is "Bingo Haruki Murakami" published in The New York Times Book Review. After reading almost all of his books, I have reduced the motifs important to Murakami into one strip that imitates a bingo field. I got quite a few letters from Murakami's fans and even the approval of his agent and one of the translators.
In the book review of The New York Times, you had another brilliant comic book - Make Your Own Memoirs. The options for a biography that you offer to choose from are a fortune received by inheritance, a newly made fortune, no fortune at all; an escape from reality to hard drugs, a hard life in the circus or the hard granite of science - inspired by Marie Carr's The Art of Memoirs, you say. Every panel is hilariously funny. You seem to get quite a bit of fun poking fun at anything and everything?
Yes, that's for sure. The actual process of creating a comic can be quite tedious, so I'm looking for ways to spice it up. I really appreciate it when readers pick up on these little, hidden jokes.
I like to use an intro frame followed by a panel that reverses the meaning of the original image. When possible, I return to the first frame at the end, modifying it slightly. Growing up, I read a column in the newspaper every week by humorist Dave Barry, so his style was deposited somewhere in my subconscious. I like his way of starting with a little joke, which he then develops in several directions in order to return to where he started at the end, and thereby enrich once a simple joke new meanings, making it deeper.
Another technique I often use I borrowed from picture books: I put in each frame a bird or a cat, which is initially only a witness, but gradually becomes involved in what is happening. This adds an extra layer to the narrative.
I try to ensure that the reader is never bored.
In an interview in 2014, you said: “I often feel that my work is not sincere enough, not personal enough. Of course, I share certain thoughts and feelings, but I rarely get into deep psychological topics like those dealt with by great literature. In my work, I have never shared what made me feel uncomfortable, although I hope that one day I will have the artistic courage to do this.
Three years later, do you have anything to say about this? Are you concerned about what you write about in The Nature of Ambition: that “in pursuit of greatness, you will have to work harder! Faster! More original! Until you finally lose control?"
Oh, it's difficult. I seem to be a bit used to being vulnerable in my art. If you don't show your vulnerable side to your readers, you won't have a strong connection. After all, only open and honest work becomes a reflection of reality.
And yet I don't want to focus on my dark side, therefore, all attempts to touch it in creativity are a real challenge.
In terms of ambition, I'd like to be able to step back from the reputation built on my past work, the token capital of past publications, the excitement of publishing next projects and the social media reaction that might follow. I only want to focus on the page directly in front of me. Of course, this is almost impossible to do. But when I focus on exploring the idea and enjoy the process itself, the work is at its best.
"In Search of Ideas" is a very systematized book: 10 chapters, where each represents one of the components of genius. But each chapter is an inspiring structure in itself. You have an amazing ability to focus and categorize, to capture ideas on the page like butterflies in an album, but at the same time in the afterword you talk about editorial revision in the spirit of a modern de Montaigne. In Cogito ergo sum you say: “I think, therefore I am confused in thoughts. I think, therefore I regret. I rethink, therefore I write. What are your thoughts now? What will you write about next?
Speaking of tricks, my original goal is actually to stretch each comic to four or five pages, it's just that the result is unreadable. By editing and compressing, I try to create something that can be printed and displayed online. This is a very well-considered and structured process, in fact, a design task. It is much more difficult to edit something that has already been brought to a state of distillate.
As for new projects, I would like to do a book about reading, writing and literature. Ideally, it should look the same as Looking for Ideas. I think my editor, designer, and the rest of the team have done an incredible job on this book.
I would also like to release a picture book, this is one of my favorite forms. However, the process is not easy. For the second or third year now, I have been in a state of perpetual false start, rethinking and new beginnings. But I am dedicated to my work and I know that one day everything will work out. I would love to start making both comics for adults and picture books for kids someday. Better yet: comics and picture books that both kids and adults will love.
artist: Mikhailov Boris Alexandrovich
education: Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. I. Repin, St. Petersburg, workshop monumental painting, prof. A.A. Mylnikov, A.L. Korolev
City of residence: Kyiv
where are the works:
in museums
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, France, Portugal
in private collections
in Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Israel, Italy, Spain, Canada, Poland, Portugal, Russia, USA, France, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine
Elizabeth Melnichenko: I would like to start with influence national character and national spirituality on the work of the artist and on the perception of the viewer. Can you say that the paintings of Russian and Ukrainian painters are closer and more understandable to you than the works of Western masters? And are there national strings in the works European artists that the Russian audience will never feel?
Boris Mikhailov: There is an opinion that the language of painting, music, architecture is understandable to everyone and does not require translation. It is pointless to argue with this, but it is also impossible to deny the national specifics. After all, every nation has a genetic memory, and national specifics depends on how much the people have retained their identity and how much they have dissolved in the common European culture. As for our countries, we have been behind the “iron” curtain for more than 70 years and, most likely, this is bad, but “there is no blessing without good”: the plus is that art developed differently, in Soviet period there was isolation from the West, but, at the same time, were created beautiful works and masterpieces.
Let me give you a specific example: fine artist Georges Braque, who has wonderful still lifes. But for me, for example, Vladimir Stozharov's still lifes are much closer. Let Stozharov be archaic, let him seem rustic to some, but to me, as a Russian person, his work is closer. A European, perhaps, Stozharov's works will be perceived as folk art. Because he did not listen to Russian fairy tales, did not listen to Russian songs. But he listened to his. Speaking in the context of world art, Stozharov turns out to be a regional master, and Brak is a figure of a global scale. But, it's not time yet and things can still change.
In the photo: “Yellow napkin”, Georges Braque
in the photo: “Still life with mountain ash”, Vladimir Stozharov
If speak about art school, then the first teachers at the Academy of Arts, which was opened by Catherine II, were Italians. The first icon painters were Byzantines. It turns out that everyone has the same root, simply because of the different historical processes art developed in different ways.
Russian artists to Europeans, by and large, were discovered by Sergei Diaghilev with his “Russian Seasons”. First, he went to all the villages, to all the small estates and collected 2,500 portraits of Russian artists, after which he arranged an exhibition of Russian estate portraits in the Tauride Palace. At the opening of the exhibition, he said prophetic words that epochs are changing, that we are on the verge of a tectonic shift, and that before everything changes, we must remember everything that happened. Literally six months after he collected these portraits, 16 thousand estates were burned in Russia along with portraits and furniture. He saved these works in time and took them to Paris, stunning the Parisian public with a Russian portrait. The first discovery for Europe at one time was the portrait painter Orest Kiprensky, then Karl Bryullov, then there were “Russian Seasons”.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: You define your style as "magical realism". If I did not know this definition, I would call your style realism with elements good fairy tale. Perhaps there is such a Russian trait in this as belief in miracles and magic. Has any particular style or particular artist had a particular influence on your work?
(the artist Gleb Khromenko served as the prototype of the sorcerer)
Boris Mikhailov: I would like to strive for magical realism, but I do not know how it succeeds. As for the influence of other artists, it's just a host of masters. I can say briefly: I want to write my own copper tank. Like Chardin. He painted a tiny copper tank, but there is such depth, such homeliness. I would like to strive for this. Not in the sense that somehow resemble Chardin. And in being able to express the depth to such an extent. There is a related story: Chardin had several favorite vessels that he painted. Once one vessel was missing and he found out from the servant that he needed money for a drink and he sold the vessel. Chardin went with a servant and returned the vessel. The vessel itself was of no value, but Chardin became so close to it and the harmony of this object was so important to him that he could not imagine what to do next without it.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: That is, can we say that the artist spiritualizes the objects that he paints?
Boris Mikhailov: Yes. If they are not spiritualized, then why is all this needed? If there is no soul in the picture, there is no dialogue, like in Hans Christian Andersen, when the whisk and the mop are talking? If you do not spiritualize objects, then you can take a photograph, now this art is well developed.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: Individual objects in your works often seem to glow from within: how is this effect achieved? Do you use a special technique or does the object come to life under the brush due to prolonged contact with the depicted object?
Boris Mikhailov: I have no special secrets, I'm just trying to make the subject come to life. There was such a case when Kuindzhi put up “ moonlit night on the Dnieper” and everyone thought: how did he achieve the glow effect? I had a similar case: I had an exhibition at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, and it showed the work “The Denial of the Apostle Peter”, which depicts a Roman soldier with a torch. As the gallery owner told me, people tried to figure out why the work glows. They approached and looked behind the canvas: is there a flashlight behind it? Such an illusion was not an end in itself, but I was pleased that it happened.
The glow is obtained through long and painstaking work, I do not use any special effects. One of the latest still lifes, “May”, here I struggled to make the eggs somehow glow. And now they shine with a quiet bright light.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: Except folklore elements, what Russian features are present in Russian painting? Is it an inexplicable longing, the redundancy of Russian nature as ignorance of the measure in anything, or other traits? Are there any characteristics that are specific to Russian artists?
Boris Mikhailov: In this context, the word "Russian" can denote the artist's belonging to culture, and not nationality, because nationality has nothing to do with it. Levitan is Jewish by nationality, but at the same time he is a real Russian artist, in whose works there is that deep longing. Kuindzhi is from Mariupol, Greek by nationality, and, at the same time, he is also a Russian artist. Chagall, although he was born in Russia, always denied it: when it was convenient for him, he was presented as a Russian artist, when it was inconvenient - European.
If we talk about Russian melancholy, then this has already become a popular and even hackneyed concept. I would not give a special degree of penetration to Russian artists. There are soulful masters in any school.
In order to feel the difference, it is important to understand what happened in Europe and in Russia at the same time. historical era. Take 1863 for example. The first underground railway opened in London. And in our country, the Russian stopped selling Russian like a pig two years earlier. Here it is, the break.
Or, for example, early XVII century: in Moscow - Time of Troubles, in Ukraine - ruins. And here is what happened in 1606 in the Dutch city of Haarlem: “In 1606, a literary competition “National Treasury” was held in Haarlem, in which poets and playwrights from all over Holland took part: taking advantage of a large gathering of the public, the city authorities held charity lottery and with the collected money they built a nursing home” (from the collection “Art Gallery”, Volume 42). Do you feel the difference? Literary competition, lottery, nursing home. It's a different planet. Here it is, the root of the difference in everything. We have common topic- dislike. And there is a common theme - love. Or at least compassion. Perhaps from this general dislike and longing in Russian eyes and in Russian paintings. Otherwise, where would she come from? After all, a Russian person is cheerful, but there is no particular opportunity to have fun. There are no reasons.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: You are currently working on a series of paintings about Pushkin: these are everyday scenes from the life of the poet. Why did the idea of writing Pushkinianism come about?
Boris Mikhailov: The idea arose simply: 30 years ago we had student practice in Pushkinsky Gory, in Mikhailovsky. There was a lot of drawings, sketches. Somehow I went through them and realized that the good was disappearing. Then, in a youthful way, this material was not appreciated, and only over the years you understand what a gift they gave to the students of the Academy of Arts, giving them the opportunity to work there. Having become acquainted with Pushkinianism - with what has been done before me - I also realized that this is not all that can be done. Or maybe everything, but I can do it my way.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: Do you know that right now Pushkiniana is especially popular in cinematography? TV show creators over the past few years have released a large number of comedy series about the life of Pushkin. That is, the theme is timely and relevant in art.
In your paintings, Pushkin's facial features are clearly visible, after them one could easily recognize Pushkin by a chance meeting on the street. Did you research some materials for this, the works of other masters, or is this your vision of Pushkin's appearance?
Boris Mikhailov: Firstly, in front of me in the studio hangs the death mask of Pushkin, which I always look at. This is the most inspiring image.
photo: artist Boris Mikhailov's workshop
Pushkin himself was a brilliant draftsman and his self-portraits are the best document of the era. I have good book Mstislav Tsyavlovsky, which contains Pushkin's self-portraits. There are many descriptions of Pushkin's appearance, it was the brightest personality. Plus, of course, the lifetime portraits of Pushkin, written by Kiprensky and Tropinin - Pushkin himself admired them.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: The plots of many of your paintings are from religion and mythology, many works on the theme of Christianity. Are you a believer yourself?
Boris Mikhailov: Yes, I would say, I try to be a believer.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: How do you understand God?
Boris Mikhailov: In my simple understanding, the presence of conscience is the presence of God.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: How do you feel about the opinion that a Christian who observes religious traditions and a churchgoer is a person with a slave psychology who is not able to think for himself?
Boris Mikhailov: There is the concept of “churched believer”, and there is a “free artist”. I'm most likely the second.
People who are churched - they need it. It's not about slave psychology, but about the fact that it's hard for a person alone, a person is actually weak. Therefore, it should not be condemned in any way. What then to say about the people who became monks? They are then complete slaves, voluntarily surrendered. In reality, they just made their choice, they like it. And the reasoning about the slave psychology because we cannot stand a different opinion, we need to convince, put the squeeze on. What for? After all, each person is a separate world, and it is a miracle that these different worlds understand each other.
Elizaveta Melnichenko: thanks for interesting communication, Boris Alexandrovich!
Painting by Boris Mikhailov
Interview with the artist
Irina Sart:
"I sincerely believe that if you are worth something, then you cannot do without criticism"
Ira is a watercolor artist and teacher. We met on Instagram (Ira has a very popular instablog), and immediately discovered in each other congenial moments in relation to their favorite business and to artistic processes. I asked Ira a number of questions about creativity, criticism and life, and received very interesting and sincere answers.
How does the image come - what you want to portray next?
This process is completely out of my control. In general, I scold myself for not being able to stick to one direction in drawing. Now it seems to me that we need to delve into still lifes, then into flowers, then into portraits. And it comes from somewhere outside. I try to write down ideas, make plans, I can sit down, think over the concept of the project, write a list of plots for future works, and then one morning wake up and understand that nothing like this will happen, and I urgently need to draw horses, for example :) Of course, on I am greatly influenced by what is happening around me. I can't calmly pass by flower shops, I definitely fall for some flower, fall in love with it, and the next second I already carry it home, and what is commonly called "creative itch" begins. Desire, burning and all that goes with it. I can't wait to get to work. But I looked after something else in the same flower. And here, as in a fairy tale: I take one berry, look at another, note the third, etc. I can draw several works in a row. And even in my thoughts there is something else, sort of like for the future, but there is some kind of glut, and at one moment there is an irresistible desire to switch and in general never see or draw flowers again :)
I must also admit that other masters inspire me. For example, purely influenced by the work of Stan Miller, I tried portraiture. I had a wild fear and fear, even the certainty that I would not succeed. But, surprisingly, something happened. And I just want to continue. So it throws me from side to side, you can compare it with waves. It covers, carries and throws ashore in a state of some kind of devastation.
I had a wild fear and fear, even the certainty that I would not succeed. But, surprisingly, something happened. And I just want to continue. So it throws me from side to side, you can compare it with waves. It covers, carries and throws ashore in a state of some kind of devastation.
How do you develop artistic vision to create and improve your work?
I can definitely say that there are two ways. The first is, of course, to look, peer into the work of masters, old and modern. What plots they choose, why they show exactly what they show, how they solve their ideas: in terms of composition, technique, color selection, etc. The second one is my own practice. Sometimes it seems to me that in order for a person to be able to fully understand the work of an artist, he must be obliged to try to portray something himself. In the process of work, a lot of questions are born, to which you begin to look for answers, looking at the paintings of the great. In addition, the practice of drawing and painting greatly develops the eye. I noticed that a year ago, two years ago, I did not see the amount of information in things that I see now. I look at my old works and wonder: how could I not notice the shadow here, this detail, this shade. And that only comes with practice.
I must also say that I began to look at the world around me in a completely different way, not like before. Everything around has acquired an incredible amount of color and detail. Artists from the outside often look distracted, it's no coincidence :) They look at everything around with a background thought: how to portray it? And if you constantly ask yourself this question, then you begin to carefully study everything, literally everything that you see around. My husband often takes offense at me on walks, it seems to him that I do not listen to him and get distracted by everything around. It's not my fault that I need to understand how, for example, a bicycle casts a shadow :) And after master classes, students often say that now they can't just walk down the street like that. Start looking at each branch. This is good, this is the beginning of an artistic view of the world.
Of course, I can't help but ask: do you make friends or don't make friends with art, and how does it work out? What inspires? Is there any work or artist that you met that shocked you and influenced you at some stage?
I try to be friends, although I still consider myself a layman and not at all a deep connoisseur. Once upon a time, even before drawing, I wanted to understand modern Art. Just sort out the genres, names, and so on. I started reading and watching everything. opened up for me the whole world, from which for some reason I was very far away until that moment. Then I learned and fell in love with the names of Rene Magritte, Piet Mondrian, Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock. I watched films, read books, naturally, looked for their not-so-famous works. I fell in love with Alphonse Mucha again. And I realized that I don’t even know the classics. Looked at several art history courses. Now there is definitely some book on the history or theory of arts on the shelf, which I this moment I read. Now it is "History of Art" by E. Gombrich. It is hard to say that I singled out one person and consider him my favorite artist. Rather, I experience periods of fascination with someone, and these periods and names follow one another. One of the latest discoveries is John Ruskin, his architecture and botanical sketches. Almost every day I discover new names in watercolor. But if I could afford to buy some famous work, it would be Mark Rothko :)
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Botanical illustrations by Irina Sart
In one interview, you said that you would not go to study with some favorite artist, because you were very afraid of losing (or never finding) your style. Has your point of view changed since then, or is there still a fear of falling under the influence of a master and losing something unique?
It is not the point of view that has changed, but the approach to learning. I still won't go to a master class or a course to an artist, if looking at his work the thought arises "I want to be able to do the same!". I have my personal problems in my works, my personal questions that I have not resolved. And if I see that some artist knows the answers to them (how to make such a background?, how to achieve such softness in watercolor?, how to get such amazingly noble colors?), then I now choose to study with him. I understand that I don’t need everything at the master class, I need to isolate what interests me in order to develop myself. When I talk loudly about my style and teaching, I just mean that there is apprenticeship and there is style copying. I would like to learn from many masters, but to become someone's clone for nothing!
How do you look for it and "isolate", this "own style", which is terrible to lose?
Oh, I don’t think that I already have my own established style :) That is, there would be something to lose, by and large. There are moments that I'm tired of fighting) In short, I draw very brightly. Naturally, I am fascinated by people who can apply paint transparently, delicately, pastel. For a long time I struggled with myself. I limited myself in brightness, forced myself to think about transparency, and then someone told me that he would always recognize my work precisely by bright colors. And it dawned on me: is the game worth the candle? If I so want to, if this is my temperament, in the end, if they recognize me precisely by this, why these wars?)
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When an artist starts a picture, does he know and see what he wants to do, to depict? Any idea initially? How is it with you and your fellow artists?
There is always an idea, moreover, there is even a finished work that is worthy of the Louvre, no less :) And then the embodiment begins, and with it comes despondency. For many, I know this for sure, the first emotion from their finished work is disappointment in themselves. Despondency is an artist's personal hell, as Julia Cameron said. This despondency often piles up when it is not possible to realize what is conceived. But not everything is so sad) Some time passes, an hour, a day, a week, sometimes even a year, and you start to fall in love with your "failed" work. One has only to come to terms with the fact that it does not correspond to that perfect plan from the head. And so, it happens, you walk, walk, take a closer look, as if you are getting acquainted with your own work, which has already been accomplished, and suddenly you notice that something has nevertheless succeeded. And you start looking in a whole new way. Now I see some of my old drawings and find something charming in them, but, I remember, I wanted to immediately throw it away and not see this horror)
Do you talk with colleagues about creative experiences, do you exchange experiences? What enriches you from communicating with other watercolorists? And maybe not only watercolorists)
"When art historians get together, they talk about form, structure and meaning. When artists get together, they talk about where to buy cheap solvent," Picasso said. I have nothing to add)) We do not discuss techniques, do not exchange experiences, we tell and ask where paper is cheaper, whether it is worth buying brushes for 3 thousand or mine for 300 rubles is enough, which printing house is more profitable to print postcards. Honestly, that's all we're talking about.
Who are your favorite artists? Perhaps you can name one of contemporary watercolorists and one of the old masters, long gone) And why do you love them?
I try to write about my discoveries, and just about those whose work I love, on my blog. I have a heading "Inspiration". If now to generalize and single out one or two, then this is the watercolorist Dusan Djukarich, he paints urban landscapes, boats, water. I don't just love, I'm crazy about the incredible color of his work. The most noble, the most seasoned, the most harmonious colors I see in him. Surprisingly, it would seem, just a city landscape, and its color gives rise to so many feelings somewhere inside, it's just amazing.
I like modernity because, along with male names, there are many female names that are not inferior to them. I really like the watercolors of Nadia Tognazzo, an artist from Italy.
You honestly tell in your texts and interviews that you didn’t finish anything from academic institutions in drawing, you studied on your own, you haven’t been writing for so many years. At the same time, you have many readers, students, and buyers. In this regard, is there such a thing that someone scolds you, is there any criticism? And how do you react to it?
Finally, criticism has appeared, which I am very happy about) I sincerely believe that if you are worth something, then you cannot do without criticism. What is most pleasant in this small stream of criticism so far is that no one reproached me for being unprofessional and lacking education. No one has cited this as my obvious weak spot. They argue with me and disagree as an artist. Agree, such criticism is more like recognition and much can be given for it) How do I react? I try not to engage in frank abuse and categorically refrain from this type of self-promotion, such as “mentioning a person who is not present here, disagreeing with his views, in order to gather a cohort of those who agree and sympathize and condemn this third person together, while emphasizing that we are with you here they are not like that, but quite the opposite in white coats. Unfortunately, I often meet this kind of criticism "not in person."
Do you know the history of the works you have sold, where do they go? Who is your customer?
I know the history of all sold works. There were not very many of them) And all these works were sold at the very beginning of the journey. And then something happened in my mind, and I stopped selling works and taking private orders. I'll try to explain. I'm all for what professional occupation drawing and painting should generate income. That is, this occupation can become a profession that will feed. But, firstly, since I decided to change my main profession to this kind of activity, then what's the point? Isn't that the point of doing what you love? That is, one day I decided to do what I like. And to be honest, I don't like fulfilling orders. I approach this hyper-responsibly and it begins to seem to me that I am obliged to do the work so that the customer likes it. At the same time, objectively, I understand that the work may not be to your liking. This thought makes me very nervous, and it can hardly be called pleasure. For some reason, I cannot accept such a position that if you didn’t like it, then you knew who you ordered from. Moreover, I can’t take money for a job I don’t like. Moreover, I understand that this is my personal inner cockroach, but I decided not to fight it, but simply not to engage in private orders.
But I can’t refuse orders from well-known, especially international firms. I still have a small track record, but even they can be proud of, these are world-famous brands.
The main buyer of my work is those who want to learn, and my main direction is master classes and courses. And there the image of the student is quite concrete. It is almost one hundred percent women and girls who lack creativity in life. As they themselves say, they saw enough beauty and also wanted to. They can be employed or not, married or single, with or without children, but all with some kind of internal aesthetics. All the ladies are very interesting, we continue to communicate with many of them after the master classes.
I know that you and I read the same book called "Breakfast at Sotheby's", where the author highlights sensitive topics. Here are a couple of them: there are artists who are tasteless, but very popular during their lifetime. And this, of course, is very infuriating those who have taste good work, but there is no popularity and money. And there are already deceased, but who have become very popular, perhaps due to the drama of their biography: genius + illness and personal drama, and now they are interested in and loved. Is the author's point of view close to you or does he still distort?
The book, by the way, is amazing, with subtle irony and, in places, sarcasm. The author is completely right, but we must not forget that he is talking about artists of the past. Past tenses in this case are the times "before the Internet". Nowadays, to say that you can become famous only after death is somehow naive. Today, thanks to the internet, you don't live as a hermit in Arles, you live in a world without borders. Even in order to get to the exhibition, one must be able to fill out an online form, be a member of an online community, and so on. That is, you can instantly become known to the whole world. Therefore, to complain about talent, but obscurity - this is already somehow out of date. Notice I didn't say "unfashionable". Calvin Coolidge said, "Nothing is as common as underdogs with talent." Harsh, but there is some truth in this. To grieve that "oh, I'm a talent, but they didn't recognize me" is to some extent even insulting the world community of critics, organizers of exhibitions, accusing them of incompetence, of inability to consider talent. It used to be, in that unhurried world before the Internet, it often happened that an artist was underestimated during his lifetime, time had to pass for the world to suddenly realize his greatness. Today, time flies much faster, information spreads instantly, well-known and recognized artists live and create to this day, in my opinion, there is no direction left that cannot find a place in art, and, accordingly, fans and buyers. The Impressionists did not understand this, but today the world is open to absolutely everything.
