Perhaps, it is difficult to find a person today who would not have heard anything about the Russian artist Nikas Safronov. Born in a low-income large family, he made a name for himself, becoming famous after his first exhibition in 1978 in Panevezys (Lithuania), where he established himself as a bright experimenter and surrealist.
His shocking image is a constant cause for debate, debate and critical reviews. But this was the case with everyone who stood out from the crowd in one way or another.
By visiting the exhibition, you will understand everything yourself
If we leave aside all the gossip and ambiguous opinions and look at the works of the famous and internationally recognized artist, then you can independently evaluate his work.
Any exhibition of paintings by Nikas Safronov will help the connoisseur to make a personal unbiased opinion about this painter. Most often portraits are presented on the canvases (the artist gained fame precisely as a portrait painter), but fantastic landscapes, still lifes, surrealistic plots will not leave the viewer indifferent.
Each painting by Nikas Safronov is an unexpected and filigree image painted with photographic accuracy. Every artist’s canvas has its own secret, which makes the impression unpredictable: on a smoothly trimmed lawn, tiny gnomes roll an egg with a woman’s face somewhere, and on another canvas there is an elegant chair that simply invites you to sit down and admire the mountain range unfolded in the background. covered in haze.
Safronov's paintings - the embodiment of mysticism and not only
Such unexpected inclusions in landscapes make a mystical, magical impression. And the surreal image of a multidimensional space containing disproportionately large human faces and architectural details is completely mesmerizing.
The names signed by the artist Nikas Safronov paintings are also mysterious and strange: “Three beautiful witnesses to the birth of new music” or “The magic of the ball, or the Presence of good luck”, etc.
Canvas Nikas is not only a game of images and words, but also a peculiar ironic perception of reality.
Nikas Safronov: paintings "Cats"
One of the artist's exhibitions was represented by paintings depicting cats and cats with human bodies. Here is a beautiful and proud cat lady from the picture “Royal Evening Prayer”, and here is a cat that squeezes money with thin human fingers (“Cat changed”). The self-portrait of the artist, on which a gray-white, obviously fluffy, handsome man knows his worth, squeezes his brushes and palette, cannot help but smile.
All these creatures - strange, but recognizable at the same time - cannot go unnoticed. Like any picture of Nikas Safronov, they are designed not only to shock, but also to convey to the viewer the interconnection of all life, dreams and reality, past and future.
Safronov is able to bind times
In his favorite portrait genre, the artist often portrays famous people in clothes of other eras.
From the canvases, a gorgeous lady dressed in a medieval outfit - Alla Pugacheva, looks at us, and Nikolai Drozdov, a sage in old clothes and with a book in his hand. And here is the restrained, mocking look of Lev Durov over a lush fluffy collar, and the firm courageous face of Pierce Brosnan from under his hat.
Both Oleg Efremov, dressed in the outfit of a cardinal, and Jean-Paul Belmondo in a military uniform are striking at the same time both with a portrait resemblance to the original and a subtly noticed feature of their images, precisely conveyed by the master’s brush.
Each such painting by Nikas Safronov is able to connect times, plunging famous contemporaries into past centuries and eras. And this is not an attraction - all the characters look quite harmonious. We can say that for Nikas time is the main character of paintings.
Nikas Safronov: paintings
Reviews about the works of the famous artist are ambiguous - someone blames him for excessive pretentiousness, someone emphasizes the excessive simplicity of the work. But everyone, having stopped at the picture, will ask himself the question: “What is this?”, Peer and find his own, understandable only to him alone, and therefore close.
For a long time, the artist has not paid attention to the constant criticism of his works, which sometimes comes to a frenzy, and does not hesitate to embody his ideas. He draws everything that pops up in the subconscious. And probably that is why innocence, sarcasm, mockery, romance and philosophy of other times are so unexpectedly interwoven in his canvases.
For someone, all this causes irritation, for someone delight, but the main thing is that no one is indifferent! And this, you see, is already a lot.
About the achievements of the artist
Nikas Safronov's painting has long been a valuable acquisition for many lovers of beauty. His works are mostly kept in private collections and in museums of painting. And the talent of the artist was appreciated by many awards.
So, in 2004 he was awarded the title of Living Legend by the Cambridge Biographical Center. He is one of the best painters of the 20-21 centuries. And at home, Nikas Safronov was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation.
All his achievements are primarily associated with the desire to achieve the intended goal, openness and a positive attitude towards the world and the people who inhabit it. The artist speaks of himself as a person who has achieved the harmony that he seeks in faith in God, in communication with people who are beautiful in all respects. And of course, this cannot but be reflected in his works.
Perhaps that is why it can now be said that Nikas entered the history of art.