Evgenia Golant
I graduated from Muhinksoe Academy. Russian art school requires a lot of work from nature. I can hardly paint from memory, only what my eyes actually see. During my work I realized that exchange between the artist and the model (it can be a city or still life or a person) is the most valuable thing for me. The relations between me and my objects are full of uncovered possibilities. The interaction with the object is important for me. The strain occurred during the work is necessary for creative process. Atmosphere of a place or often unpredictable reaction of strangers whom I paint becomes part of the paintings. Artist becomes a sponge absorbing the describing nature. In this case I almost paint with my eye not hand. Often it creates non ordinary, sometimes even risky communication. For example, when I was working on series “Market”, one of the salesmen-models devoted a poem for me, another one gave me some fruits, one suggested to call my style “O-Horror”, and one hated his portrait so much that I had to run away from him. Even painting portraits of loved ones, I try to find an element of a creative adventure in the sitting. For example, I have a series of portraits of my mother with different flowers. Sitting for a portrait a person opens him/herself the way he/she never opens up on a photo.
Recent Projects:
Market
At the first glance market series look like still life by Frans Snyders. That it is all about shiny apples and how beautiful green grapes look near blue plums. But it is not right. "Work at the market" was very important for me. I communicated with people there and I hope that their energy shows on the paintings. This is a special topic in Russia today. People who work at the markets today are mostly illegals from Caucasus surrounded by hostility. This is a different world. These people have interesting, unconventional lives which brought them to the North Market.
Windows
When a sign “For Sale” shows up in a window of an old building, something like meaningful crater generates around it. From one sight, handmade fonts with limping and slanting letters, promising changes in a destiny charm us. From the other sight, apartment looks like a homeless dog that is waiting who will take it or a prostitute looking for a client. Passers-by unselfishly estimate its positive and negative features. Everyone has a right to have it, but nobody wants it. Life stopped inside it. Life is going by outside it.
Parents’ Portraits
I am painting my parents’ portraits since I was 5. My parents and I change and so do the portraits. Different situations, different time, different mood – “Father with Me and My Sister Sitting on his Shoulders” (when I was 5), “Mother Talks on the Phone”, “Mother Eats”, “Mother in Blue Glasses”, “My Father is Sick”, “Mother is Tired”.
Click here to see my CV (resume).
Contact Evgenia Golant at
golant@ioffe.ru.
Contact webmaster at
ggolant@gmail.com.
