Alexander Smirnov, sculptor
Russia, Moscow
This Moscow sculptor being middle-aged came into the arts. Sincerely believing into the sacred nature of the art the artist searches ways for plastic expression of this nature not in the painting but in the sculpture arts. Alexander Smirnov chooses the Old Russian icon painting and temple wall painting as an origin of his searches. Obvious complexity and originality of the artist task defines plastic and content peculiarity of his creativity.
One of main theme of his thoughts is interrelation between a man and the Creator to which he comes anxiously step-by-step, in particular, through the theme of creativity on the whole and interest to personality and the image of the person-creator. In the middle of 80s the author creates the series of artworks devoted to this theme: Pushkin and Gogol, Chaikovsky and Rakhmaninov, Andrey Publev (included into the private collection of the Ministry of Culture). But main and probably the only theme is the theme of the spiritual life and the asceticism. This theme he studies with unremitting interest and interprets in all his artworks independently of their plot. Dramatic character of the plot is plastically expressed in inner intensity of compositions his artworks as, for example, in his composition "Sinking" (1990, bronze), in sharpness of lines and expression in his allegory "Grieved soul" (1991, bronze) and "Sinner" (1989, bronze), etc. His plastic speech Alexander Smirnov can make reserved and laconic, getting the maximum means expressiveness, bringing asceticism of the form with the content of the theme: "Monk" (1996), "True", (1996), "Grieved old monk" (1997). Their stretched proportions, maximum conditional character in depiction of severe faces call into memory the icon saints of Feofan. However, obvious reference to the Old Russian icon-painting forms and the Byzantine fresco are not at all the example of superficial stylization. Furthermore, appealing to this origin, Alexander Smirnov clearly proves its vitality and inexhaustibility.
Easily using laws of the sculpture genre, Alexander Smirnov significantly enlarges its possibilities, organically instructing sculpture into the context of the Old Russian tradition. We cannot say that nobody has tried to do it. But only some of them can preserve purity and organic of the genre not having mixed sculpture with literature, tradition with dogma.
The Creative Biography
Born in 1949 in Moscow. He lives and works there.
In 1975 he graduated from the Moscow State University. Sculpture started in 1980.
Member of the Russian Union of Artists and the International Art Fund.
Since 1983, she participates in various exhibitions:
1983 - Spring exhibition of artists
1983 - IV Republican exhibition "Sculpture of small forms"
1984 - XV Youth Exhibition of Moscow artists
1985 - XVI Youth Exhibition of Moscow artists
1985 - Spring exhibition of Moscow artists
1986 - Spring exhibition of Moscow artists
1986 - Group Exhibition
1986 ...
Born in 1949 in Moscow. He lives and works there.
In 1975 he graduated from the Moscow State University. Sculpture started in 1980.
Member of the Russian Union of Artists and the International Art Fund.
Since 1983, she participates in various exhibitions:
1983 - Spring exhibition of artists
1983 - IV Republican exhibition "Sculpture of small forms"
1984 - XV Youth Exhibition of Moscow artists
1985 - XVI Youth Exhibition of Moscow artists
1985 - Spring exhibition of Moscow artists
1986 - Spring exhibition of Moscow artists
1986 - Group Exhibition
1986 - Personal exhibition, Gallery "Varshavka", Moscow
1987 - Spring exhibition of Moscow artists
1988 - Spring exhibition of Moscow artists
1988 - Personal exhibition, Gallery "Varshavka", Moscow
1988 - Group exhibition "Oleg Yankovsky and his disciples"
1989 - National Symposium on stone, Nizhny Novgorod (I prize awarded for the song "Andrei Rublev")
1989 - Republican exhibition in the Manege, Moscow
1990 - IX Dante's Biennale, Mr. Raven, Italy
1990 - All-Union Symposium on granite, Tver (composition "Alexander Nevsky")
1990 - All-Union Exhibition in the Manege, Moscow
1991 - Personal exhibition, Central House of Artists, Moscow
1992 - Group exhibition, galeoeya "Wilga", Sofia, Bulgaria
1993 - Group Exhibition, Moscow House of Artists
1994 - Exhibition "Christmas Fantasy", CHA, public association "Museon Art", Moscow
1995 - Exhibition "Russian House", VVC, pavilion "Culture"
1995 - personal exhibition "Biblical motifs" gallery "Nagornaya", Moscow
1995 - Group exhibition "Sculpture and Tapestry" galareya "Sermon", Moscow
1995 - Group exhibition, Gallery "Albatross", Moscow
1995 - II Art Exhibition "is dedicated to the Fatherland Defenders" in honor of the 50th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945., CHA
1995 - Group exhibition, Central House of Artists, Center of Religious Art
1995 - The exhibition "Sculpture and flowers", Park of Arts, public association "Museon Art", Moscow
1995 - I Moscow symposium on sculpture in wood, state association "Museon Art" (composition "Nikola Wet"), Moscow
1995 - Group exhibition "Urban Dreams", Central House of Artists Gallery "Albatross", Moscow
1995 - Group exhibition "Peace to your house, Serbia," the International Fund of Slavic culture and literature.
1996 - The exhibition "Orthodox Russia", Nizhni Novgorod
1996 - Group Exhibition, Moscow House of sculptor
1996 - The exhibition "Sculpture and Painting", Troitsk
1996 - Personal exhibition, Gallery "Varshavka", Moscow
1997 - The exhibition "Touching the basics", the Historical - Cultural Center "Red Chamber", Moscow
1997 - The exhibition "Holy Russia", Glazov
1997 - I Moscow symposium on sculpture in stone, public association "Museon Art" (composition "Patriarch Tikhon")
1997 - Group exhibition of sculpture, CHA
1997 - The exhibition "XX Centuries of Christmas", CHA
1997 - Group exhibition, Gallery "Albatross", Las Vegas, USA
1998 - The exhibition "Russia. The appearance of a woman. The twentieth century", the hotel "Baltschug - Kempinski" gallery "Zamoskvorechie city Moskva
1998 - Group exhibition, Gallery "IR-ART", CHA
1998 - Exhibition of painting and sculpture "all the saints in the Russian Land beaming" gallery "Nagornaya", Moscow
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