Aeon
Interview in "Saatchi Art."
SAATCHI ONLINE INTERVIEWS: From The Studio Of…Painter, Alexey Adonin
Favorite material to work with?
Oil paints. I have never felt more comfortable with any other material.
What themes do you pursue?
Early in my life, my father instilled in me a love for nature by taking me on weekend trips. We’ve traveled far away from the city to the rivers and forests, distant lakes. I was amused by the horizon, watching its mystic mirages, and somehow felt an attachment to this beautiful scenery. Nature is a religious thing to me. It has nothing to do with the ordinary, always is mysterious and full of secrets, and is a holy place. So everything that I have ever come up with has its origins there.
But for me, it wasn’t enough - to copy what you’ve seen. Everything should walk through the prism of imagination, and it should stay above all other rules of artistic logic. For instance, I thought about what the world might look like if I was an alien being. Would I see it as a human, or would it be something completely different?
I love to be in the middle of nowhere, lying alone in the field, listening to silence, and observing the early morning fog surrounding me. And when I’m coming home, I’m trying to apply those glimpses of memory on canvas. The series called “Destination Beyond” is a real successor of my early life experiences and logical continuance of my thoughts about nature and how human integrates into it. It has a more mystic atmosphere than everything I’ve created before.
Though I don’t consider myself religious in its traditional way, I find everything related to it fascinating. My recent efforts are a series of works that deal with the psychological aspect of a human being: religion and beliefs, love and sex, psychedelic experiences. It has a little bit different approach, a more personal touch.
I believe dreaming and imagination are essential parts of my life because the ultimate goal of an artist is to transform his vision to the viewer, making the viewer empathize with the artist. When I paint, the mind is revealing something by creating the worlds that don’t exist. And what could be more exciting than discovering new worlds?
How many years as an artist?
I’ve drawn from childhood, but there was a long (10 years) pause. I am glad to be back after such a long period. Since then, I haven’t stopped.
Sketchbook? Do you use one? What type?
Over the past years, I’ve made a significant amount of drawings. Some of them turned out to be fully completed graphic works, and others are very minimalistic. They are useful as they are (in their simplicity). They shouldn’t necessarily become a large-scale work. Very little from my sketches eventually made its way into the canvas and, if it did - only partially. I think painting should walk through a sort of evolution in real-time. It’s a child born from the symbiosis of feeling and spirit. A preconceived idea often kills this free transformation. I don’t know in what direction it will go. The process is largely-intuitive - a voyage of discovery - which is how I like it.
Where is your studio?
I use a little corner in my room as a workplace.
Why do you make art?
I like the constant search process, bringing fleeting thoughts to the light - experimenting and mixing things.
Art school or self-taught?
I studied at the art school for children and later at the Arts College.
Prefer to work with music or in silence?
I listen to music when I can. I wish I could have more heads for listening to different records at the same time.
iTunes, spotify, records?
Records! Only quality music! No mp3!
Favorite sound?
Ambient electronic music, especially from the mid-’80s.
What’s around the corner from your place?
A valley with sounds of birds. It’s often under the dense fog in the morning—one of my favorite inspirational places.
Who are your favorite writers?
Nikolai Berdyaev, Vladimir Solovyov, Alexander Belyayev, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
If you couldn’t be an artist, what would you do?
I probably would be a musician—a multi-instrumentalist.
Would you rather be able to make a living as an artist now or become famous after you die?
It’s quite obvious; I would like to make a living as an artist now. However, there is nothing wrong with the second statement too.
What do you collect?
My favorite music records, running out of place already.
Use anything other than paint?
I recall I have used degreaser for my work, “Randevu.” Very stinky stuff. Onetime experiment.
Representational or Surreal?
Surreal with elements of abstract.
Is painting dead?
It’s not. No computer software can compare to this living and breathing handmade product.
Painting Inside or Outside?
Inside. I love a comfortable, warm place to work in.
July 9, 2012
✋ screenshot only / the page doesn't exist anymore.
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