Virtuoso palette knife portraits from the cycle "Geniuses of the XX century" by artist Alexander Ilyichev

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The portrait genre has always been considered the most difficult genre in the visual arts, since the artist needed not only to show his skill as a portrait painter in the style that he chose for himself, but also to convey the similarity, mood, character, and sometimes the thoughts of a person. Our publication contains a unique collection of portraits from the cycle "Geniuses of the XX century" by a contemporary artist from the Moscow region Alexandra Ilyicheva. It seems that many will be interested in the amazing works of this master, so masterly wielding a palette knife and a wide brush.

More than a dozen years ago, Alexander Ilyichev completed a grandiose work on a series of portraits "Geniuses of the 20th century." On his canvases, the artist presented to the audience the images of famous public figures, artists, writers, actors and musicians known all over the world. The unusually expressive portraits of the Russian painter, made with acrylics in an extraordinary technique, caused considerable resonance in the artistic environment and a lot of positive responses.

On fairly large-scale canvases, the artist sculpted the faces of famous people like a sculptor, with an incredible degree of recognition. And not only because of their facial features, but also the character traits. The artist selected a specific color palette and technique for each image. Take a closer look, in this series there is not a single similar portrait in terms of techniques and colors. Each new portrait is a new story.

Although the artist himself modestly notes:

A few words about the artist

Unfortunately, there is practically no information about the author of these wonderful works. It is known that Alexander Ilyichev was born in 1958 in Altai. At one time he graduated from the graphic arts department of the Biysk Pedagogical School. Then he polished his skills at the painting department of the Novoaltaisk Art School. And a year after his graduation, Alexander was enrolled in the Faculty of Decorative and Applied Arts of the Krasnoyarsk State Institute of Arts, which he graduated in 1983.

Since 1989, Ilyichev has participated in many joint and personal exhibitions in Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Noginsk, Elektrostal, Osaka (Japan), Wichita, Missoula, Flagstaff, Helene, Kansas City, Phoenix (USA), as well as in Spain.

In the late 80s, Alexander Ilyichev was a member of the artistic council of the Krasnoyarsk creative production association of the Union of Russian Artists. Member of the Union of Artists of Russia since 1990. Currently, Alexander Ilyichev lives and works in Elektrostal near Moscow.

P. S

In fairness, it should be noted that the artist is known not only for portraits of celebrities made in the author's technique. He paints images of ordinary people, as well as creates paintings in other genres of fine art. Including, in the "nude" style, using the same palette knife technique and sweeping strokes with a wide brush.

Particularly interesting is his abstract presentation of urban landscapes from the "Golden Ring" cycle. The artist, as if from colored patches, is typing an image in which the domes of churches, or the wide streets of avenues, are barely guessed. The artist's floral still lifes are also abstract, where color plays a dominant role.

And yet a master who has found his niche, his face in contemporary painting is great.

Many of us are familiar with the impressive genre paintings of the famous Russian painter Vasily Perov. However, few people know about Perov - as a brilliant portrait painter who created a unique cycle of psychological portraits of famous contemporaries. About this in our publication: Celebrities of the 19th century in portraits painted by Vasily Perov for the Tretyakov Gallery