Idyllic landscapes and family portraits painted by spouses-artists in four hands

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

The history of art knows many cases when artists, creating family unions, inspired each other to create unique works. But our contemporaries Konstantin Miroshnik and his wife Natalia Kurguzova-Miroshnik - a completely unusual tandem of painters who, without exception, paint almost all of their paintings together, in four hands - from the first stroke to the last stroke. Moreover, on each of their works, you can clearly see two handwriting and two styles, different in sound.

Natalia and Konstantin are unusual artists. They create all their paintings in close collaboration. They select themes, work out plots, and solve compositional problems only together. Their individual shades of talents, merging together on the picture plane, form a special sound of painting. And, I repeat, this is despite the fact that the Miroshniks have a different vision of color and a radically different manner of writing. But it is precisely this fusion that turns their creations into original ones….

When giving interviews, artists always admit that working together is not only interesting for them, but also fruitful. When two creative personalities are constantly involved in the process, there is no danger that someone will fizzle out halfway, cool down to the topic, because, as the painters say:

Turning the pages of biographies: OH

Artist-painter, poet, musician, teacher, member of the International Association of Artists at UNESCO - Konstantin Vyacheslavovich Miroshnik (born 1971) was born into a military family in Crimea. In childhood, Kostya did not know how at all, and, incidentally, did not want to draw. School subjects also did not go well. However, somehow unexpectedly, when Kostya was sixteen years old, his artistic gift literally splashed out. Having taken several painting lessons from the Simferopol artist A. N. Gorokhova, a teenager with great enthusiasm began to master the basics of drawing, and by the end of school he knew for sure that he wanted to study only the fine arts … and, moreover, only from Ilya Glazunov.

And it is worth noting that at that time hundreds of applicants fought for places in the academy, which was founded by the master himself. Believe it or not, Konstantin, thanks to incredible luck, was lucky to enter the top twenty "lucky ones" and become a disciple of a genius. And then history repeated itself: all four courses, our hero, passing in the C-grade, in the last - like a dark horse, pulled ahead and by the end of the academy was one of the best graduates. Literally everyone - both students and colleagues knew - Glazunov is very strict and never favors anyone, so getting even a “four” from him was a great achievement.

By the way, Konstantin, having received a diploma in painter, completed his postgraduate studies in portraiture and defended his dissertation. And in 2012, at the invitation of the management, he taught painting lessons and gave master classes to students at the American University in Brandeis.

SHE

No less amazing is the story of Natasha Kurguzova, the wife of Konstantin Miroshnik. After school, a talented girl, who at the same time graduated from art, successfully entered the Surikov Institute of Painting. However, at the same time, she always dreamed of the academy of Ilya Glazunov, who almost never took girls for training.

It is curious that Natalya, having decided to try her luck, struck down both the admissions committee and Ilya Sergeevich himself at the entrance to the academy with her educational works. So the girl became one of two, among the seven hundred guys - the future artists of the academy.

At the same time, the rector Glazunov never had to regret that he accepted her into his academy. One of Kurguzova's term papers hung in his office, it was a copy of one of Van Dyck's paintings. And, of course, this fact was the highest award and recognition for the young artist.

THEY

If Ilya Sergeevich himself was captivated by Natalya's talent, then there is nothing to say about the young guys of the academy? … Even at the beginning of his studies, Konstantin hit upon a novice artist. And it just so happened that the girl answered Kostya in return. And in summer practice after the first year, which took place in St. Petersburg, they suddenly realized that their meeting was destiny. In 1998, they played a wedding, and the newlyweds had to move out of the dormitory of the academy, and Kostya got a job as a watchman in a kindergarten, at which he and Natasha were allocated a small room.

Over time, Natalya and Konstantin moved to live in Lyubertsy, renting a small apartment on the ground floor, which became for them both housing and a workshop. It is now they remember with a smile about the little damp and uncomfortable dwelling, which looked more like a basement, and then it terrified them. By the way, it was there that the artists took their first child from the maternity hospital. And the worst thing was that there were mice in the apartment, from which it was simply unrealistic to get rid of - no methods helped, it came to the point that Konstantin caught them and threw them out the window.

It was then, living and working in such unacceptable conditions for life, that the two of them came up with and began to dream of their miracle mansion, depicting it in sketches. And when, after a while, they began to earn money in the slightest degree by selling their first paintings, they began to save up for its construction. Today in Shchelkovo there is already this miracle tower, which artists dreamed so much in their young years. Beautiful surroundings, forest, clean air, vegetables and fruits grown by oneself, and in the house there is a wonderful workshop. What else is needed for complete happiness?

And there are children as well … The 17-year-old daughter Pelageya and the 10-year-old son Sasha are growing up in their happy family. They started drawing as soon as they could hold a pencil in their hands. In addition, it was they who, from early childhood, served as models for their paintings and inspired their creativity.

Creative tandem of artists

The impressive works of two happy people in marriage and in a creative tandem attract the audience with a variety of themes and plots, as well as subtly and authentically written details, well-chosen gradation of light and shade, complex compositions and harmonious colors.

However, realism is what admires most of all in the work of artists. It seems that the canvas is about to breathe with the breeze of a light breeze, the characters will begin to move, the sea will rustle with the surf, the melodic singing of a nightingale and much more will be heard from the grove, which causes the viewer to feel a sense of beauty …

In their work, Natalia and Konstantin from the very beginning were striving to combine two artistic directions - academism and impressionism. Let's remind: impressionism is synonymous with color and freshness in painting, and in academicism, the basis is the artist's skill, subject to the laws of fine art, its canons.

By their nature, these styles are completely different, so in order to combine them, the masters had to put a lot of effort. Everything was achieved by searching for trial and error: if the artists over-prescribed the details of objects, naturalness and lightness left the picture, and when the details were not worked out enough, what was depicted on the canvas gave the impression of an etude.

Nevertheless, the couple achieved what they wanted - the manner, style of writing and the general author's handwriting were found, and thanks to the harmonious consonance of the basic principles of academicism and impressionism, from under their brushes canvases made in the spirit of high realism began to be born.

Ilya Glazunov very often told his students that Young artists learned this lesson well, therefore each of their creations is a story … The history of a country, love, childhood, personality …

Therefore, Natalia and Konstantin have always considered the choice of a topic as a fundamental factor that is embedded in any creative work as an important principle and basis of the creative process.

And one of those in their work is the theme "The World of Childhood"

The tandem successfully managed to find surprisingly subtle, sensitive and heartfelt visual means and ways of reflecting the children's worldview. Lovely images of children in their paintings are endowed with an indescribable originality, psychologism, inherent in the best masters of children's portrait.

The Miroshnikov couple also create wonderful landscapes and equally beautiful still lifes, realistic portraits and sensual canvases in the nude and marina genres, battle scenes and scenes in a historical context. Their work is very diverse not only in subject matter, but also in emotional experiences. Artists absolutely do not single out or give preference to any one genre, they write what is interesting to them and what excites and inspires them.

Still lifes

I would like to draw special attention of the audience to the amazing still lifes emerging from under the brushes of our heroes. In their heritage there are a great many of them. They are collected in whole series. Therefore, we will introduce you to the amazing gallery of still life painting in our next review, in which a fascinating tour of the virtual gallery of painters awaits you.

Exhibition activities

And finally, it is necessary to note the exhibition activity of the Miroshnikov couple. Expositions of their works are constantly held in the Moscow Manege, they are also exhibited in many cities of Russia and in foreign countries: Arab Emirates (2001), China (2006), England (2006, 2010), United States (2012), Austria (2014). Everywhere their paintings create a sensation among art lovers and find their connoisseurs and buyers.

We invite those who wish, together with the Mir TV channel, to visit a married couple of artists in order to personally see that stunning world and to be saturated with the creative atmosphere in which the talented Miroshnikov family lives. Watch the video:

- years later, Ilya Glazunov spoke about his graduates.

It so happened that the work of the master of Russian painting of the Soviet era, Ilya Sergeevich Glazunov, had its loyal fans and ardent critics. Therefore, passions always boiled around the painter's works. While the former were praised, the latter were mercilessly smashed to smithereens. For those who know little about the painter's creative heritage, we propose to add their own opinion about the master's works by reading the article: Two sides of the same coin: little-known pages of the life and work of Ilya Glazunov.