Original paintings of a Belarusian artist chased by world museums and collectors: Anatoly Kontsub

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

- not so about every contemporary artist. But the Belarusian painter and ceramist from Bobruisk Anatoly Kontsub rightfully deserved to be called that. Today his name occupies one of the first lines in the rating of the best contemporary artists of Belarus, and his works adorn museums and private collections in more than one country in the world. And today in our publication we will introduce you to the work of this extraordinary master.

Of course, every master tries to say his weighty word in art, and in such a way as to be heard. But for this there is little technical skill and the ability to own spectacular techniques. Here we need warmth and sincerity, love for the land and the people living on it … We need both a philosophical outlook and knowledge of life. It is precisely this that Anatoly Kontsuba, who gives the viewer a piece of his soul through delightful canvases, is beyond measure.

Anatoly Aleksandrovich Kontsub is a famous Belarusian artist, well-known not only in his own country, but also far beyond its borders. He is a ceramist by education. However, for almost 20 years now he has been painting stunning picturesque paintings. And I must say, very successful and productive.

Unique creativity of the Bobruisk master

To begin with, I would like to note that the artist Anatoly Kontsub is extremely prolific, as they say now. Internet sites are simply full of numerous works of the master, which cannot be placed in one publication of our Internet magazine. Therefore, we present only a few of them.

In his paintings, the master avoids unambiguity and simplification. In them, the viewer sees both the sacrament, and poetry, and motives on the theme of fantasy. What is most interesting in the artist's work is that everything fantastic looks incredibly natural and even everyday. Each work of the artist is literally filled with sincerity of thought and a stream of improvisations.

His paintings are also filled with bright colors and light. His heroes are ordinary people, clowns, musicians, pilgrims, angels, saints … Mythological and historical characters very convincingly coexist on the artist's canvases with modern types and form a single figurative world. Anatoly Kontsub shows with each of his works that the mundane and the sublime are very close.

The creativity of the Bobruisk master is very interesting and the multitude of plots. Here you can see biblical, historical and modern stories. In genres, the artist is also multifaceted. Portraits, landscapes, still lifes, subject compositions on various topics - all this is subject to the author. Moreover, Anatoly Alexandrovich never chased and does not chase fashion, he is a kind, mobile, exceptional person, as people who know the artist personally note.

His works are a kind of tribute to ordinary people who sail through the realities of life and live by their weaknesses and virtues, joys and sorrows, regardless of the time space. Mental warmth literally flows from the master's canvases, warming and pleasing the eye, which is not so often found in modern painting.

Straight and curved lines, pure local spots of flowers and their complex combinations, silhouettes and carefully written images, an abundance of quotes and repetitions create the artist's own unique language, an amazing aura of his works that you want to consider for a long time, delving into each plot.

A few words about the artist

Anatoly Kotsub was born in 1949 in the village of Kolki, Brest region. Childhood and school years were spent in Polesie. From childhood, the boy had an irrepressible craving for creativity. He sculpted all kinds of figures from plasticine, he loved to draw. From a young age he dreamed of becoming an artist. Therefore, after graduating from school, Anatoly was no longer faced with the question of who to be.

In 1971 he graduated from the Belarusian State Theater and Art Institute (now the Academy of Arts) in the department of ceramics and glass. By distribution, he ended up in the small Belarusian town of Bobruisk. I was driving, I thought that it would not be for long - it turned out, forever. For more than thirty years he taught at the local vocational art school No. 15, where he organized the training of specialists in art ceramics. Graduated over a hundred first-class ceramic masters.

At one time, for his contribution to the development of ancient craft, he received the title of Honored Worker of Public Education of Belarus. After leaving the teaching position, Anatoly Kotsub worked in the Bobruisk art and creative workshops, while simultaneously engaging in personal creativity. Since 1980 Anatoly Kontsub is a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, now a member of the Belarusian Union of Artists.

Even in his youth, since 1976, the artist is a permanent participant in city, regional, republican, all-Union and foreign exhibitions, as well as a participant in international plein-airs in ceramics and painting. During his creative career, the master's exhibitions were held in the cities of Bobruisk, Mogilev, Minsk (Belarus), Moscow, Gabrovo (Bulgaria), Warsaw, Torun (Poland), Linz (Austria). The master also participated in international projects carried out by the Chinese organization "Travels of Artists for Peace" in Beijing, Shanghai, France and Belgium.

By the way, in 2014, following the results of the international exhibition "Harmony-Asia" in Shanghai, Anatoly Aleksandrovich was awarded a gold medal. The master's works are kept in the National Art Museum of Belarus, in the collection of the Belarusian Union of Artists, in the Mogilev Art Museum named after P. Maslennikov, in museums and private collections in Belarus, Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Austria, USA.

The original ceramics of Anatoly Kontsub

As mentioned above, Anatoly Kontsub began his creative activity as a ceramist. From clay, the artist created many subject compositions on everyday and mythological themes. We also offer you to look at a small selection of ceramic works by the master, the originality and originality of which is no less impressive than his paintings.

As you can see, the ceramic works of the Belarusian master are not boring and dynamic, they are filled with the author's philosophy, meaning and originality.

- this is what the master himself says about his creative path and the process of creating ceramic products.

And despite the fact that the 72-year-old artist has already created a huge number of works, Anatoly Alexandrovich assures:. And we just have to wish the original master from Bobruisk further creative success.

Continuing the topic, read our publication about an original Ukrainian artist who has developed his own author's style, mixed with originality, primitivism and folk traditions: Kind humor and simple human warmth in the positive pictures of the romantic Yuri Matsik.