Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art presents an exhibition by Oleg Ivaschenko whose art transforms quotidian observations into parables – concise, yet rich in metaphor
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Artworks whose every component, from composition to palette, is geared towards getting across concepts and moods
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12 large-scale oil on canvas paintings
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An artist driven by a desire to transfer his real-life experience onto canvas rather than achieve commercial success
Oleg Ivaschenko was born into a family of icon painters. Like artists of the past, he began his creative journey as an apprentice, joining his father in collecting ochre stones on the outskirts of Krasnodar and subsequently making paints in the studio by crushing the pigment and then milling it with egg yolk and water according to the ancient recipe. When only 12 years old, he created his first icon under the father’s guidance, while his first painted canvas was a parsuna – a highly stylised icon-influenced portrait – of his mother. Oleg’s early creations were just as discreet and austere in palette as his present-day works.
Little by little the artist started to feel constrained by the strict icon painting canon: his experiences of the real world required a different form of expression, prompting him to pursue formal artistic training. Following graduation, Oleg embarked on a tour of Italy which proved to be the source of lasting impressions: for several years to come, he would mostly paint desolate Roman landscapes. Later on he discovered China: a long trip coinciding with an exhibition brought into Ivaschenko’s art traditional oriental motifs and plenty of red – an emotionally charged colour still very much present in his paintings. Both the Italian and the Chinese series were a commercial success. However, Oleg believes that, despite the subconscious willingness to please someone – be it the viewers, art critics, or gallery owners – a painter must first and foremost strive for imagery encapsulating his or her own vision. With time, foreign travels naturally gave way to meticulous studio work where the throes and joys of creation exist side by side.
The artist’s creative approach is based on transferring his real-life experience onto canvas to convey profound meanings. Thoughtful and industrious, he starts out with numerous studies followed by charcoal drawings and only then turns to oil. Overall composition may change in the process, as the primary focus is on accurately getting across the concept and mood. The artist insists that this is ultimately conditioned by neither technical prowess nor specific narrative, but rather a certain overarching objective.
Oleg Ivaschenko was born in Krasnodar in 1981. In 2001, he graduated from the Krasnodar Art College, and in 2007, from the Mural Painting Department of the Vasily Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute where he studied under the tutelage of Evgeniy Maksimov. In 2021, Oleg was elected Associate Member of the Russian Academy of Arts. He currently holds the position of Associate Professor at the Surikov Institute’s Department of Drawing.
