The painting ‘During Practice’ was created by Vadim Mikhailov, a remarkable sacred image painter and artist, who often worked in the genre of still life. He was born in the city of Dzerzhinsk in 1960, and at a young age he graduated from the School of Arts in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod). In the mature painting of Mikhailov, a tragic worldview and nostalgia for the classical ideal exist in an everlasting confrontation. His creative thinking is symbolic and metaphorical, so he doesn’t turn to situations from everyday life and everyday problems. The range of his artistic quest can be formulated as something between the drama and the harmony of the human being.
Mikhailov wrote his painting “During Practice” in 1985 as a graduation work: here, the features characteristic of the painter’s later art are just starting to show. The painting depicts the process of training young painters. In the foreground on the right one can see a man in a neat suit and hat, sitting on a chair. In the background there are girls and boys with sketchbooks, and next to the left children are seen playing. Despite the abundance of figures, the center of the composition, which can easily be found, is the large figure of the brooding sitter — the person posing for the painter, as he is creating the painting.
An elderly sitter is depicted in profile, but the viewer immediately senses that he is intelligent and humble, with a strong and persistent character. With calm colors, noble tones, smooth lines, Mikhailov expressed his respect for the man. In general, the harmony of colors reigns on the canvas, and light and shadows are interwoven into an elegant lace. The shapes themselves reflect the inner state of the characters and the artistic idea of the author. For example, the sitter is painted in austere and exact strokes, while young painters are not easy to be distinguished.
Mikhailov turned to the topic of summer art practice, since it is an integral and most important element of the training of future painters, and a continuation of educational work in drawing and painting. Outdoor sessions, the so-called plain airs, are of great importance: they expand the students’ knowledge of drawing, develop compositional thinking, which pushes the growth of professional skills of painters. By studying the nature and acquiring the skills in mastering various materials, techniques and technologies, students can comprehend the artistic craft.
Mikhailov wrote his painting “During Practice” in 1985 as a graduation work: here, the features characteristic of the painter’s later art are just starting to show. The painting depicts the process of training young painters. In the foreground on the right one can see a man in a neat suit and hat, sitting on a chair. In the background there are girls and boys with sketchbooks, and next to the left children are seen playing. Despite the abundance of figures, the center of the composition, which can easily be found, is the large figure of the brooding sitter — the person posing for the painter, as he is creating the painting.
An elderly sitter is depicted in profile, but the viewer immediately senses that he is intelligent and humble, with a strong and persistent character. With calm colors, noble tones, smooth lines, Mikhailov expressed his respect for the man. In general, the harmony of colors reigns on the canvas, and light and shadows are interwoven into an elegant lace. The shapes themselves reflect the inner state of the characters and the artistic idea of the author. For example, the sitter is painted in austere and exact strokes, while young painters are not easy to be distinguished.
Mikhailov turned to the topic of summer art practice, since it is an integral and most important element of the training of future painters, and a continuation of educational work in drawing and painting. Outdoor sessions, the so-called plain airs, are of great importance: they expand the students’ knowledge of drawing, develop compositional thinking, which pushes the growth of professional skills of painters. By studying the nature and acquiring the skills in mastering various materials, techniques and technologies, students can comprehend the artistic craft.
