The exhibition of the Irbit State Museum of Fine Arts features a fantasy “Self-Portrait” by Pyotr Viktorovich Reichet, an artist from St. Petersburg.

Pyotr Reichet was a true Renaissance man. There is no other artist in St. Petersburg who has displayed his talent in such a wide range of creative activities with such consistent diversity and professionalism. Pyotr Reichet painted academic portraits, worked in traditional graphic techniques (lithography, charcoal, sanguine, and ink), created abstract paintings and collages, worked in the levkas technique, and created oil pastel compositions. Pyotr Reichet was also known for his installations, pop art objects made of rusty iron, papier-mâché, and vinyl, bronze sculpture, and works in many other styles. He pushed the limits of traditional ideas about art and explored new techniques and possibilities in painting and sculpture. In this way, Pyotr Reichet’s art was both contemporary and always relevant.

Between the mid-1970s and the mid-1980s, Pyotr Reichet took part in three polar expeditions: to Franz Josef Land, Bennett Island, and Severnaya Zemlya. During these expeditions, the artist produced drawings and watercolor paintings. He drew inspiration from both the surrounding landscapes and his own imagination. Later, images of ships and northern landscapes were supplemented by chases after mythical creatures like mermaids and fantastic beasts.

Pyotr Reichet was an aesthete. In painting, like in any other form of art, it was not enough for him to simply express an idea; the form of expression was also very important. His works, regardless of the subject or technique, were distinguished by attention to the material and the interaction between textures, which created a story of its own. It did not matter whether he was working with color spots on canvas or shades of iron, copper, steel, fabric, paper, or even dried plants. To balance the formalism in his art, Pyotr Reichet also created realistic portraits which he painted both on commission and answering the call of his heart. In such works, he demonstrated brilliant draftsmanship, creating fast, accurate, and expressive sketches.