Stanislav Nikireev is widely regarded as one of the best graphic artists in Russia. He revolutionized all ideas about the limits and possibilities of etching techniques. Nikireev’s etchings, scratched with a needle on lacquered metal, are small in size. However, they present the world in great detail, which is achieved by the artist’s incredible visual effort in creating them.
Russian countryside landscapes were the main inspiration of the artist’s work for many years. Nikireev created them with an endless love for the unspoiled beauty of nature in Central Russia. This etching, which depicts the outskirts of a quiet village, demonstrates this to the full. Very simple details — ravines, trees and bushes — acquire special qualities as a result of skillful drawing and create a very warm atmosphere of the landscape. The etching was made in 1982, when the Nikireev’s basic artistic methods had largely matured and Stanislav Mikhailovich had already developed his own distinctive style.
The composition of the presented landscape may seem simple at first glance, but Nikireev manages to fill it with a deeper meaning, thanks to the methods that became classic for him. A closer look at the scene reveals a deep perspective: fields stretching into the distance, a house on the horizon, a person, most likely a woman, working nearby are recurring images in Stanislav Mikhailovich’s oeuvre. A cold sky covered with clouds serves as a background for all this. Due to this effect, which is imperceptible at first glance, the space of the picture expands significantly. An attentive beholder sees in the picture not only what is represented in the foreground, but also what is hidden by the artist in the background, though not very deeply: Nikireev wants the viewer to find this background. The water and the reflections of the trees, which are immediately visible in the foreground, look extremely interesting. An inexperienced viewer can’t immediately see where the trees end and their reflections begin in the natural chaos presented in the etching.
Russian countryside landscapes were the main inspiration of the artist’s work for many years. Nikireev created them with an endless love for the unspoiled beauty of nature in Central Russia. This etching, which depicts the outskirts of a quiet village, demonstrates this to the full. Very simple details — ravines, trees and bushes — acquire special qualities as a result of skillful drawing and create a very warm atmosphere of the landscape. The etching was made in 1982, when the Nikireev’s basic artistic methods had largely matured and Stanislav Mikhailovich had already developed his own distinctive style.
The composition of the presented landscape may seem simple at first glance, but Nikireev manages to fill it with a deeper meaning, thanks to the methods that became classic for him. A closer look at the scene reveals a deep perspective: fields stretching into the distance, a house on the horizon, a person, most likely a woman, working nearby are recurring images in Stanislav Mikhailovich’s oeuvre. A cold sky covered with clouds serves as a background for all this. Due to this effect, which is imperceptible at first glance, the space of the picture expands significantly. An attentive beholder sees in the picture not only what is represented in the foreground, but also what is hidden by the artist in the background, though not very deeply: Nikireev wants the viewer to find this background. The water and the reflections of the trees, which are immediately visible in the foreground, look extremely interesting. An inexperienced viewer can’t immediately see where the trees end and their reflections begin in the natural chaos presented in the etching.
