Eugene Liskin
by
David Charles - 8/30/2006
An Independent Mind and Voice from Moldova
“I try to be independent in art as much as in life generally,” says Eugene Liskin, a Russian painter now living in Moldova. “I don’t think I belong to any stylistic or ideological movement.” And it’s true. His paintings are unique in style and content; his thoughts and feelings are his own and well worth hearing.
Born in Uriuzan, Russia in 1953, Eugene was destined to become an artist. “My first contact with art was like a revelation to me,” he says. “I was amazed by even the most unsophisticated pictures I saw in my childhood, and regarded with awe all that was related to the sacred world of art.”
When Eugene was ready to go to art school, the prevailing mood in the Russian art education scene was one of stagnant academicism. The one institute which seemed open-minded and willing to foster individuality and had “a fresh spirit of freedom” and where one could also get a good education in art was the Stroganov Art University in Moscow. So that’s where Eugene went. “In general, I think art education is needed so a painter can at least familiarize himself with the complex and diverse world of art and learn not to head for the well-trodden paths but look for something of his own and find his own place and his own special look at life and the way things are,” he says. “I think that a painter should follow his intuition as to where he should study and, once the choice is made, he absorbs everything that is interesting and useful, sweeping aside all the unnecessary stuff.”
He loves the Russian avant-garde, Dutch genre painting, naÔve art, Italian murals and many other genres. He experimented with pastels, watercolor and tempera before settling on oil as his preferred medium. “I work in oil because I like its deepness, thickness, manageability and intensity,” he explains.
After finishing art school he tried his hand at design and decorative and applied arts before finding his niche – painting. “Only in painting I can express my very innermost feelings,” he explains. “It allows me to create another reality than the pretentious, mercenary, self-destroying world – light, ironical, lighthearted. My characters are unaware, innocent and joyful, although they stay within the context of real life hassles. I feel a kind of spiritual unity with them and for me painting is a way of gaining inner harmony and of coming to terms with that ambiguous reality.”
Eugene does not, however, paint just for himself. He used to be fascinated by the creative process itself without paying much attention to his career, but he has come to realize, more and more, that an artist creates for an audience. Speaking of art as a whole, he feels the “collective unconsciousness” is trying to materialize and reflect itself in art as a way of human self-perception. He sees his painting as only a single voice in this “polyphonic chorus.” But it is very important for him to be heard, for his work to be seen, and to get feedback from people who view his art. So he is planning on showing his work and widening his audience as much as possible. His viewing audience consists of “those who have preserved that fresh, childlike way of looking at things or who are trying to recall or recover those childlike feelings when the world was only a place for dreams and fantasies.”
Eugene confesses that it is hard for him to part with his paintings. He prefers clients who are attracted by the sense and meaning in his art, and see in his paintings more than just decorative works to fill some space on some wall.
The Fine Art Registry fits in very well to Eugene’s approach towards and views regarding art. “I like the Fine Art Registry because I see in it an earnest and interested attitude towards artists and a deep, multi-faceted view on art,” he says. Eugene only discovered the Fine Art Registry recently but he has already registered many of his pieces. You can view his full gallery on line at this link: http://www.fineartregistry.com/portfolio/eliskin
“I like the fact that art historians and critics are engaged and the articles provide fresh, useful thoughts and ideas. I am happy to have been invited by Teri (FAR’s CEO and Founder) to register my pieces with FAR and to have the opportunity to join that creative community of art lovers.”
The Fine Art Registry attracts artists of all kinds from all around the world. Eugene Liskin’s voice is as independent and unique as they come. But he sees in FAR a valuable community that is well worth joining. And the world of art benefits greatly from having his work and his thoughts available online for all to share.
— David Charles | August 30, 2006
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