European artists of contemporary art. Talented artists creating extraordinary paintings

Art is constantly evolving, like the whole world around us. Contemporary artists The 21st century and their paintings are not at all similar to those that existed in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. New names, materials, genres, and ways of expressing talents appear. In this rating we will meet ten innovative artists of our time.

10. Pedro Campos. In tenth place is a Spaniard, whose brush can easily compete with a camera, he paints such realistic canvases. For the most part, he creates still lifes, but it is not so much the themes of his paintings that inspire amazing admiration, but the masterful execution. Textures, highlights, depth, perspective, volume - Pedro Campos subordinated all this to his brush, so that reality, and not fiction, looked at the viewer from the canvas. Without embellishment, without romanticism, only reality, this is precisely the meaning of the photorealism genre. By the way, the artist acquired his attention to detail and scrupulousness while working as a restorer.

9. Richard Estes. Another fan of the photorealism genre, Richard Estes, started with ordinary painting, but later went into painting city landscapes. Today's artists and their creations do not need to adapt to anyone, and this is wonderful, everyone can express themselves the way they want in what they want. As in the case of Pedro Campos, the work of this master can easily be confused with photographs, the city from them is so similar to the real one. You rarely see people in Estes’s paintings, but there are almost always reflections, highlights, parallel lines and perfect, perfect composition. Thus, he does not just sketch the city landscape, but finds perfection in it and tries to show it.

8. Kevin Sloan. There are an incredible number of contemporary artists of the 21st century and their paintings, but not every one of them is worth attention. American Kevin Sloan stands, because his works seem to transport the viewer to another dimension, a world full of allegories, hidden meanings, metaphorical riddles. The artist likes to paint animals, because, in his opinion, this way he gets more freedom than with people to convey the story. Sloan has been creating her “reality with a catch” in oils for almost 40 years. Very often a clock appears on canvases: either an elephant or an octopus is looking at it; this image can be interpreted as time passing or as the limitations of life. Each of Sloan’s paintings amazes the imagination; you want to figure out what the author wanted to convey to her.

7. Laurent Parselier. This painter is one of those contemporary artists of the 21st century whose paintings received recognition early, even during their studies. Laurent's talent manifested itself in published albums under common name « Strange world" He paints in oils, his style is light and tends towards realism. Characteristic feature The artist's works are characterized by an abundance of light, which seems to be pouring from the canvases. As a rule, he depicts landscapes and some recognizable places. All works are unusually light and airy, filled with sun, freshness, and breath.

6. Jeremy Mann. The San Francisco native loved his city and most often depicted it in his paintings. Modern artists of the 21st century can find inspiration for their paintings anywhere: in the rain, wet sidewalks, neon signs, city lamps. Jeremy Mann fills simple landscapes mood, history, experiments with techniques and choice of colors. The main material of Manna is oil.

5. Hans Rudolf Giger. In fifth place is the inimitable, unique Hans Giger, the creator of Alien from the film of the same name. Today's artists and their works are diverse, but each is brilliant in its own way. This gloomy Swiss does not paint nature and animals; he prefers “biomechanical” painting, in which he excels. Some compare the artist to Bosch in the gloom and fantasy of his paintings. Although Giger’s paintings emanate something otherworldly and dangerous, you can’t deny his technique and skill: he is attentive to details, competently selects shades, thinks through everything to the smallest detail.

4. Will Barnett. This artist has his own unique author’s style, which is why his works are readily accepted by the great museums of the world: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Vatican Museum. Contemporary artists of the 21st century and their works, in order to be recognized, must somehow stand out from the rest of the masses. And Will Barnett can do it. His works are graphic and contrasting; he often depicts cats, birds, and women. At first glance, Barnett's paintings are simple, but upon further examination you realize that their genius lies in this simplicity.

3. Neil Simon. This is one of the contemporary artists of the 21st century, whose works are not as simple as they seem at first glance. It’s as if the boundaries between the plots and works of Neil Simon are blurred, they flow from one to another, dragging the viewer along with them, drawing them into illusory world artist. Simon's creations are characterized by bright, saturated colors, which gives them energy and strength and evokes an emotional response. The master loves to play with perspective, the size of objects, with unusual combinations and unexpected shapes. The artist’s works contain a lot of geometry, which is combined with natural landscapes, as if bursting inside, but not destroying, but harmoniously complementing.

2. Igor Morski. Today's 21st century artist and his paintings are often compared to the great genius Salvador Dali. The works of the Polish master are unpredictable, mysterious, exciting, evoke a strong emotional response, and are sometimes crazy. Like any other surrealist, he does not strive to show reality as it is, but shows facets that we will never see in life. More often, main character Morski’s work is a man with all his fears, passions, and shortcomings. Also, metaphors in the works of this surrealist often concern power. Of course, this is not an artist whose work you would hang above your bed, but one whose exhibition is definitely worth going to.

1. Yayoi Kusama. So, in first place in our rating is a Japanese artist who achieved incredible success all over the world, despite the fact that she has some mental illnesses. The artist’s main feature is polka dots. She covers in circles various forms and the sizes of everything he sees, calling it all networks of infinity. Kusama’s interactive exhibitions and installations are a success, because everyone sometimes wants (even if he doesn’t admit it) to be inside the psychedelic world of hallucinations, childish spontaneity, fantasies and colorful circles. Among contemporary artists of the 21st century and their paintings, Yayoi Kusama is the best-selling.

Art modern painting- These are works created at the present time or in the recent past. A certain number of years will pass, and these paintings will become part of history. Works of painting created from the 60s of the last century to the present day reflect several directions contemporary art, which can be classified as postmodernism. During Art Nouveau times, the work of painters was more widely represented, and in the 70s of the twentieth century there was a change in the social orientation of the art of painting.

Contemporary art

Artists of modern painting primarily represent new trends in fine art. In cultural terminology there is a concept " contemporary art", which in some way correlates with the concept of "modern painting". By contemporary art, artists most often mean innovation, when the painter turns to cutting-edge themes, regardless of their focus. The painting can be painted in and depict any industrial enterprise. Or on the canvas there is a landscape landscape with wheat field, meadow, forest, but at the same time a combine harvester will certainly be drawn in the distance. The style of modern painting assumes a social orientation of the picture. At the same time, landscapes by contemporary artists without social overtones are valued much more highly.

Choosing a direction

Since the late 90s, artists of modern painting have abandoned industrial themes and transferred their creativity to the mainstream of pure visual arts. Masters of fine art appear portrait painting, landscape scenes, still lifes in the style of Flemish drawing. And gradually, true art began to appear in modern painting, in no way inferior to the paintings created by outstanding artists of the 18th and 19th centuries, and in some ways even superior to them. Today's brush masters are helped by a developed technical base, an abundance of new means that allow you to fully reflect your plans on canvas. Thus, artists of modern painting can create to the best of their abilities. Of course, the quality of paints or brushes is important in the process of painting, but the main thing is talent.

Abstract expressionism

Modern artists adhere to painting methods that allow the use of non-geometric strokes applied in abundance to the canvas big size. Large brushes are used, sometimes paint brushes. Such painting can hardly be called art in classical meaning this word, however, abstraction is a continuation of surrealism, which appeared back in 1920 thanks to the ideas of Andre Breton and immediately found a lot of followers, such as Salvator Dali, Hans Hofmann, Adolf Gottlieb. At the same time, artists of modern painting understand expressionism in their own way. Today, this genre differs from its predecessor in the size of the canvases, which can reach three meters in length.

Pop Art

The counterbalance to abstractionism was the conceptual new avant-gardeism, promoting aesthetic values. Modern artists began to include images in their paintings famous personalities such as Mao Zedong or Marilyn Monroe. This art is called "pop art" - a popular, generally recognized direction in painting. Mass culture replaced abstract art and gave rise to special type aesthetics, which in a colorful, effective manner presented to the public what was on everyone’s lips, some recent events or images widely famous people in different life situations.

The founders and followers of pop art were Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, Peter Blake, Roy Lichtenstein.

Photorealism

Contemporary art is multifaceted; often a new direction arises in it, combining two or more types of visual creativity. Photorealism became such a form of artist’s self-expression. This style of painting appeared in the USA in 1968. It was invented by avant-garde artist Louis Meisel, and the genre was introduced two years later, at the Whitney Museum during the exhibition “Twenty-Two Realists.”

Painting in the style of photorealism is associated with photography; the movement of the object is frozen in time. A photorealist artist collects his image, which will be captured in the painting, using photographs. From a negative or slide, the image is transferred to the canvas by projection or using a scale grid. Then a full-fledged picture is created using painting technologies.

The heyday of photorealism occurred in the mid-70s, then there was a decline in popularity, and in the early 90s the genre was revived again. Established artists worked mainly in the USA, among them there were many sculptors who also created their works using image projection. The most famous masters of painting based on photorealism are Richard Estes, Charles Bellet, Thomas Blackwell, Robert Demekis, Donald Eddy, Duane Hanson.

Photorealist artists younger generation- Raffaella Spence, Roberto Bernardi, Chiara Albertoni, Tony Brunelli, Olivier Romano, Bertrand Meniel, Clive Head.

Contemporary artists of Russia

• Serge Fedulov (born 1958), native of Nevinnomyssk Stavropol Territory. Participant of several exhibitions in Latin America and Europe. His paintings are distinguished by their realism and contrasting color combinations.
• Mikhail Golubev (born 1981), graduated art class Omsk school of painting. Currently lives in St. Petersburg. He is distinguished by an unusual style of creativity; all his works are paintings-reflections with deep philosophical overtones.
• Dmitry Annenkov (born 1965) in Moscow. Graduated from the Stroganov Art Institute. Popular abroad, but gives preference to Russian exhibitions. Annenkov's art is realistic; the artist is a recognized master of still life.

Russian impressionists

• Alexey Chernigin, Russian impressionist artist (born 1975), is the son famous artist Alexandra Chernigina. Studied painting and graphic design at art school Nizhny Novgorod. Graduated from the Nizhny Novgorod Architectural Institute with a degree in Industrial Design. Member of the Union of Artists of Russia since 1998. Since 2001, he has been a teacher at NGASU at the Department of Interior Design.
• Konstantin Lupanov, Krasnodar artist (born 1977). Graduated from the Industrial Academy at the State University of Culture and Arts with a degree in " Monumental painting". Participant of many art exhibitions in and St. Petersburg. Distinguished by a rare manner oil painting with twisting stroke. Lupanov's paintings are completely devoid of contrasting color combinations; the images seem to flow into one another. The artist himself calls his works “cheerful, irresponsible daub,” but there is some coquetry in this statement: the paintings are actually painted quite professionally.

Russian artists painting in nude style

• Sergei Marshennikov (born 1971), one of the most famous Russian artists of our time. Graduated from the Ufa College of Arts. His paintings are an example of blatant realism. The works give the impression of an artistic photograph, the composition is so precise and every stroke is verified. The artist’s wife, Natalya, most often plays the role of model, and this helps him create a sensual picture.
• Vera Vasilievna Donskaya-Khilko (born 1964), granddaughter of the famous opera singer Lavrenty Dmitrievich Donskoy. The brightest representative of modern Russian painting. He draws in the style of a plot nude. In the artist’s creative palette one can find beauties from an oriental harem and naked village girls on the river bank on the night of Ivan Kupala, a Russian bathhouse with hot women going out into the snow and swimming in an ice hole. The artist draws a lot and talentedly.

Contemporary Russian artists and their work are of increasing interest to connoisseurs fine arts worldwide.

Contemporary painting as world art

Currently fine arts took forms different from those demanded in the 18th and 19th centuries. Contemporary artists of the world turned to the avant-garde in a narrower interpretation, the canvases acquired sophistication and became more meaningful. Society today needs updated art; the need extends to all types of creativity, including painting. Paintings by contemporary artists, if they are made at a sufficiently high level, are sold out and become the subject of bargaining or exchange. Some paintings are included in the lists of especially valuable works of art. Paintings from the past, painted by great painters, are still in demand, but contemporary artists are becoming increasingly popular. Oil, tempera, watercolor, and other paints help them in creativity and the successful implementation of their plans. Painters, as a rule, adhere to one style. This could be a landscape, portrait, battle scenes or another genre. Accordingly, the artist chooses a certain type of paint for his work.

Contemporary artists of the world

The most famous contemporary artists differ in their painting style, their brush is recognizable, sometimes you don’t even need to look at the signature at the bottom of the canvas. Famous masters modern painting - Philip Pearlstein, Alexander Isachev, Francis Bacon, Stanislav Plutenko, Peter Blake, Freud Lucien, Michael Parkes, Guy Johnson, Eric Fischl, Nikolai Blokhin, Vasily Shulzhenko.

There is very a large number of contemporary Russian artists, whose activities are known only in certain circles - the broad masses are often far from modern art and, by inertia, are content with knowledge only about the work of Russian classics. We want to correct this situation, so we will further tell you what a Russian contemporary artist is like using the example of the following five authors.

Ilya Kabakov

This contemporary artist is one of the most significant Russian painters of his time, who personifies modern art, in particular, the soul of Moscow conceptualism. One of the paintings, “Beetle,” painted in 1982, was sold in 2008 at an auction in London for almost six million dollars and was included in the list of the most expensive paintings, which were created by Russian artists. Modern paintings by Kabakov are now exhibited in many museums around the world: in New York's Pace Gallery, Moscow's Multimedia Art Museum and others.

I don’t know how others resisted this terrible complex: “You are already 25 years old, and you are not Raphael yet!” But for me this is one of the most terrible stimulating moments. ( Ilya Kabakov)

Another iconic work of the artist, “Holidays No. 6,” depicts a typical Soviet illustration, decorated with candy wrappers on top - they seem to camouflage the picture and thus represent feigned optimism that hides the dreary reality behind it. In general, the work of Ilya Kabakov is characterized by the concept of escapism - escape from surrounding reality and immersion in art.

Sergey Volkov

Many of their own modern paintings Sergei Volkov wrote under the impression of a trip to Germany, where he had to go on a creative business trip. A whole series of paintings is dedicated to German architectural Gothic and folklore and is covered in a certain symbolism. After a series of “German” paintings, the modern artist wrote a series on themes dedicated to North American Indians and presenting portraits of freedom-loving Indian leaders.

And today the main theme of the painter’s work is the beauty of Moscow landscapes: “Taganka”, “Stankevich Street”, “Kadashevskaya Embankment”. Volkov's modern painting is an impressionistic image of a simple, everyday capital, such as it is, but at the same time in bright colors, which manifest themselves in sunlight, traffic lights and colorful trams.

Grigory Bruskin

Grigory, or Grisha Bruskin, as his artistic name sounds, admired the profession of an artist since childhood. Studying in art school, he took inspiration from the works French painters Renaissance era.

I can call myself happy man as long as I can work. ( Grigory Bruskin)

In the 80s, when Bruskin was in exile, his work acquired a certain structure, with the help of which he was able to organize various symbols, signs and social myths. According to this approach, the modern artist combined his works into entire series or collages, where he depicted objects and inscriptions that were an allegory of some concept. One of these paintings, “Fundamental Lexicon,” subsequently brought him fame when it was purchased by Milos Forman himself, an Oscar-winning Czech and American director, at one of the auctions.

Semyon Faibisovich

Another famous Russian artist, working in the popular style of photorealism. The author combines his modern paintings in a series: for example, “Roam”, “Obviousness”, “At the Station”. The latest cycle of works includes the artist’s most expensive painting, “Soldier,” which was auctioned at Phillips de Pury for as much as 311 thousand pounds.

As the artist himself says, earlier in his works he wondered what exactly we see around us, drawing situations from everyday life: here is a person waiting for the arrival of an electric train, here he is riding in a trolleybus... Now Faibisovich is more interested in how we see: to convey the desired effect, the modern artist films future scenes using an old mobile phone, and then transfers it to the canvas.

Valery Koshlyakov

Contemporary artist Valery Koshlyakov is one of the most famous Russian painters, who has repeatedly represented the country at various world biennales. The Louvre, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pompidou Center, the Russian Museum - you will find his works everywhere. The most famous painting The author was the painting “Versailles”, sold in 2008 for 72.5 thousand pounds at the famous Sotheby's auction.

I am modern only in the sense that I am your contemporary, and not in the sense that I make modern art. ( Valery Koshlyakov)

Monuments of past eras are the artist’s favorite subject of painting. Koshlyakov’s modern painting has its own peculiarity, namely, a predilection for using not the most traditional materials for creativity: cardboard, fabric, packaging boxes, etc., although in last years the painter often returns to the canvas. In trying to achieve a matte surface, the Russian artist avoids oil paints, giving preference to acrylic and tempera.

You can also appreciate the palette of contemporary Russian fine art by watching the following video report from one of the exhibitions of the Manege Museum:

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

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Contemporary art seems pretentious and empty to many, but this does not change the fact that many 21st century artists receive fabulous sums for their paintings. Find out which contemporary artist has managed to earn the most from his work and who is just a little behind him in our article.

One of the most popular artists of our time is the American Jeff Koons. The creator's favorite style is kitsch. Bright colors, disorder, unusual materials and ideas - this is what allowed Koons to become widely popular back in the 80s of the 20th century. Today the artist is the president of his own Jeff Koons Corporation, which creates unusual sculptures. Most popular works: “figurines” in full height Michael Jackson with his gold-plated monkey (sold for $5.6 million); “Heart” (purchased in 2007 for $23.6 million) and “Tulips” (also sold under the hammer for $23.6 million).

One of the author's most fantastic series - giant sculptures created from elongated balloons. Bright dogs, Balloon Flower 3, “Tulips” look easy. However, the weight of such a sculpture can reach several tons.

One of the most expensive painters is Jasper Johns, who lives in Connecticut, USA. In his works, the creator uses mainly bright, rich colors and simple images: , targets, flags, numbers, cards. Researchers still have no consensus regarding the style direction chosen by Jasper Johns. Some of them are associated with pop art, others – with neo-Dadaism.

The East does not sleep

It is worth noting that world art today is dominated by creators from Asian countries. China takes the leading position in this aspect. Several artists from the Middle Kingdom are among the top ten.

Zeng Fanzhi became the leader among his compatriots. Today, the artist has moved away from his previously characteristic expression and focused on symbolism. The soft colors, overall calmness and relaxation of the paintings have made Fanzhi one of the most sought-after Asian artists in the world.

The first exhibitions of Zeng Fanzhi's paintings outside China took place in 1993. But record amounts The artist began to receive money for his work relatively recently: in 2008, the painting “Mask Series No. 6” brought the creator $9.7 million.

The second most popular Chinese artist in the world is Zhou Chunya. The master's work “Green Dog” brought him real worldwide popularity. Animals of different, poorly identifiable breeds are captured in a variety of emotional poses. According to the author, this “dog” is a symbol of loneliness and the uncertain position of a person in modern society. The total profit of the sold works amounted to €23.9 million.

Speaking from the East, one cannot fail to mention the Japanese creator Takashi Murakami. The painter, designer and sculptor creates very expressive, positive works, combining in them real opposites: West and East, past and present, chaste and vulgar. In the West, Murakami became famous for his collaboration with Marc Jacobs - the Japanese worked on the design of Louis Vuitton products.

Tip 2: Modern artists: geniuses or crazy?

Who are they, the artists of our time? Some will say that they are crazy, while others will see genius in their work. Just look and think about “their” world.

Instructions

The works of artist Vasily Shulzhenko have become popular all over the world, and they are especially loved by Americans who want to see Russia exactly like this. It shows the life of a Russian without “masks”. Drinking, debauchery, rock bottom and human vices. Some people respect his work, while others despise him. Each picture carries deep meaning. If you look closely, you can see the history of each character. Many people think that Vasily hates, but maybe he wants the one who saw himself on the canvas to change?! His work can be described as "Gloomy but true."

Polish surrealist artist Jacek Jerka has his own special touch, drawing every detail. His paintings are dominated by warm, pleasant colors. Looking at them, you are enveloped in a feeling of magic, the powerful force of nature and a world about which we may know nothing. Paintings give free rein to our imagination and change our perception of reality. Definitely, Jacek Jerka is extraordinary creative artist and his paintings are worthy of our attention.

Works German artist and illustrator Quint Buchholz give our brain “food” for thought. You want to return to his paintings and look at them again and again. Each has its own story. The palette is pleasant, delicate and weightless. Looking at his paintings, you involuntarily calm down and gain a feeling of lightness. The artist held more than 70 exhibitions and his paintings were awarded numerous international awards. Among his works, everyone will find something to their liking.

Here is a selection of paintings by still little-known but very talented artists. All the guys are from Russia and our contemporaries. Watch, read and enjoy.

Guys, I write here all the time about fairly famous and accomplished personalities. Of course, it would be much more interesting for me to write about those artists about whom no one knows yet, but what can you do - in the VKontakte public you can write about anything, but on a blog you can only write what people are looking for in Yandex and Google, otherwise no one will go there except you. But for variety and pleasure, I nevertheless decided to make a selection “Little-known contemporary artists of Russia and their paintings.”

• What else is interesting? (links to other articles).
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• The legendary dean of the Faculty of Graphics of the famous “Repinka”.

Some of these guys are still at the very beginning of their journey, while others are already relatively established and successfully sell their works on VKontakte or on marketplaces like a crafts fair and are even known in narrow circles, but they all have one thing in common - they are still are not known to the general public. But unknown does not mean lacking talent, so I think you will be interested in watching. I decided to include here not only the draftsmen themselves, but also several sculptors.

Little-known contemporary artists of Russia and their paintings. Illustrators and painters.

Little-known artists. Colored surreal modernism in the paintings of Maria Susarenko.

I learned about this artist not long ago and almost immediately fell in love with her paintings. Partly because it is very close to me in spirit as an artist, partly because of my admiration for technique and the riot of imagination. Maria Susarenko is a sweet girl from St. Petersburg and a graduate of the famous St. Petersburg State Academy of Art and Industry named after. A.L. Stieglitz. Maria Susarenko's paintings are a riotous mixture of modernism and surrealism. They look very bright and decorative.

Paintings by little-known artists. Works by Maria Susarenko

Little-known artists. Subbotina Dasha.

The eternal motif of Yuralga is cats.
Funny weirdo. This is the kind of brooch I would wear.

MOAR - https://vk.com/shamancats

Little-known contemporary artists of Russia. Sculptors.

Even though there are not paintings here, but decorations, they are so charming and loving that I could not resist. In the end, a sculptor is also an artist. Yes, an artist can be a painter, graphic artist, illustrator or sculptor (your captain obvious). Here are two girls whose jewelry would not put Rene Lalique to shame.

Little-known artists. Grimoire of the Black Chicken.

The workshop “Grimoire La poule noire”, which translates as “The Grimoire of the Black Hen” (your captain obviousness), is run by Lera Prokopets. Lera is a miniaturist sculptor and simply a gorgeous lady. She works primarily with polymer clay and stones. Lera creates stunning jewelry in a style that I would call gothic “art nouveau”. Such a slightly witchy, dark but graceful beauty. Well, of course, this is the “grimoire of the black chicken”.

Little-known artists. Original art nouveau jewelry. Photo from the workshop “Grimoire of the Black Hen”.