Damir Krivenko
Soul
Soul
2017 oil, mother of pearl, plastic, acrylic; 70 x 65 cm
Gold bottom
Gold bottom
1996, organic glass, oil; 58x53 cm.
My ideas
dripping paint

The history of a new trend in contemporary visual arts called Paletteism began in the mid-1990s, when Damir Krivenko, then a young painter, was sitting by the window and cleaning out his palette – and suddenly he saw a fascinating richness of the play of colors on it. That was how the Golden Bottom was created in 1996.

However it was only many years later that upon going through the collapse of the old states and the birth of the new ones, and being fully exposed to the impact of commercialization and domination of eclecticism, Krivenko gained steadfastness, experience and mastery. It took him years to learn the history of arts, different time-proved techniques and new technologies. The artist took a keen interest in the contemporary arts of the second half of the 20th century, for many neo-trends were seen to be using lots of diverse and sometimes quite unexpected materials and objects, advocating experiments in the arts, combining different means of expression and styles within a single composition, and trying to involve the viewers in the creative process and let them become participants and co-authors of the action. Such activity was giving really endless opportunities for the fulfilment of the author’s projects – however, paradoxically enough, it was that diversity that became a stumbling block: the abundance of the forms of self-expression began to press the viewers with its emotional load – so that the viewers got scared and stopped showing interest, while the contemporary arts denied all traditional solutions and climbed a certain level accessible to professional experts solely.

Being carried away by shocking protests, the artists lost the integrity and clearness of communication activity – and they forgot of the stabilizing and regenerating power of arts. Culture and arts have always been the primary assistants in the process of harmonization of the environment. That is why, the main goal of a contemporary artist is to revive the live contact between the viewer and the canvases – a task the old masters used to easily cope with, though they were still lacking freedom. Special rules and standards set in different times by different schools kept back the artists’ zeal and made them move in certain directions only – until the arts of the New Age became hopelessly conservative. Ultimately, this conflict has predetermined the appearance of such a trend that would conciliate the two confronting parties of adepts of realism and avant-garde: if you have re-considered the past, you will be able to start growing in the future. And vice versa: if the past has become cut off, there will be no future. It was on this basis, with some touch of irony and elegance added, that Damir Krivenko founded a new intellectual direction of contemporary arts – the one that is able to speak easily and with no shame of the problems of the contemporary world. And a plain palette – an essential tool and a symbol of the artist’s everyday work – became the means of transfer of the master’s idea. Thanks to this palette, the master managed to create a rich color field able to clearly and simply transfer his moods and speak of human feelings. By including elements of computer systems and other quite unexpected objects into his works, Damir is trying to reach the feeling of synthesis of the past and the present, of nature and culture, of arts and life (The Madonna of Palettes). Such experiments have let him combine the expressive approaches and deeply thought-out steps and techniques – like trompe-l’œil, glaze coating, etc.

Owing to these, a universal language of symbols was born – the one that lets the artist create his works that are able to play with the process of the observer’s perception. The master makes the viewer go deeper, inside the tissue of his work, and to feel the metaphysical revelation. For it is now, when estrangement in the society grows and people have practically stopped accepting and hearing themselves and as a consequence empathize with others, arts has to provide the contemporary human beings with a means of understanding of their own lives and become a tool to unite people.

Tatiana Zavizionnaya, artist’s wife, October 2015

© 2023, Дамир Кривенко - Веб-галерея российского художника из Анапы.
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