Alter Ego. Graphics + Automatic translate

The Russian Academy of Arts presents an exhibition project by the famous Kazan graphic artist, Honored Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan, honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts Alexander Mikhailovich Artamonov. Exhibition “Alter Ego. Graphics + will showcase more than 100 sheets created over the past 12 years, some of which will be seen by the public for the first time. These are works that reveal the bright individuality of the author, combining classical and new methods of working in various printing techniques, which reflect mastery of both line etching and its varieties - aquatint, soft varnish, direct etching. The technical sophistication of graphics, associated with a deep philosophical attitude to the subject, encourages reflection on the destinies of the little person, countries and civilizations, and eternal spiritual values.

Alexander Artamonov is an analytical artist who not only depicts the world around him or expresses his emotions, but also explores the foundations of existence, turning to the search for internal relationships of objects and events, plunging into the depths of human - personal and historical - memory. He grew up and formed as a graphic artist in Kazan. His hometown became one of the most important sources of inspiration for the artist. In the series of etchings “Kazan Pharmacies” (2014), the author depicts architectural and cultural objects that have become unique embodiments of the city’s history.

The principle of reverse perspective changes our point of view, allowing us to “enter” a space saturated with both very concrete and metaphysical images that give rise to a sense of mystery. Sviyazhsk occupies a special place in his work, with which a certain stage of the master’s life was closely connected. The numerous sheets made there, such as “Sviyazhsk Binding” (2015), “Sviyazhsk Index” (2016), “Sviyazhsk Angel” (2019), “Ark” (2019), the viewer will also be able to see in the exhibition space of the academic halls. The artist creates a complex, multi-level and multi-valued space that combines signs of island life, past and modern mythology of the historical city.

Since 2015, the graphic artist has visited Italy several times, where he dedicated works from the series “The Passion of Vercelli” (2018). It was in them that the impressions of the first trip to the medieval polis were intertwined, which made it possible to understand and experience not tourist, but genuine Italy with its leisurely pace of life, hospitable residents, a mixture of eras and styles, historical and artistic values. In the “Italian Labyrinth” series (2019), the author reflects his perception of textbook architectural monuments, demonstrating two approaches to the interpretation of urban space: in the “Florentine Route” cycle, it is revealed as if from the inside, through an objective world filled with complex symbolism and personal memories, and in cycle “Roman Paragraph” - through monumentality, conveying a characteristic, recognizable appearance.

The religious theme reflects the complex search for truth not only by the artist himself, but also by his entire generation. In the works “The Prophet” (2018), “Conversation with an Angel” (2012), “Liturgy” (2018), “David and Uriah” (2023), “Brotherly Corps 1 (Procession of the Righteous)” (2023) there is an understanding of Christian dogmas, Holy Scripture, the thorny path to faith. He also turns to the history of the adoption of Islam by the ancient Bulgars, the ancestors of modern Tatars, as one of the main religions in Tatarstan. “Ibn Fadlan’s Robe” (2018), a work consisting of two parts, allows us to imagine a medieval Arab writer dressed in a robe, which bears the traces of a long and dangerous journey from one part of the world to another. The author creates images of wonders seen along the way and fellow embassy members who rested forever in foreign lands or returned home, unable to withstand the hardships of the journey or frightened by the threatening dangers.

Alexander Artamonov strives to comprehend the fundamentals of non-objective art. In the series “Understatement” (2017), he puts on paper lapidary formulas that contain the diversity of the world and the perfection of artistic expression. In the series “Urban Lexicon” (2019), with his characteristic edification, he combines the didactics of historical artifacts with the play of forms, rhythms and textures, involving the viewer in the dramaturgy of planar-spatial constructions, following the constructive scheme of classical contrapposto.

Especially for the exhibition, the artist created several series in mixed media, going beyond the boundaries of graphic art. He uses a material such as gold leaf, which allows him to convey the mysterious shimmer of old gold, embodying divine light, and the sparkle of copper utensils, personifying the leisurely way of past eras (“Imitating Chardin,” 2023; “Station. 2960th km,” 2023; “Still Life with a Teapot”, 2023).

The exhibition is unique not only in terms of the selection of works, but also in relation to the works themselves, since, despite the fact that engraving by definition is a mass-produced art form, the exhibited sheets are mostly author’s prints, existing in single copies, reflecting experiments in color, in print. One of the artist’s favorite techniques is collage, and he brings a variety of objects and materials into his compositions - covers and scraps of pages of old books, pieces of cardboard and fabric, badges and metal plates, which he has collected over the years and carefully stores in his studio, as signs of the leaking time.

By combining prints from different boards in one sheet, which were not originally intended for this purpose, the master puts new connotations into his subjects and compositions. He also manages to achieve a variety of textures using the etching techniques themselves, reproducing by direct translation the covers of ancient publications and texts from them, conveying the features of old fonts, the wear of cardboard, and the wear of pages. Mastery of a variety of graphic techniques provides the artist with a wide field for experimentation and for the embodiment of his non-trivial ideas.

The text is based on an article by O. L. Ulemnova

Alexander Mikhailovich Artamonov was born on September 17, 1958 in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. He graduated from the department of theatrical and decorative art of the Kazan Theater School in 1984. Participates in city, republican, regional, all-Russian, international, and foreign exhibitions since 1986. Member of the Union of Artists of Russia (1996–2015), the Creative Union of Artists of Russia in the Republic of Tatarstan (member of the Board and head of the graphic section) since 2012. Since 2011, the organizer and director of the Kazan informal creative association “Grafkom”, which since 2017 has received the status of the Graphic Laboratory of Experimental Creative Workshops of the Volga region branch of the Russian Academy of Arts and the Creative Union of Artists of Russia.

Since 2011, one of the initiators and co-curator of the Kazan International Biennale of Printed Graphics “Horseman”, held on the basis of the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan. Laureate of the Prize of the Russian Academy of Arts and the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan named after. N.I. Feshin (2014), prize of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan named after. Baki Urmanche (graphics nomination, 2018). Awarded bronze (2012) and gold (2014) medals of the Russian Academy of Artists “For contribution to national culture”, a badge of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan “For achievements in culture” (2017), a silver medal of the Russian Academy of Arts (2017), etc. Works are stored in museums of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Kazan, Laishevo, Sviyazhsk, Ufa), in private collections in Russia and abroad (Germany, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, USA, Great Britain, etc.).