Anna Razumovskaya
Influenced by the powerful, enigmatic, romance-tinged hallmark works of the old masters, like Rembrandt, Rubens and Singer Sargent, celebrated contemporary fine artist, Anna Razumovskya’s signature artistic compositions flaunt a degree of beguiling beauty, ethereal elegance and ambient atmosphere that rise above the current crop of art works found under the same genre. Figurative art is Razumovskya’s specialist subject, and in particular the capture of the body beautiful; the classic female form which is timeless in its appeal and cache, and which has a lot to thank the lyrical romanticism of renaissance portraiture for, whether consciously or subconsciously. Razumovskya’s female form is a master-class in the illustrative placing of demure, sensual and sultry women in provocative and seductive poses, and the artist habitually adopts colours (and vivacious hues and saturations of) that engulf the viewer, yet enrapture them at the same time.
A successfully product of the Russian State University for Art’s Fine Art School, Razumovskya gained the distinction of being what’s referred to as a high-class artist, on graduating from the respected establishment in 1991. Thereafter Razumovskya advanced her education and added to her art knowledge-set by touring Europe, studying in Germany, Belgium and Holland, before finally settling in Canada where she’s based today. Razumovskya has had her collections unveiled and showcased in solo exhibitions throughout the 2000s at galleries and ArtExpo’s around the globe, from her very first in Amsterdam in 2003 to the 2010 New York variation, and including just some of the following public reveals during her personal art odyssey; Art Kvartal, Moscow 2004, ArtExpo Atlanta, 2005, ArtExpo Las Vegas, 2007 and Autumn Fair, Birmingham, 2009. Meanwhile the acclaimed artist’s work has met with approval and now hangs in private collections across the world as a result of her commercial exposure over the past couple of decades. Razumovskya has also found time between completing collections to pen a hardback book dedicated to her life story as such (‘Anna Razumovskya; Romantic Realist’), whilst also offering a unique insight into her painting techniques and visually documenting her primary works to date.
Having worked with countless models over the years, Razumovskya confirms that she has three favourites whom she likes to frequent as muses for her works, all of whom front what she describes as mesmerising individual style and supportive grace, whilst at the same time positively oozing confidence and character, all personal traits and levels of deportment which Razumovskya finds perfect to work with and detract the best art from. The process begins with a photo shoot with the life model, while also committing a series of sketches to paper, both of which form the creative nucleus and starting point for the finished canvas pieces. Razumovskya will take about 300 pictures in a single session, from which she may create five or six cumulative pictorial works.
Razumovskya’s typical day in the studio revolves around her laying down the foundations on which to construct her paintings, which requires an environment conducive to creativity and inspiration. Music is one aspect, whilst impromptu dance and movement is also something which Razumovskya considers important to the flowing of her ideas and eventual canvas convictions. The artist likes to instigate and perpetuate the naked energy and spontaneity pre-requisitional to firing the imagination, and channel an energy and vibrancy into the brushes and onto the canvas. Razumovskya chooses to work on more than the one piece at a time, so the studio is bustling with canvasses in various stages of production, which in itself engenders further inspiration and motivation.
Razumovskya clearly loves the job she does, insisting; “For me it is freedom, and I value it a lot more because I know what it is like not to have it. For me it is still fascinating, and I try focus on the pleasure of painting and not the subject, because the moment you try to analyze the painting too much, there you go, you add that unnecessary stroke, that extra detail, and you have lost it.”
For Razumovskya there remains at least one further creative avenue in which she wishes to journey down at some point, that being sculpture. Although more a case of re-plotting old coordinates rather than finding new ones, as the artist first experienced sculpture as part of her formal artistic education. Suffice to say it will definitely be of a figurative orientation according to Razumovskya, with her adding; “I will involve playing with forms and textures” before decreeing that; “It is going to be beautiful, I can’t wait!”
A successfully product of the Russian State University for Art’s Fine Art School, Razumovskya gained the distinction of being what’s referred to as a high-class artist, on graduating from the respected establishment in 1991. Thereafter Razumovskya advanced her education and added to her art knowledge-set by touring Europe, studying in Germany, Belgium and Holland, before finally settling in Canada where she’s based today. Razumovskya has had her collections unveiled and showcased in solo exhibitions throughout the 2000s at galleries and ArtExpo’s around the globe, from her very first in Amsterdam in 2003 to the 2010 New York variation, and including just some of the following public reveals during her personal art odyssey; Art Kvartal, Moscow 2004, ArtExpo Atlanta, 2005, ArtExpo Las Vegas, 2007 and Autumn Fair, Birmingham, 2009. Meanwhile the acclaimed artist’s work has met with approval and now hangs in private collections across the world as a result of her commercial exposure over the past couple of decades. Razumovskya has also found time between completing collections to pen a hardback book dedicated to her life story as such (‘Anna Razumovskya; Romantic Realist’), whilst also offering a unique insight into her painting techniques and visually documenting her primary works to date.
Having worked with countless models over the years, Razumovskya confirms that she has three favourites whom she likes to frequent as muses for her works, all of whom front what she describes as mesmerising individual style and supportive grace, whilst at the same time positively oozing confidence and character, all personal traits and levels of deportment which Razumovskya finds perfect to work with and detract the best art from. The process begins with a photo shoot with the life model, while also committing a series of sketches to paper, both of which form the creative nucleus and starting point for the finished canvas pieces. Razumovskya will take about 300 pictures in a single session, from which she may create five or six cumulative pictorial works.
Razumovskya’s typical day in the studio revolves around her laying down the foundations on which to construct her paintings, which requires an environment conducive to creativity and inspiration. Music is one aspect, whilst impromptu dance and movement is also something which Razumovskya considers important to the flowing of her ideas and eventual canvas convictions. The artist likes to instigate and perpetuate the naked energy and spontaneity pre-requisitional to firing the imagination, and channel an energy and vibrancy into the brushes and onto the canvas. Razumovskya chooses to work on more than the one piece at a time, so the studio is bustling with canvasses in various stages of production, which in itself engenders further inspiration and motivation.
Razumovskya clearly loves the job she does, insisting; “For me it is freedom, and I value it a lot more because I know what it is like not to have it. For me it is still fascinating, and I try focus on the pleasure of painting and not the subject, because the moment you try to analyze the painting too much, there you go, you add that unnecessary stroke, that extra detail, and you have lost it.”
For Razumovskya there remains at least one further creative avenue in which she wishes to journey down at some point, that being sculpture. Although more a case of re-plotting old coordinates rather than finding new ones, as the artist first experienced sculpture as part of her formal artistic education. Suffice to say it will definitely be of a figurative orientation according to Razumovskya, with her adding; “I will involve playing with forms and textures” before decreeing that; “It is going to be beautiful, I can’t wait!”