An interview with painter artist Tatiana Ospennikova.
What initially sparked your interest in pursuing art, and how has your journey evolved since then?
I grew up in a family of art lovers, within a walking distance from Moscow’s two main galleries – the Tretyakov art gallery and the Pushkin museum. We used to spend a lot of time there with my parents – my first guides in the world of art. In my youth I was always in between painting, visiting different art schools, and the English language, which eventually won. My first higher education was linguistics – I graduated from the Moscow state linguistic university. I never gave up painting, though – my second university was Moscow’s extramural arts school, then – Stroganov Design and Fine Arts Academy as a postgraduate student. I then went to Saint Petersburg to find there my mentee Alexey Rychkov, an established and much beloved by the city’s exacting audience painter. Under his influence I developed my own style, yet at that time it was similar to many academic painters.
It was only by 2010th that I started to explore digital art, contemplating my audience to explore the inner side of the human nature. At that time, I also started to do illustrations for media and the so called graphic novels.
It was only by 2010th that I started to explore digital art, contemplating my audience to explore the inner side of the human nature.
Can you tell us about a specific piece of your artwork that holds particular significance to you, and what inspired its creation?
I always knew the answer to this question – it’s my son’s portrait “My amazing one”. I drew it by memory, as by that time the boy was older than on a portrait. I avoided any references like his photos of that time, trusting my memories and my perception of him. Working on this portrait I realised the difference between a painter and a craftsman.
How do you navigate the balance between staying true to your artistic vision and experimenting with new techniques or styles?
I avoid experimenting for the sake of experiment. I don’t mind breaking rules and moving borders, but only when it is justified.
I don’t mind breaking rules and moving borders, but only when it is justified.
What role do you believe art plays in society, and how do you envision your work contributing to the artistic dialogue?
I still believe art plays an enormous role, at our crazy times more than ever. I think art is like a yoga of a soul – make you feel either relax or tense, stronger, and stretching each “muscle” of your emotional core. As for my role, I think it’s as simple as creating thought provoking works of art.
I think art is like a yoga of a soul – make you feel either relax or tense, stronger, and stretching each “muscle” of your emotional core. As for my role, I think it’s as simple as creating thought provoking works of art.
Are there any upcoming projects or themes that you're excited to explore in your future artworks, and if so, what draws you to these ideas?
The nature of happiness is something I’ve been interested in now. A lot has been said about people’s loneliness, despair, loosing of faith, etc – I am interested how happiness looks like in the present life. Does it exist at all, in what forms?
How do you hope your art will impact viewers, and what message or emotion do you aspire to convey through your creative expressions?
I don’t feel the right to give people directions or tell them what to think or do with my art. I just want to give them a perspective, an impulse to feel. I trust once you let art in, you’ll always feel for it – it’s like a bicycle, you ride it once and you’ll never forget. I just want to be there when this desire to ride (to experience art) comes back.
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