Georgy Panayotov: The Eastern Partnership is a priority for the European Union. Handmade
An exhibition "Georgy Panayotov icon painter" is opened at the Suvorov Museum in St. Petersburg. Its author, a twenty-year-old student from St. Petersburg, creates his works with acrylic and experiments with modern style. Georgy Panayotov, a student at the St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, got acquainted with icon painting 15 years ago. Then the future icon painter was only five years old. Since then, he has written about a thousand works and is rightfully considered one of the best young masters in Russia.
Man of the world
Gosha was born in Belarus, grew up in Bulgaria, moved to St. Petersburg a few years ago. Since I met my first teacher Rashko Bonev, I wrote almost every day. And he traveled , together with his mother, he visited Bulgarian monasteries and temples, the shrines of Macedonia, and European countries. Where is his homeland, George can not determine until now.
Probably, this is still Bulgaria. The guy thoughtfully turns a burgundy booklet with information about his work in his hands. I was born there as an icon painter, and I am still drawn to this country. In general, I am a cosmopolitan. I do not rule out that after graduating from the institute I will move from Russia to a completely new place. I love Petersburg, but it's too dark here in the cold season. And in order to engage in icon painting, you need light.
Helped Saint Mina
Today icons of George Panayotov can be found in seven countries of the world. He has more than ten author's exhibitions. The question of whether to show Goshin's work to the public was decided when the young talent was seven years old.
In the Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo, where we lived then, there was a children's cafe, says George's mother, Inna Arkadievna. Its owners decided to display the works of talented local children in their establishment. One of the first who was offered to exhibit was Gosha. I thought for a long time whether such a proposal would not be contrary to the Law of God.
Shortly before the exhibition, Inna sat down to read the Bible and opened it to a page where it was written: if your words and thoughts are pure, open windows and doors and go to people. Since then, the procession of Goshin's works around the world began: people learned about Panayotov in France and Germany, in Russia, the St. Petersburg art critic Yuri Mudrov took up his promotion. This brought not only fame to the icon painter, but also ... real help to admirers of his talent.
One woman who lived in Frankfurt am Main had a black streak in her life she got into a car accident and lost her home, says Inna. Her friend had a dream: in order to cope with troubles, it is necessary to find the icon of St. Mina, made by a boy with long hair.
What was the surprise of the residents of Frankfurt when they went to Gosha's exhibition! At the entrance hung a photograph of a young icon painter, who then wore long, almost to the waist, hair. And among the presented works was the icon of St. Mina.
As a result, this woman got better. Of course, it was not my work that created the miracle, but Saint Mina, to whom the lady turned with her prayers, specifies Gosha.
Astronauts and donors
Against a golden background is the face of St. Anastasia the Destroyer. On both sides of it are small figures of the Patriarch of Moscow Alexy II and Pope John Paul II. A little lower are ... cosmonauts of the orbital station "Mir" Anatoly Solovyov and Nikolai Budarin. In snow-white spacesuits, round helmets and gloves with trumpets, they hold an icon in their hands. This is one of the latest author's developments of Gosha Panayotov. It is dedicated to the peacekeeping action, which the Catholic and Orthodox Church held in 1995.
Then the situation in the world became very tense, says George. The war broke out in Croatia, the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first Chechen campaign. Therefore, the idea arose to launch into space two icons of St. Anastasia, which is equally revered by both Orthodox and Catholics. They orbited the Earth for about a year to show: christianity united, and we should not engage in civil strife. Recently, a conference was held in St. Petersburg following the results of this action, and it impressed me so much that I decided to paint an icon.
Gosha is often asked if it is possible to depict "outsiders", not holy people on icons. And he does not get tired of repeating: you can. The main thing is that their appearance should be determined by the situation that the master wants to convey.
Hagiographic scenes often depict tormentors, heretics, unbelievers, he explains. In the scenes where Jesus Christ resurrects Lazarus, as a rule, there is an "extras" ordinary people who came to see the miracle. Moreover, since the beginning of our era, a tradition has been preserved to depict donors on icons - people who donate for the construction of the temple or provide him with any assistance.
Acrylic rebellion and modernism
In the mind of a non-religious person, icon painting is a conservative form of creativity, surrounded by a mass of taboos and prohibitions. While most Russian icon painters prefer to work with tempera (mineral paints ground on honey, egg yolk or artificial emulsions), Georgy paints with acrylic paints, which are now used to paint even souvenir T-shirts and other hand-made items. On his desktop there is a plastic bowl that Gosha substitutes under the icons as an easel, a couple of pencils, several bright tubes of acrylic.
The Byzantine theologian John of Damascus said: "Any material that will serve to the glory of the Lord can be used", George argues. Therefore, reasonable technological innovations in icon painting are only welcome. Acrylic is comfortable and durable, now many Greek and Bulgarian masters paint with it. In Russia, it is not so widespread yet, but I think it is the future. The fact that in the era of Andrei Rublev they painted with egg tempera was also a grandiose step forward compared to the icons of the 5th century, which were created with wax-based paints.
By the way, acrylic is not the only deviation from the rules that can be found by looking closely at Gosha's icons. Some of the works of the young man are made in the Art Nouveau style, which is unusual for icon painting.
The gospel word can be conveyed in colors using different visual means, sure George. The only question is that the chosen pictorial language should be adequate to the time in which you live. Art Nouveau is precisely the style in which the development of Russian icon painting was interrupted by the revolution. After him, nothing new was created, so if you do stylistic searches, then I think you should start from this moment. Although it is theoretically possible to paint icons even in techno style as long as they do not contradict church canons and evoked a prayer response in the viewer.
When Gosha Panayotov picked up a pencil for the first time, perhaps even his mother does not remember. But the countdown from the moment when the young artist bent over the board, covered with gesso, is accurately kept by her. After all, it was she who tremblingly and carefully managed to notice and not miss that moment not of curiosity, but of keen interest, that moment when a spark of God ignited in a child who rushed to write prayer images.
Georgy Panayotov is a native of Belarus. He was born in 1989. And at the age of five he ended up in Bulgaria, in the homeland of his father. Every Bulgarian city is rich Orthodox churches, and Veliko Tarnovo also with icon-painting workshops. Here, during one of the walks with his mother around the city, the boy met the icon painter Rashko Bonev. His art made an indelible impression on the young Gosha, he was literally fascinated by what he saw in the icon-painting workshop. Here, as a gift from the master, he received a small tablet prepared for drawing an image on it, and parting words. Soon he began to write on it his first icon-painting image - Christ Pantokrator.
A little later, Angel Botev, a teacher at Veliko Tarnovo University, a specialist in the field of technology of painting materials, will provide invaluable assistance in comprehending the basics of painting skills to the boy. A few more years will pass, icon painter Georgy Donchev will become his mentor.
Gosha Panayotov has been working hard and hard since the very first day, when icon painting became his main hobby. Acquiring knowledge from mentors, persistently educating himself, from the very first steps in the icon-painting "field", he receives the necessary spiritual nourishment for him. The rector of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Brest, father Gennady, and the Bulgarian priest father Slavi, rector of the church of the same name in Veliko Tarnovo, blessed young George at the beginning of this journey. Spiritual support will accompany the icon painter in the future: the iconostasis made by George for the Small Church at St. cathedral the city of Grodno was blessed by the Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus Filaret, and the Archbishop Istrinsky Arseniy, when donating the icon “Saint Seraphim of Sarov” to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy 11, he also said good parting words to him and gave him a blessing.
Georgy Panayotov turns 20 this year. But this is not the time to sum up. Probably shouldn't even do it. From a young artist, sometimes touched by his age, but a hard worker and a very capable student, he turns into an adult. With a different degree of responsibility and attitude to the chosen Cause. There is no doubt that he found himself. And we wish him on this path Ascents. He has a lot to do with it...
Vice President of the Russian Committee
International Council of UNESCO Museums (ICOM),
member of the European Society for Culture (S.E.C.)
President of the St. Petersburg Public
Foundation for the Promotion of Culture and
art, art historian, member of the Union of Artists of the Russian Federation
Yu.V. WISDOM
From 1994 to 2002 he lives in Bulgaria.
In 1995 Georgy paints the first icon in the studio of Rashko Bonev.
In 2000, he met Georgy Donchev and wrote under his guidance.
Since 1997, Georgiy learned painting techniques from the teacher of Veliko Tarnovo University - Angel Botev.
From 2003 to 2004 he studied in St. Petersburg (Russia) at Lyceum No. 190 at the Academy. IN AND. Mukhina.
From 2004 - 2007 he lives and studies in Brest, secondary school No. 7.
In 2007 he entered the St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after I.E. Repin.
His icons amaze with their unusual cheerfulness, bright colors and lively, expressive details in harmony with the strict canon. Eclecticism and elements of Art Nouveau in the works of Georgy Panayotov are easily and organically combined with the traditions of Byzantine and Old Russian icon painting, allowing you to take a fresh look at the mysterious world of the icon. Such are the life-affirming and full of light work "The Lord and Adam Give Names to Animals", the image of a guardian angel in lilac robes, tremblingly bending over a baby on a golden background, and many other unique works.
By the age of 20, young and warmly recognized by art historians, the master has already been awarded many awards, his works have been exhibited in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Germany and France. George is the author of the iconostasis in the church of St. Olga in Grodno. And the icon Reverend Seraphim Sarovsky, his work was in the collection of Patriarch Alexei II. Now he paints images for the iconostasis of St. George's Church on the settlement Voronich in Pushkinskiye Gory and studies at the Academy of Arts.
George is a native of Belarus. At the age of five, he ended up in his father's homeland - in Bulgaria. In Veliko Tarnovo, when the boy was 5 years old, his first acquaintance with icon painting took place. George and his mother walked around the city and went into the atelier (workshop) of the icon painter Rashko Bonev.
The beauty of Bulgarian ateliers is that you can see how the master works and chat with him. George was amazed that such beauty can be created by man. The master gave the boy a small board prepared for drawing the image. Soon the young artist began to create his first image - Christ Pantocrator.
- George, tell me, what are your impressions from the first contact with icon painting?
I was struck by the process of writing the icon. Usually you see them ready-made in the temple, but here for the first time I watched them being made. How gilding is glued, faces and clothes are drawn, the board is primed and polished - all this immediately became very interesting to me.
- What attracts you to painting icons?
Every time you discover something new. Reveal the history of the saint you are writing, look at his images, choose the one you like best and make, for example, a copy from him. This feeling of discovery remains with me to this day.
This feeling arises every time you travel, look at old monuments or modern icons. It is interesting to recognize something old in new works.
- How should one prepare for work - pray, fast?
Oh sure. But first of all, you need to read a lot about the saint you are writing. Before starting work, you need to decide on the details and subtleties of one or another version.
- Does it happen that you are asked to paint an icon of some saint, but he is not close to you?
Rather, there are simply saints about whom you know nothing. Therefore, it is interesting to work with such orders too. For example, the iconography of St. Timothy of Voronezh of Svyatogorsk was not developed. There was an icon that depicts the miracle of the appearance of the icon Mother of God lad Timothy. But it is rather illustrative, showing the plot itself: Saint Timothy is depicted from the back and is, as it were, a minor character. The action itself is important - the appearance of the icon. But in my work, the task was different: to make the image of the saint personal, to place his portrait image. And then I began to dig up historical materials about him.
It turned out that Alexander Pushkin took this youth as a prototype for some of the heroes of his works - he also lived in this area. The image of a fair-haired shepherdess with bright eyes, in a white shirt, girded with a rope, is often found in Russian art - from illustrations for children's fairy tales to Fedoskino caskets.
- And what is the history of the icon, which depicts Alexander Pushkin and Metropolitan Filaret?
The image is interesting in that it was developed by the icon painter Archimandrite Zenon (Theodore), who decided to allegorically paint Pushkin not so much in the clothes of the 19th century, but in the image of an ancient poet - with a lyre in his hands, a laurel wreath and a tunic. Indeed, Pushkin and Metropolitan Philaret communicated - their poetic letters have been preserved. The poet wrote in verse, and the metropolitan, paraphrasing his verses, also answered in verse form. My task was to develop this small drawing and adapt it to a large format, to make it more monumental, heavier.
- So, not only saints can be depicted on the icons?
Of course. If we take hagiographic scenes, then the saint's tormentors, sinners or his friends can be depicted on the icons. Anything can be depicted on an icon, only it must be theologically justified.
- How does an icon painter manage to show his creativity within the framework of a strict canon?
Looking at the ancient samples, you understand that for the icon painter the canon was like a foreign language. When you study a foreign language, you first learn words, then you make word combinations out of them, you express yourself in memorized phrases, and only then you start thinking in this language yourself. And it turns out that you organically express thoughts.
So it is with iconography. When a deep understanding of the language of icon painting comes to you and you begin to speak it fluently, you understand that you can afford a lot within the framework of the canon. One image of St. George on a Bulgarian fresco of the 16th century is interesting: he fought with a dragon, and then sat on the throne - and his footcloth was untied.
- After all, the icon is perceived as something strict, ascetic. And such living details do not contradict the canon?
Interestingly, in Rus', icons have always been perceived this way - it was something unfamiliar to the people. With the adoption of Christianity, people began to treat the accepted culture with trepidation and apprehension. Among the Greeks, iconography was born organically, and the attitude to church life was somewhat different, more calm. It was an active part of their life.
Were there any interesting moments in technology that struck you? They say you discovered interesting way images of clouds through the touch of a finger?
Yes, I looked at one old icon of St. Panteleimon of Bulgaria from the 17th century. It had a blue and green watercolor background and I was struck by how the clouds were made.
I tried it - spread the green-blue color on the board and began to apply either a rag or a finger. This print gives lightness - an airy white ground appears, and you understand how the master did it.
In an unusual way, created gold was applied in Ancient Rus' and Byzantium. It was used to create an assist - golden strokes on the robes of saints. They took leaves of gold leaf and washed them along with the saliva of the snail. In order for the snail to salivate, it was brought to a candle, and it began to bubble with its mucus. This mucus was collected, mixed with gold, and a sticky, viscous substance was obtained.
In our time, when writing icons, they act more humanely: all this is replaced by gum arabic and water.
Another of these old, impenetrable technologies is writing letters on gold. Gold is smooth, the paint can often roll off, so you can smear it with garlic - a slice is cut off and the surface is rubbed with it. Or soap is added to the paint. Such subtleties are passed from master to master.
- What difficulties do you face at work?
Every time is different. For example, very complex folds that need to be arranged by color. It happens that the biggest difficulty is in the face, when no one painted the saint. For example, the icon of the Hieromartyr Grigory Serbarinov, rector of the Sorrowful Church on Shpalernaya, who was sentenced to death in 1937 for refusing to defrock. I created his icon from archival photographs of the NKVD. There was a separate task here - not to create a drawing from a portrait, but an icon.
- What qualities should an icon painter have?
It's important to be able to draw. Now there is a common opinion that you do not need to master academic painting to paint an icon. Actually it is not. The Byzantine masters had a solid base - they were the successors ancient culture, and the depiction of nudity was familiar to them. They saw statues of gods, often used compositional schemes developed by the Hellenes and Romans, copied folds and poses from reliefs and sculptures... The first ancient Russian masters did not have such a basis, they "out of the blue" tried to copy something. The result was disproportionate proportions. A strong structure and composition is important for an icon.
- In your opinion, where should the best examples of icons be kept - in a temple or in a museum?
Icons must be preserved in every possible way. If the icon can be followed in the temple in the same way as in the museum, then, of course, it should be returned. But from a theological point of view, whether we pray before Andrei Rublev's "Trinity" or any other list from it - there is no difference. A person prays not to a blackboard, but to an image. And from the point of view of training new icon painters, when there are no longer masters of the 15th century, their works can sometimes say much more than the master himself. A painter is not always a good teacher. Such works must be carefully preserved. To more people were able to see them in good light as role models. So that our modern icon also develops.
I love the Byzantine school of icon painting, XIV century. Manuil Panselin is a standard for me in the technique and embodiment of fresco painting. I love Theophan the Greek and Andrei Rublev.
- Who are your favorite artists?
From the point of view of icon painting, the works of Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Vrubel, Mikhail Nesterov are valuable. But they are still more pictures than icons. It seems to me that it would be possible to do something in the Art Nouveau style within the framework of the icon. I have an example - the icon of a guardian angel. There, this style is combined with Byzantine iconography.
What do you think is the function of art?
Art should be joyful - to pull a person to the beautiful. It was always clear that it was not for everyone. And the fact that in Soviet times they tried to make "art for everyone" showed that at some point this concept becomes empty. You have to look for beauty.
- What should an icon painter do in order for an icon to touch a person?
This is a mutual process - a lot depends on what kind of luggage a person comes with. Sometimes there is a connection, sometimes it doesn't. An icon is an image that, first of all, should help a person in prayer.
In the St. Petersburg State Memorial Museum of A.V. Suvorov, until October 1, you can get acquainted with the exhibition of works by Georgy Panayotov.
An exhibition "Georgy Panayotov - an icon painter" has been opened at the Suvorov Museum in St. Petersburg. Its author, a twenty-year-old student from St. Petersburg, creates his works with acrylic and experiments with modern style.
Georgy Panayotov, a student at the St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, got acquainted with icon painting 15 years ago. Then the future icon painter was only five years old. Since then, he has written about a thousand works and is rightfully considered one of the best young masters in Russia.
Man of the world
Gosha was born in Belarus, grew up in Bulgaria, moved to St. Petersburg a few years ago. Since I met my first teacher Rashko Bonev, I wrote almost every day. And he traveled - together with his mother he visited Bulgarian monasteries and temples, the shrines of Macedonia, European countries.
Where is his homeland, George can not determine until now.
It must be Bulgaria after all. - The guy thoughtfully turns a burgundy booklet with information about his work in his hands. - I was born there as an icon painter, and I am still drawn to this country. In general, I am a cosmopolitan. I do not rule out that after graduating from the institute I will move from Russia to a completely new place. I love Petersburg, but it's too dark here in the cold season. And in order to engage in icon painting, you need light.
Helped Saint Mina
Today icons of George Panayotov can be found in seven countries of the world. He has more than ten author's exhibitions. The question of whether to show Goshin's work to the public was decided when the young talent was seven years old.
In the Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo, where we lived then, there was a children's cafe, - says George's mother, Inna Arkadievna. - Its owners decided to display the works of talented local children in their establishment. One of the first who was offered to exhibit was Gosha. I thought for a long time whether such a proposal would not be contrary to the Law of God.
Shortly before the exhibition, Inna sat down to read the Bible and opened it to a page where it was written: if your words and thoughts are pure, open windows and doors and go to people. Since then, the procession of Goshin's works around the world began: people learned about Panayotov in France and Germany, in Russia, the St. Petersburg art critic Yuri Mudrov took up his promotion. This brought not only fame to the icon painter, but also ... real help to admirers of his talent.
One woman who lived in Frankfurt am Main had a black streak in her life - she got into a car accident, lost her home, - says Inna. - Her friend had a dream: in order to cope with troubles, it is necessary to find the icon of St. Mina, made by a boy with long hair.
What was the surprise of the residents of Frankfurt when they went to Gosha's exhibition! At the entrance hung a photograph of a young icon painter, who then wore long, almost to the waist, hair. And among the presented works was the icon of St. Mina.
As a result, this woman got better. Of course, it was not my work that created the miracle, but Saint Mina, to whom the lady turned with her prayers, Gosha clarifies.
Astronauts and donors
On a golden background - the face of St. Anastasia the Desolder. On both sides of it are small figures of the Patriarch of Moscow Alexy II and Pope John Paul II. A little lower are ... cosmonauts of the orbital station "Mir" Anatoly Solovyov and Nikolai Budarin. In snow-white spacesuits, round helmets and gloves with trumpets, they hold an icon in their hands.
Then the situation in the world became very tense, - says George. - The war broke out in Croatia, the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first Chechen campaign. Therefore, the idea arose to launch into space two icons of St. Anastasia, which is equally revered by both Orthodox and Catholics. They circled the Earth's orbit for about a year to show that the Christian world is one, and we should not engage in civil strife. Recently, a conference was held in St. Petersburg following the results of this action, and it impressed me so much that I decided to paint an icon.
Gosha is often asked if it is possible to depict "outsiders", not holy people on icons. And he does not get tired of repeating: you can. The main thing is that their appearance should be determined by the situation that the master wants to convey.
Hagiographic scenes often depict tormentors, heretics, unbelievers, he explains. - In the scenes where Jesus Christ resurrects Lazarus, as a rule, there is an "extras" - ordinary people who came to see the miracle. Moreover, since the beginning of our era, a tradition has been preserved to depict donors on icons - people who donate to the construction of the temple or provide him with any assistance.
Acrylic rebellion and modernism
In the mind of a non-religious person, icon painting is a conservative form of creativity, surrounded by a mass of taboos and prohibitions. While most Russian icon painters prefer to work with tempera (mineral paints ground on honey, egg yolk or artificial emulsions), Georgy paints with acrylic paints, which are now used to paint even souvenir T-shirts and other hand-made items. On his desktop there is a plastic bowl, which Gosha substitutes under the icons as an easel, a couple of pencils, several bright tubes of acrylic.
The Byzantine theologian John of Damascus said: "Any material that will serve to the glory of the Lord can be used," George argues. - Therefore, reasonable technological innovations in icon painting are only welcome. Acrylic is comfortable and durable, now many Greek and Bulgarian masters paint with it. In Russia, it is not yet so common, but I think it is the future. The fact that in the era of Andrei Rublev they painted with egg tempera was also a grandiose step forward compared to the icons of the 5th century, which were created with wax-based paints.
By the way, acrylic is not the only deviation from the rules that can be found by looking closely at Gosha's icons. Some of the works of the young man are made in the Art Nouveau style, which is unusual for icon painting.
The gospel word can be conveyed in colors with the help of various visual means, Georgiy is sure. - The only question is that the chosen pictorial language should be adequate to the time in which you live. Art Nouveau is precisely the style in which the development of Russian icon painting was interrupted by the revolution. After him, nothing new was created, so if you do stylistic searches, then I think you should start from this moment. Although it is theoretically possible to paint icons even in the techno style - as long as they do not contradict church canons and evoke a prayerful reaction in the viewer.
Direct speech
Nina Kuteynikova, Candidate of Art History, Professor of the Institute of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture named after I.E. Repin:
We live in a unique time. The culture of Orthodoxy in Russia has entered a new stage in its development. Its fundamental differences are the dynamics and scale of distribution, the "polyphony" of stylistic forms. For the first time in its existence, domestic icon painting had the opportunity to get acquainted with an unusually wide range of monuments of almost all Orthodox world. This situation largely determined the eclectic, handicraft nature of this work. There are few icon painters who are professionally ready to search for a new language. George Panayotov belongs to them. He rightly believes that today it is time for icon painters to think for themselves, make mistakes, and make discoveries. Of course, you need to take all the best from previous masters, but do not forget that an icon is a living organism that is constantly developing and evolving. Panayotov's stylistic attachments are not limited to one time, he strives to create a synthetic form in which the power of Byzantine art is fertilized by the art of Ancient Rus', but even more so by the sophistication of the lines and colors of modernity.
Georgy Panayotov
Age: 23 years old
Education: Academy of Arts. Repin
Direction: iconography
I started doing icon painting at the age of 5, when my family and I lived in Bulgaria. Once I was walking with my mother and went to Samovodskaya charshia - the street of artisans, where there are many ateliers, studios, shops and workshops. Here is the studio of the icon painter Rashko Bonev. I remember that I was impressed by the atmosphere of the workshop and how the artist creates this beauty! About an hour had passed, and I still did not want to leave the atelier. The icon painter said: “If you want, come tomorrow. I will give you one board - you will try to draw an icon yourself. And I came.
And at first he came every day, when classes began at school, on weekends. At first, I wanted to draw from icons of various styles. I tried to make lists from Bulgarian, Macedonian, Old Russian icons and the so-called "Vasnetsov letter".
From the age of 7 I attended drawing and watercolor classes with Professor Angel Botev. He taught me to draw from life: to paint still lifes and landscapes, to compose correctly, to build color. He graduated from high school in Belarus, in the city of Brest. And when I was 17 years old, I received my first order to make an iconostasis.
When the question of choosing a university arose, I received several proposals, and I chose the Academy of Arts, thereby continuing the family tradition of studying in St. Petersburg. My parents are optoelectronic devices and systems engineers who graduated from ITMO.
My first exhibition was held in Bulgaria when I was a first grader. We arranged a vernissage in a small cafe, where we exhibited my first icons, watercolor still lifes, illustrations for books. Then there were exhibitions in Russia, Belarus, Germany, France. Now my icons are presented in seven countries of the world and in the assembly His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II.
I started with tempera, and for the last 12 years I have been painting with acrylics. I am against the sacralization of material. Science is developing, technologies are developing, and it is quite natural that new materials appear that can provide other opportunities. The Church is alive! This is not a museum where there are dissected and preserved exhibits. The development in technological matters is remarkable.
People often ask why I depict the non-canonized along with the saints on the icons. This is a question that can be answered with very obvious examples: Saint George rides a horse and kills a serpent - the personification of evil. At the same time, he saves the royal daughter, who, like her family, is also depicted on the icons of the Miracle of St. George or the icon with the image of the Savior (1363) from the Hermitage collection, which depicts customers and donors.
