Vladimir
Ryklin . .A master artist
I am so happy to present this interview and work to our readers.Vladimir Ryklin's work is a treasure on an equal level with Old Masters Hieronymus Bosch or Peter Bruegel. Each piece is layered with messages real and absurd and you could literally look at the imagery for hours trying to decipher what's going in the art and Vladimir's mind as he was creating it\. When did you first think about art as something you wanted to do? Were you encouraged or discouraged by family, friends, teachers, mentors? I’ve always been drawing. As far back as I can remember I was holding a pencil. I’m a lefty, and it was considered a big defect on a child back then in the Dark Ages when I grew up, so they tried to make me “normal” by tying my left hand, so I could only use my right. Eventually they gave up, but my mom told me that I’ve been drawing since around 3-4 years of age. Nobody really cared about it.
What kind of kid were you? Where did you grow up? What were your influences? I was a normal Soviet kid. I grew up in central Moscow. My first real tragedy happened when I was 8, when my paintings which I was hiding under the closet were accidentally irreversibly damaged by floor paint. I cried for a week…
Your style is very unique. Did you work on developing a style or is that what naturally came out of you? When I started to study art, I quickly fell under the influence of some of the biggest masters of graphics: Beardsley and Durer. Later, my inspirations became Bruegel and Bosch. I think my style now is the result of the reworking and rethinking of the experience I acquired studying the tremendous heritage of those masters of art, combined with my own personal thoughts and inner luggage.
