Chianciano Art Museum
Critical Analysis Artist: Sergej Ovcharuk Art Critic: Karen Lappon
ICAC
International Confederation of Art Critics
Critical Analysis Artist: Sergej Ovcharuk Art Critic: Karen Lappon
The Museum The Museum of Art of Chianciano hosts a series of collections ranging from Neolithic and Asiatic to Contemporary art. There are approximately a thousand works on display. Visitors are able to view paintings and sculptures by artists such as Tom Nash, Salvador Dali, Sir Henry Moore, Frances Turner, Mario Schifano, Damien Hirst, Brian Willsher and Albert Louden, drawings by the likes of Magritte, Guttuso and Munch; historical works from Royal Collections and original etchings by masters such as Dürer and Rembrandt. The museum is known for organising annual international events, including the Chianciano International Art Award and the Biennale of Chianciano.
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) “Joachim and the Angel” Original woodcut, circa 1504
Sir Henry Moore (1898-1986) “Head” Bronze Sculpture
ICAC
International Confederation of Art Critics
The Critic
Karen Lappon, born in Santander, Spain, is an Italian art critic and essay writer that operates in London, UK. Although an expert on the Italian Renaissance period, Lappon is also great admirer of contemporary art. Karen studied at the “I Liceo Artistico in Via Ripetta” and at the “La Sapienza” University in Rome. A book of great interest curated by Karen is the “2nd Millenium”, the publication of an important exhibition at the Lord Leighton Museum, in which the talent and art of the prominent painter, Frances Turner - selected 5 times in a row for the BP Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London - is highlighted. This artist has been spotted and appreciated by another great critic, Normal Searle, that wrote an article in the Evening Standard on one of Frances’ paintings. “Vita e Opere di Antonio Sbrana” is a publication in which Lappon ties the activity of Sbrana and his influences on the “Macchiaioli” of the 19th century, like Natali and Fattori. A publication that illustrates the continuity of this movement and how it is still present in Italy today. Besides being a consultant for the Chianciano Museum of Art, Karen Lappon is part of the Board that selects artists for the Biennale, a difficult task that she has undertaken since 2009, along with other curators, to choose 100 artists out of 2000 applicants that will be part of the Chianciano Biennale. Karen is part of the jury of the London Biennale where 120 artists, selected from 40 different countries participate, and has been chosen by the organisers to accompany the Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea during the opening of the biennale.
“Shadows of Sacred Jerusalem” oil on canvas by Sergej Ovcharuk
The Artist Sergej Ovcharuk was born in 1963, in Lvov, Ukraine. He graduated from the Khmelnitskiy school of arts in 1980. His youthful romanticism led him to wander to the walls of the oldest marine alma-mater, LVIMU (now State Marine Academy) in St.Peterburg, Russia. However the influence of this historical city, one of the world centers of the arts and culture, again aroused in him the strongest desire toward creativity, and to the further study of painting. Meeting with an outstanding master-colorist Vladimir Borodin in 1982 and further 4 years studies in his studio was a determining event in Sergej’s life. A combination of the romantic-symbolic sense of the world and passion for color became the foundation of Sergej’s professional development as a painter. Sergej dedicated his efforts over many years to uncovering the secrets and technical skills of the Golden Century’s old Holland masters (17c.), which had strengthened, inspired and broadened his creative base. And thus his personal, intimate philosophical world of the simple but deep life’s stories was born: “The world of the talking things” in the still life genre. However, the romantic component of the artist’s soul inevitably led him to impressionism, where the foundation of Sergej’s creativity met expression and harmony of colour, which constantly attract us with their dazzling newness and unpredictability. For his impressionistic paintings, master purely uses a pallet knife. For painter- colorist, he says , the pallet knife technique is the best to reflect the colour emotions of his own soul. After graduation from the Academy, Sergej spent 7 years as a deep sea navigator and deck officer. Eventually, he anchored in the beautiful and quiet Klaipeda harbor, on Lithuanian Baltic Sea, where he lives with his wife and son, and continues to paint. Sergej is a Member of the Zhemaitija’s Artist’s Association, Lithuania. He participated in the collective and personal art exhibitions in USA, Great Britain, Monaco, Switzerland , Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, as well as “Art-Gallery of V. Borodin”, St, Petersburg, Russia. His paintings are represented in the private collections in USA, Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, and Ukraine.
“Mediterranean Holidays” oil on canvas by Sergej Ovcharuk
The Critique Sergej Ovcharuk is an eclectic painter that ranges in style from traditional figurative still lifes and post-impressionist landscapes to absolutely abstract works. The first impression of Sergej’s artworks is that he is a learned painter that draws his inspiration from the old masters of art history. His still lifes, for example, remind us of Claesz, Kalf, Aelst, painters of the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. His compositions are well balanced and intriguing and lend an almost mystical harmony to the objects depicted that with their varied textures and materials, only highlight Sergej’s great illusionistic skill. His subjects are painted with sheer virtuosity and fine attention to detail. But the great brilliance and depth of colour is what really brings these works to ‘life’. The deep, dark, warm tones of the shadows suddenly transfixed by piercing rays of light painted with pure, rich, vivid colours accentuate the utter beauty of these paintings. His post-impressionist landscapes, painted with unblended colours and purely gestural use of the pallet knife, are of a forceful emotional communication. The vibrant hatching strokes and the lively, vivid colours emphasise the dynamic and almost tumultuous nature of his subjects. His quest to capture colour and light, and his ability to translate visual perceptions into pure effects of luminosity, clearly transpire in these beautiful scorches of the world seen through Sergej’s wonderful interpretation of his surroundings. Ovcharuk’s more abstract paintings are essentially sensorial depictions of his innermost sensitivity. Again, colours play a central part. The effect created by the combination of analogous and complementary colours is stunning and their strong impact on the eye is absolutely captivating and overwhelming. As Leonardo da Vinci said: “The mind of the painter must resemble a mirror, which always takes the colour of the object it reflects and is completely occupied by the images of as many objects as are in front of it”. And Sergej has certainly applied this to his paintings with incredible draughtsmanship.
Karen Lappon International Confederation of Art Critics
“Stay with Me” oil on canvas by Sergej Ovcharuk
“Rainy Journey in Rembrandt color pallet” oil on canvas by Sergej Ovcharuk
International Confederation of Art Critics www.international-confederation-art-critics.org