Oil on Canvas, 70 x 60 cm
The painting is inspired by “Gabrielle d’Estrées and Her Sister,” a work whose authorship remains unknown to this day. My version is intentionally designed to appear as though it were generated by artificial intelligence — enigmatic, precise, and detached. Only one sister is present here, evoking a sense of absence and reinterpretation. Perhaps, in the future, this version too will become detached from its creator, blurring the lines between human and machine authorship.
Gabrielle d’Estrées Without Her Sister
Oil on canvas, 100 × 70 cm, 1993
From the very beginning of my artistic journey, I felt a deep pull toward surrealism—its power to merge reality with imagination and to explore the subconscious through symbolism. My early work from the 1980s and 1990s, shaped by classical Russian training in St. Petersburg, reflects this blend. Influenced by artists like Dalí, I created dreamlike scenes anchored in technical precision and structure. These works can often be recognized by my earlier signature, marking a period where tradition and surrealism converged.
Roots & Reverie
This longhorn is emblematic of my work: grounded in reality, yet drifting into the surreal, where solid forms dissolve into fluid lines. I'm drawn to that fluidity—to how color can pull you under and reshape your sense of the world. I often start with a clear image, but the painting leads me somewhere unexpected. That’s the magic of creativity: an invitation to surrender control and explore the unknown.