Saturday, November 8, 2014

The Intriguing Paintings Of Peter Panov

By Christa Jarvis


The 1920s was a time when a revolution was being experienced in many areas of life, including art. Peter Panov is an artist who is fascinated by this era and his paintings reflect this. At the same time they are appreciated because of their contemporary feel. Peter studied fine art in Moscow and later settled in Canada.

The characters in his paintings are recognizable and familiar to us and yet at the same time they also convey individual memories and history. Men wearing suits and hats, women drinking wine at sidewalk cafes, men reading newspapers and troubadours playing their instruments are depicted. He paints jazz musicians, starts of the silver screen and city scenes.

This artist uses elements of cubism in his work. His work seems modern and contemporary although it depicts the 1920s era and this is partly due to the way in which he uses cubism. His paintings often look almost like collages. He uses newsprint text in many paintings and this is characteristic of synthetic cubism. The planes of color and flat forms come from analytical cubism. It is interesting how these flat forms and planes manage to evoke depth.

The paintings contain many intricate details and elements are juxtaposed in interesting ways. His musicians often dominate the foreground of the painting and are posed high in the sky above the city. Others stand side by side with buildings and one cannot help thinking whether the man is molded by his surroundings or the man creates the image that surrounds him.

The commonplace details of every day life in a city are captured and used to create narratives. A person moves behind a curtain, a woman applies make-up in a cafe while another sips a glass of wine. A man battles along a windy street with his umbrella. A man is painted inside a telephone booth. We are all familiar with these scenes and can identify with them. On the other hand, he makes us see that they are special.

Josephine Baker features in some paintings. His paintings of this iconic singer, dancer and actress who became famous in the 1920s bring to mind the way she sashayed onto the stage and captivated audiences. Mary Pickford, one of the most famous stars of the silver screen is also captured.

Crowd scenes are a favorite of this artist. He finds a way to depict collective memory but at the same time to make it distinctive. A number of paintings depict men in hats and suits facing away from the viewer. They all look the same but on closer examination, the tiniest details are diverse. Many of his crowd scenes are like this with a recognizable sameness and yet many subtle differences.

These paintings are available from online galleries. This artist gives us special moments amidst the routine of daily life. He manages to convey a story, a sense of individual history and a collective identity at the same time by using commonplace events. His paintings are contemporary and yet timeless too.




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