Sergey Shnurov's paintings in contemporary art

The main epatagist of the Russian scene, Sergey Shnurov, is not tired to please fans and sympathizers with odious tricks, brightest images, topical texts and what to hide there, with excellent music. He is beautiful in his dissimilarity to others, bold, effective, certainly talented. But few people know that the creativity of the Cord is not limited to the stage, and even the gaining popularity of recent profound quotes is not at all the limit of its possibilities. Pictures of Sergei Shnurov deserve no less attention from all who are close to the hooligan spirit of "Leningrad" and all contemporary art in general.

What is brand realism?

Do not be surprised if you have not heard about such a direction in art. Sergei Shnurov - an artist whose paintings are a kind of standard of brand realism. And all because he himself brought out the main concept, and the name came up. The basis was a kind of protest against the development of conjuncture and the primacy of certain brands in the mass consciousness. On each of his paintings there is either a symbol or a hint of a certain brand, starting with oil products and ending with a belief in higher powers.

Brand in art and art as a brand

It is worth mentioning one more artist, whose pictures, if not the main source of inspiration for Shnurov, then in any case, in many ways, echo. It's about Andy Warhol, on the canvases of which we can see Marilyn Monroe, banks with popular soup, superman, Mao and Lenin, Coca-Cola ... What unites these images? All of them, according to the artist, are brands. Like Warhol himself. Like all art in general.

However, the idea of ridiculing the prevalence of the material over the spiritual is not at all new. It's all as old as the world. Many artists turned to this idea, Warhol and Cords are not alone. But the artist Sergei Shnurov - the first who managed to collect everything together and formulate so that everyone became clear.

Word to the author

"The Apocalypse is near," Schnur assures. Speaking the author's manifesto, he asserts that it's time to stop drinking kvass, it is necessary to be determined sooner. Pictures of Sergei Shnurov - an attempt not only to ridicule the dependence of individual citizens on the show-off and vanity, but also a kind of reminder of the transience of being. The artist openly taunts the worship of Golden Taurus in general and brands in particular.

These ideas resonate in the singer's work: in his texts and clips. Yes, take at least the famous "Labuteny".

The path to art

The rebellious image of the artist is given to him easily, and that is why it turns out so organic. But he does not allow to see what the artist skillfully hides behind rude lyrics and spit on etiquette. But Shnurov - not at all a little-educated dork with perennial hangover syndrome. For his shoulders the Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute, the famous "path" (lyceum, where he acquired a specialty of a restorer) and the Philosophical Faculty of the Theological Institute.

Painting attracted the artist a long time. By the way, one of the first musical groups, which he headed, while still a schoolboy, was called "Van Gogh's Ear". And to draw Cord began in his native St. Petersburg.

The first exhibition

Pictures of Sergei Shnurov first appeared before the public in the Petersburg gallery "Fine Art". According to the artist, in this he helped an old friend - the artist Dmitry Shorin, and he himself did not have to make any effort. The exhibition was called "Exclusive Brand Realism". A small gallery contained only eight paintings, which the artist himself chose.

Images

The exhibition of Sergey Shnurov's paintings attracted many visitors. His paintings are quite diverse. Many of them can even be called provocative.

For example, the painting "Do not steal" tells a sad story about a kitten near the refrigerator "Bosch". Apparently, there was an attempt to steal food and some accident, which resulted in a very impressive pool of cat blood.

Very curious and the panorama, which depicts the Spit of the Vasilyevsky Island. The tall rostral columns flutter with torches , but the water is dark because of the oil spilling over it. Look closer - and you will understand that there is no water there, the oil completely absorbed it.

Some of Sergey Shnurov's paintings are frank parodies. For example, his interpretation of Matisse, adorned with an eloquent signature "In the Hermitage." Well, or a black rectangle, clearly referring to the work of Kazimir Malevich.

Of course, not without the "below the belt", otherwise it could not be - it would simply not be a cord. The capacious name "Act" speaks for itself - on the canvas, in fact, in all its glory, the act of physical intimacy is depicted. By the way, visitors of the exhibition were given the opportunity to purchase this painting for 30 thousand dollars.

Expert opinion

In the fall of 2016, on the eve of the upcoming exhibition of Shnurov's paintings "Retrospective of Brand Realism," an interview was published by Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the Hermitage. According to him, Schnurov is clearly a bright figure in contemporary art. Piotrovsky, who saw in the canvases a serious talent, urged not to consider the work of the artist as pop art.

The opening of the exhibition is scheduled for February 1, 2017. This time it will be held in the gallery of contemporary art "Erarta". But who knows, maybe someday we will see Sergey Shnurov's paintings in the Hermitage? Still, you can endlessly argue about his work, but one thing is undeniable - he did his contribution to the Petersburg art.