Sergei Sviatchenko
Encyclopedia
Sergei Sviatchenko is a Ukrainian
artist
who lives in Denmark
since 1990. Sviatchenko graduated from The Academy of Arts and Architecture in Kharkiv
in 1975, and in 1986 he obtained a Ph. D. degree from the School of Architecture in Kiev
.
in which he paints over the motif several times in order to reach a motive that evokes certain feelings in the viewers’ minds. In many of his landscape paintings, the depth of the picture is more important than the motif itself.
was the reason that he originally became known in Ukraine. Abstract art was not well seen in the Soviet Union
where art was supposed to support the regime.
From the middle of the 1970’s, Sviatchenko preferably worked with collages, and from the middle of the 1980’s he worked most with paintings (Paintings & others: 159).
From 2000 Sviatchenko has returned to collage media with more reductive take, bringing an iconic simplicity and aggressive directness to his work.
In 2002 he founded Senko Studio, where Sviatchenko as curator presented various pieces of art produced by emerging and promising artists and photographers for 7 years.
In April 2009 he founded Close up and Private, is an on-going photo art project, dedicated to the visual language of style and celebrating classic details and contemporary looks through unique photographic documentary.
and Le Corbusier
who have succeeded to unite architecture and fine arts have inspired him. Sergei’s father, Evgenij Sviatchenko
, who was professor
of architecture and an artist himself, was nevertheless his most important source of inspiration. Evgenij showed Sergei the Russian art from before the Russian Revolution in which the white colour in particular was crucial for light and space in the painting (Paintings and others: 160).
Work with collage for Sviatchenko is a result of what is known as “archetypes” – inherent psychological structures that are to be found in “the depths of the collective unconscious”. Carl Jung
introduced the concept of “archetypes” into science and believed that the archetypes serve as a nourishing basis for the creative imagination. By reflecting the historical and political events, music, style and art of the 60-70es (The Beatles
, The Doors
, Andrei Tarkovsky
) Sviatchenko finds some sort of code, which is common for the viewers of the new “internet” generation and creates the act of communication.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
who lives in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
since 1990. Sviatchenko graduated from The Academy of Arts and Architecture in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
in 1975, and in 1986 he obtained a Ph. D. degree from the School of Architecture in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
.
Style
The Style of Sviatchenko’s art is easily recognized. It is a kind of abstract expressionismAbstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
in which he paints over the motif several times in order to reach a motive that evokes certain feelings in the viewers’ minds. In many of his landscape paintings, the depth of the picture is more important than the motif itself.
Media
Sviatchenko constantly experiments with media and installations. His favourite medium is acrylic painting on canvas, but he has also made installations, video art, photo art and collages. Often he has made manipulations on photos. The collageCollage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
was the reason that he originally became known in Ukraine. Abstract art was not well seen in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
where art was supposed to support the regime.
From the middle of the 1970’s, Sviatchenko preferably worked with collages, and from the middle of the 1980’s he worked most with paintings (Paintings & others: 159).
From 2000 Sviatchenko has returned to collage media with more reductive take, bringing an iconic simplicity and aggressive directness to his work.
In 2002 he founded Senko Studio, where Sviatchenko as curator presented various pieces of art produced by emerging and promising artists and photographers for 7 years.
In April 2009 he founded Close up and Private, is an on-going photo art project, dedicated to the visual language of style and celebrating classic details and contemporary looks through unique photographic documentary.
Inspiration
The inspiration to Sviatchenko’s art, he got from surrealism and architecture among other things. Great masters such as MichelangeloMichelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
and Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
who have succeeded to unite architecture and fine arts have inspired him. Sergei’s father, Evgenij Sviatchenko
Evgenij Sviatchenko
Evgenij Adrianovich Sviatchenko is born in 1924 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. In 1951 he graduated from the architecture department of the Institute of engineering and architecture in Kharkiv....
, who was professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of architecture and an artist himself, was nevertheless his most important source of inspiration. Evgenij showed Sergei the Russian art from before the Russian Revolution in which the white colour in particular was crucial for light and space in the painting (Paintings and others: 160).
Work with collage for Sviatchenko is a result of what is known as “archetypes” – inherent psychological structures that are to be found in “the depths of the collective unconscious”. Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
introduced the concept of “archetypes” into science and believed that the archetypes serve as a nourishing basis for the creative imagination. By reflecting the historical and political events, music, style and art of the 60-70es (The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist, theatre and opera director, widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers of the 20th century....
) Sviatchenko finds some sort of code, which is common for the viewers of the new “internet” generation and creates the act of communication.
Literature
- Sviatchenko, Sergei. Sergei Sviatchenko, Borgens Forlag, 2002
- Sviatchenko, Sergei. Sergei Sviatchenko: Paintings & Others 1991-2006, Hovedland, 2006
- Supergraphics. Unit Publishing, London, 2010
- CUT&PASTE, 21ST Century Collage. Laurence King Publishing, London, 2011
- Cutting Cdges, contemporary collage. Gestalten, Berlin 2011