Tatyana Eliseeva — Artists Profile
While visiting Leningrad in 1989, a Philadelphia art dealer discovered a young Russian artist painting at her easel in the shadow of the Hermitage. Enchanted by her paintings, he made arrangements to bring Tatyana Eliseeva to the United States, and a string of successful gallery exhibitions quickly followed.
Even as a child Tatyana loved to draw. Under Soviet socialism the most talented artists were given free education and Tatyana soon found herself studying at the prestigious Leningrad Academy of the Arts.
Tatyana loves theater, especially Shakespearian tragedy. This love is reflected on canvases that create a sense of drama and provide a nostalgic glimpse of the Renaissance with its elaborate costumes and colorful pageantry. This affinity for Shakespeare also brings a philosophical expression to her painting. She is fascinated by the ambivalent character of the jester and she delights in the Shakespearean notion that ‘all the world’s a stage’. Tatyana likes King Lear’s comment “When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools.”
In her native Saint Petersburg, Russia, Tatyana spent many afternoons in the Hermitage Museum studying the Renaissance Masters. Fascinated by Rembrandt, she endeavored to emulate his technique of applying numerous layers of paint on the canvas. This process is time consuming but the resulting richness of color and depth are very satisfying.
Tatyana received a traditional classical education from the prestigious Leningrad Academy of Art. She built a solid foundation for her art with countless hours drawing nudes and studying human anatomy. In 1991, Tatyana was awarded a Masters Degree in Art from the Russian Academy. With formal education behind me, she traveled Europe and explored the many art treasures of Florence, Rome and Paris.
Tatyana's paintings are rather romantic, even poetical - the rhythmic grace of the figures, the elegance of long supple hands blending with peculiar landscapes and delightful nature. She paints truthfully without harshness or confrontation, with an inclination to discover in my art the peaceful qualities of my own nature. The women are painted with a sentiment of distant melancholy, undisturbed by any moral ambition.
I realize there is a process of creation going on in my soul. As I paint, I gain more understanding of that dynamic process. Each canvas becomes the materialization of the relationship between me and the outside world. My paintings are in effect love pictures, songs of praise for the innocence of youth, the glory of women, and the mystery of nature.
My paintings provide a nostalgic glimpse of the Renaissance with its sumptuous costumes and colorful pageantry. I am fascinated by the ambivalent character of the jester and like I like to use masks to evoke philosophical expression.
The lovely use of wildflowers and leaves interwoven with golden hair frame the classical beautiful faces. Beauty that is sweetened by an inner dream in the subjects eye, attracting you more and more and leaving you haunted by their charm.
