Alexander Sasha
Rate This Article:
It’s a style that’s more evolutionary than revolutionary, a product of his early training.
Russian-born artist Alexander “Sasha” Sergeef, known for painting the lavish homes and families of the aristocracy and celebrities, will exibit again in a gallery show in Connecticut at River Road Gallery in Wilton next October 15. Acclaimed for his use of rich colors and golden light, Sasha and 13 of his interiors was published on International Artist, a most prestigious art magazine. Some of the featured works, as well as his painting and limited edition prints of Southport Harbor, will be featured at the gallery show. Born in Moscow in 1968, Sasha exhibited early artistic excellence. After winning his first art prize that the age of 9, he earned entry to both the Moscow Institute of Arts and the prestigious Academy of Painting. An invitation to exhibit in Rome in 1990 subsequently led him to exchange the cold light of Russia for the warm light of Italy and establish a studio in the Eternal City, where he lives today. His richly detailed landscapes, portraits, interiors and still life studies have garnered for Sasha a reputation for painting in the style of the Old Masters. He claims John Singer Sargent and Diego Velasquez as his greatest inspirations. It’s a style that’s more evolutionary than revolutionary, a product of his early training. “There was no pop art revolution, no cultural or political revolution in Russia,” he said during a phone interview from his studio, recalling the limited opportunities in his homeland. “It was a natural for me to align myself with the Masters because they are eternal.” Sasha prepares for hi interior paintings (his current focus) by visiting the room or area to be portrayed on canvas, interviewing the subjects and observing their lifestyles and personalities.
Every time I paint a portrait, I lose a friend,..
“A house corresponds to those who live there and reflects their personality, so an interior painting shows more about a person than a portrait,” he said.
His choice of support or the surface on which he paints, varies from linen canvas, plywood or a sheet of copper that has been specially treated with silver to prevent future oxidation. Working in oils, he progresses from darker towards clearer colors, leaving the most difficult parts of the picture for the end of the process.
Sasha admits that he often falls in love with a painting as he works on it, referring to it as “a creature of my own.”
“The great John Singer Sargent once said, ‘Every time I paint a portrait, I lose a friend,’” he wrote in International Artist. “But when I deliver any newly completed painting, it feels like I am losing a piece of myself.”
Sasha’s commissioned interiors have included the White House Oval Office and the late Gianni Versace’s resident in Como, Italy. His work has been championed by Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage Vittorio Sgarbi, whom he painted in the room once occupied by Pope Innocence X with the Velasquez portrait of the pope in the background.
“I have admired beautiful paintings where contemporary life, the person painted – which is, of course myself – and the history inside the room are naturally fused,” Sgarbi has said regarding the portrait. Only eyes full of innocence, love and respect for Italian civilization and genius can appreciate this painting full of soul. His art work is displayed at River Road Gallery, in Wilton CT. Commissioned work through our web site. www.artsasha.com .
Website:
Featured Articles
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
