Friday, November 14, 2014

The Fascinating 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.

He creates memorable characters in his paintings although they also give one the feeling of being familiar. His scenes come from all the ordinary events of daily life and are made special. Men read newspapers, women sit in cafes and drink wine or walk in the street. Jazz musicians, stars of the silver screen and city scenes are all subjects he enjoys painting.

The artist paints mainly with acrylics but also creates some mixed media works. He uses cubism in his work and this is perhaps what gives it a modern feel. Some of his paintings are almost collage-like. He favors using newsprint and newspapers appear in many of his works. His flat figures and panes of color are typical of cubism. However, his sophisticated use of colors creates depth and interest.

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 textures are created with the use of palette knife and brush and colors are combined in a sophisticated manner. He takes the routine of city life and manages to capture moments in time to tell a story. Someone moves behind the curtains, a woman battles against the wind in the street with her umbrella, two lovers embrace in a telephone booth and a woman sits at a cafe applying her lipstick with a small mirror.

He has created a number of paintings of Josephine Baker. This American-born French dancer, singer, and actress sashayed onto a Paris stage during the 1920s and took Europe by storm. Famous for her dance routines and barely-there dresses, she became an icon of the times. He has also painted Mary Pickford, considered to be one of the greatest stars of the silver screen.

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.

The works of this artist are available for purchase from online galleries. His fans eagerly await his latest paintings. They love them for their intricacy and narrative detail. These works go far beyond the mere creation of images on canvas, having a depth and a timeless quality to them.




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