Nikolai Makarov: Veiling reality and rethinking perception

Article
"A current look at the world, deliberately blurred to leave room for suggestion. A play of shadows directed by light" — Benoît de Lardemelle and Florent Piednoir (Artborescence Gallery).

Half-blurred silhouettes of human figures from the paintings of Nikolai Makarov, views of deserted city streets, shrouded in a misty veil, make a strong impression and leave an imprint in the memory due to a certain lighting effect. Semi-clear images of reality are intertwined with the inner world of human fantasy.

 

This Russian artist, who belongs to the international art scene of modern Berlin, works in an unusual manner. Turning to the technique of the old masters, the artist uses acrylic diluted with water like a watercolor. A special blur effect, his individual Sfumato is achieved by applying multiple layers and rubbing pigments into the surface of the work to create a specific texture.

 

Over the past decades, Makarov has been creating discreet and silent cycles of paintings filled with muted colors.

Courtesy of the artist  | Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 140 cm, 2000.  Courtesy of the Artborescence Gallery.

 

To know more about Makarov’s artistic career please visit the web page of the contemporary art gallery Artborescence that exposes some of his works in Paris, France.

 

 

Cover image: Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 46 x 31 cm, 2017 and 2018. Courtesy of the Artborescence Gallery.

 

 

Kseniia Klimova