Kozlovsky & Sharapova: The Rote of Collaboration

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Kozlovsky & Sharapova: The Rote of Collaboration

Russian artists Igor Kozlovsky and Marina Sharapova create surreal pastiches of text, abstraction, and images that pay homage to the Old Masters of the Renaissance. While such a collaboration can often fail, the duo has successfully perfected their individual techniques and contributions. Though each of the components of their paintings might stand alone, it is indeed the combination that it fresh and avant-garde, combining further Russian religious art theory with a modern application.

   Igor and Marina (b.1956, 1960) both received an MFA from the Mukhina Academy of Art and Design in St Petersburg in 1985. They have participated in "two person" exhibits since 1995, most notably in the United States, including the Thomas Masters Gallery (Chicago), Caldwell Snyder Gallery (San Francisco), and Campton Gallery (New York).

   Their website markets the two simply as "Igor & Marina", undoubtedly to make it easier to remember, especially in non-Eastern European countries. Each, however, has very specific skills and expertise that they bring to the "canvas". Igor, the ever precise draughtsman, creates the complex and abstract backgrounds that add both textural and contemporary elements, while Marina's forte is with the figural treatment of the subjects, primarily people. Their works reveal a definite progression from realism to abstraction to, lastly, the surrealism of their finishing detail work.

   The married couple admits that working together has inherent issues. They may not always agree on the direction or application of a particular piece, and spend a great deal of their studio time arguing and exploring each other's vision. Naturally, they each see and react to a canvas differently. While they have worked independently in the past, and created effective "solo" efforts, when they now examine a finished image, it is a great source of pride and satisfaction. The process of "creating" is made more complicated simply by involving two artists each with different styles, visions, and interpretations.

   Igor and Marina have clearly found a "formula" that works for them and still allows them each both authenticity and freedom of expression. As with letter-writing, their is always skepticism that two individuals cannot successfully combine their art, just as two people cannot realistically compose and, thus, sign a letter. Perhaps, the success of this pair is in the fact that they are each indeed so different with a very different (yet complementary) skill-set.
   Note: Henry, of course, is humming old Sonny and Cher tunes, while Pfluffer is attempting to recall at least one Steve and Eydie gem. The pusses can be so silly, especially with Jon and me as reluctant role models.

www.igor-marina.com
- 6 July 2011
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11 months ago davidarathoonstudio responded:

Absolutely stunning and a pleasure to receive.
yours, David

11 months ago Igor responded:

Thank you, Mark, for your amazing albums and Happy Birthday!!!
Mark Dylan Sieber's Space

The sandbox is always open, my friends, for those that want to share eclectic musings, surrealist images, and aural delights.
I detect the melody of the written word and can visualize the beat in the song. That's perhaps why I think in ringtones and post in sound-bites.
But, most of all, I celebrate the moments and the small splendors that enrich our soul.
The sandbox here at Marklewood is flanked in the corners by large bronze urns of yellow peonies & azure-blue lobelia. Behind it is a meandering creek lined with ancient willows.
And if we run scarce of provisions, there is always the bait shop down the dirt road.
My spirit navigates freely from that of Pied Piper to bookworm to Lord Fauntleroy to that of a Bohemian crusader. You best pour a healthy cup of coffee or glass of pinot noir.
I am a disengaged designer, scribe, and recidivist currently living in the hinterlands of Raleigh, North Carolina. I strive to be kind and I seek out those moments of hope that indeed refuel my soul. Often, the most potent of inspiration is found in random human connections, unexpected art finds, and the magic that cloaks our world.
And, yes, we have pets here at Marklewood: a dozen at most recent census. I refer to them fondly as the Twelve Noble & Apostolic Pusses, but they are much more than any label or moniker would suggest. All are indeed rescues or their progeny, with five having been elevated to "indoor" status. The other seven serve sentry here in the stillness of an ancient pine woods.
Alas, poor Tartuffe has been missing since May of '10. Legend has it that he has embarked on some grand theatrical adventure, perhaps in New York. But I like to think that his spirit hovers over head.
"I have stretched ropes from steeple to steeple; garlands from window to window; golden chains from star to star, and I dance.” -- Arthur Rimbaud

Kozlovsky & Sharapova: The Rote of Collaboration

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