STILL LIFE

IN CONTRAST TO HIS LANDSCAPES - SUBSTANTIAL VISION WORKS, SHALMIN’S ‘STILL LIFE’ SERIES ARE STATIC VISION WORKS. THE MODULES OR BUILDING BLOCKS THAT MAKE UP HIS STILL LIFE PIECES ARE LARGER HERE THAN HIS LANDSCAPES. THE NUMBER OF LAYERS ALSO DECREASES AND THE SHAPES START TO LOOK AS THOUGH THEY ARE OPENING UP AND SLIDING OFF INTO THE SURROUNDING SPACE. 

These digital paintings take the cubist still life principles, namely the relationship between the different components and take them to a new level. However, when the image is already non-representational, the artist doesn’t need to disassemble the object within an illusory space the way the cubists did at the beginning of the 20th century. Thus, Shalmin’s works are quite the opposite, the forms begin to cluster and compress within the digital space that they inhabit. It’s also important to note that within the realm of digital painting, the light comes from within the picture frame itself, which inevitably affects the perception and interpretation of the objects depicted.

KIRILL SVETLIYAKOV,
ART EXPERT AND CRITIC, RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LATEST TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS AT THE TRETIYAKOV ART GALLERY, MOSCOW, RUSSIA

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