Ivan Sollogoub is born in 1974 in Paris to a family of Russian immigrants. He learned the fundamentals of his craft from Sergueï Toutounov, a painter trained in the Russian naturalist tradition at the Sourikov Institute in Moscow. After spending a few years in his studio, he established his own studio in Paris, first in the 18th arrondissement, and later, up to the present day, in the 10th. During an extended journey to Morocco, he was deeply struck by the astonishing vibrancy of contrasts, both in terms of light and colour, and gradually attempted to convey this feeling. Ivan Sollogoub enjoys painting the city, especially its nighttime. He finds, in its illuminated shop windows and varied lighting, those strong contrasts ranging from absolute darkness to the brightest whiteness. He also encounters these contrasts during his regular trips to the countryside, in the Morvan or Agenais regions, in forests and woods. Ivan Sollogoub rarely depicts humans in his subjects, but their absence is merely an illusion; his presence is always somewhere. He also enjoys playing with blurriness, making the world a bit more abstract, encouraging viewers to recreate the image themselves. He looks at other artists’ paintings a lot, such as Kadinsky, Bonnard or Hopper. He draws inspiration from them, and it influences his work.
For his first exhibition in Luxembourg, Ivan will present 3 series – I usually like to show periods in an artist life, this is always very interesting as they are full of ressources.
1/ URBAN
This series is older but corresponds to a period I particularly appreciate: Cubism. The term “Cubism” emerged in 1908. It was the work of the painter Paul Cézanne and African art that inspired artists to create Cubist artworks. The Cubist style also draws ideas from the world of African art. This series presents cities from a very precise point of view, with more blended color associations.
2/ NATURE
The “Nature” series is hyper-realistic and plays with pure, almost translucent colors.
The vivid and seemingly unreal strong color contrasts truly exist, reminiscent of renowned painters. Two of the most notable artists in this regard are Vincent van Gogh and Wassily Kandinsky. Van Gogh was famous for his post-impressionist paintings with vibrant colors, while Kandinsky was a pioneer of abstract art, using bold color contrasts to evoke emotions and create innovative compositions.
While recently walking in the Luxembourg countryside, I was surprised by the very real existence of what one might think of as dissonant colors in nature. But, in fact, they are indeed real because, in the end, each element must find its place to exist and not fade into oblivion
Today, there are not many contemporary figurative painters with the audacity to represent the world with its vivid, real colors and to accentuate them, bridging the gap between reality and a world where every piece or person is legitimate.
3/ “OUTREMONDES”
Regarding this latest series, which Ivan began working on in 2022, he explains: “This way of creating and the resulting outcome seems to bring me closest to the feeling that the world inspires in me. This feeling that I can’t express with words, I approach it through painting. Reality can explode from one moment to another; it can conceal another reality. Truth is multiple and cannot be reduced to a single interpretation.
These “Outremondes” are the intrusion of one painting beneath another, hinted at in certain places, two superimposed realities. The underlying painting can be both figurative and abstract, but it must always contrast with the one that covers it.
For this series, I can work using two different methods:
1. “Tears,” meaning I place torn strips of adhesive tape in certain areas that I want to preserve from the covering painting.
2. “Explosions,” where I allow the brush to freely spare the paint underneath.”
What captivates us the most about Ivan’s art is his unique approach to figurative representation, which treads the line between figurative abstraction, hyperrealism and cubism. His creations are imbued with a remarkable precision within an ethereal and radiant realm.
Opening on Wednesday 4/10 @ 6pm in presence of the artist.
If you wish to let us know if you are coming, you are welcome!
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