Konstantin – Vadim Ignatov was born 2/2/1934 of year in Kharkov (Ukraine). Studied at art school of a city of Kiev, under the direction of L.Grigorevoj, V.Denisov, B.Nosova (the end 40 – the beginning 50, 20th centuries). He died in December 2016.
Also studied at the Kiev state art institute (now, National academy of the fine arts and architecture) at teacher K.Zaruby (60th years 20 items).
In Soviet period gifted artist Konstantin-Vadim Ignatov was reputed as the uncommon illustrator and has worked in publishing house “Веселка” about 30 years where has illustrated more than 100 books.
Member of the National Union of artists of Ukraine. Has spent many personal exhibitions on which its creativity has been adequately presented.
Personal exhibitions:
1977 Moscow, Russia
1992 Moscow, Russia
1993 Aachen, Germany
1994 Boston, the USA
1995 Nju of Jersey, the USA
1996 Bruxelles, Belgium
1998 Kiev, Ukraine
2002 Harward, the USA
2003 Los Anzheles, the USA
2004 National art museums of Ukraine, Kiev
2004-2018 constantly operating exhibition in gallery “Yana”, Kiev, Ukraine
2010 group exhibition devoted to Independence Day of Ukraine, under patronage of embassy of Ukraine in Austria. Gallery “P-12”, Vienna (Austria)
May, 2014th Within the limits of the Ukrainian-Polish project «Art unites us». An exhibition of a drawing of O.Denisenko, K.Kalinovicha and K.-century of Ignatov «Ukraine from the east to the West». The organizer gallery “Yana”; a venue: gallery “Blue-s”, Warsaw, Poland.
Works are in the National art museum of Ukraine, in the Museum of the modern fine arts of Ukraine (Kiev), in private collections of Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Canada, the USA, Holland, Austria, Germany, France and other countries of the world.
XX-th century art consists of many currents and directions, but were in this century and great individualists who created the especial style.
It is possible to carry to such individualists and Konstantin – Vadim Ignatov who continues business of the big persons, such as Miro, Picasso, Distances, Djushana and others. Thus, mastering a heritage of the western masters, it remains, really, original and unique.
Arrival of world culture in яство the artist occurs absolutely harmoniously and naturally, without restraining its boundless imagination. Ignatov, not simply artist, and the artist – the director; it the big intellectual, the optimist, the keen observer and the director who is able eloquently enough to intertwine in a picturesque flesh paradox and absurdity of life.
Imagination of its plots at all заангажирована social frameworks and conventions. He is not afraid of criticism, condemnation or misunderstanding. He dared and дерзок in the picturesque statements and the definitions which have been not deprived of humour, irony, and sometimes even sarcasm.
Today works of art which it is necessary to explain and explain, and thus is more often appear at spectators, they are not always calculated on contemplation. Often, crowds of admirers and modern collectors admire careless, with simple plots works of modern artists, following the tastes of a fashion and another’s opinion. Thus, at heart the spectator feels that does not get something deeper and present, understanding that product does not hold out to the talented. At Ignatov, we have fine possibility to take pleasure not homebrew shocking, and very courageous, original and masterly description of circulation of life in all its diverse displays.
Therefore, yes Geniuses in art which do not allow to a society to rust and grow mouldy from routine and melancholy, lack of culture and mediocrity are well, do not allow to stand in satiation and narcissism ecstasy.
Today, Konstantin creativity – Vadim Ignatov, is checked up by time and noted by leading critics and historians of art of Ukraine, as unique in Soviet and the post-Soviet territory. They are critics of National academy of the fine arts and architecture Kiev, the National art museum of Ukraine Kiev, the Kiev museum of Russian art and many other things working in leaders арт. Country editions.
The critic
Plohih J.V.
Article of the professor of National academy of the fine arts and A.V.Zavarovoj’s architecture
“Painting appointment is not clear. Be it defined, say, illusion of visible subjects or to please a sight and consciousness with original melodic placing of paints and forms, – the problem essentially would become simpler and, undoubtedly, would be more than fine products (that is the products meeting concrete requirements), but creations of inexplicable beauty would disappear at all. Would not be at all such which it is impossible to settle.”
Paul Valerie
The ambiguity about which not without irony writes Valeri, can confuse everybody, but not the poet. “The poetry purpose – poetry”. And in this sense appointment of painting of K.-century of Ignatov clearly quite: it in existing, were. Organic бытийность – pledge of inexhaustibility and persuasiveness of that new picturesque reality which we find, looking at its canvases. It not to reduce to миметической or a decorative problem, intellectual game or мифотворчеству. The biography, plots, influences, predilections – all it is important, but to magic of painting, to that excites and admires, frightens and pushes away, has only indirect relation.
To look and see: here a great lesson of painting. Perhaps, does not prevent from time to time it to repeat?
What is such, the brother, means, what we both so and so looked, and under мелкоскоп put, and remarkable do not see anything?
And the lefthander answers:
– Whether so you, your Majesty, have desired to look?
Nikolay Leskov
The modern spectator loving painting, should be in a sense the professional, the knowledge of history of art or peripetias художественного process (that, however, cannot be considered excessive), and correct statement of an eye Means at all. The emancipation of art has come so far, as the ordinary spectator should understand today that experts understood earlier only: главнлые painting events are made in its most thin layers, there, where the image is unseparably merged with a painting matter. Skill – is weightless, transparent, intangibly, is dissolved in a picturesque surface, but only it one “does a picture”.
The true artist does not feel sorry for time for painting. Ignatov works much and constantly. He perfectly knows that it is impossible to seize “once and for all” skill, this surprising ability to take from uncountable possibilities of a pure canvas the one and only decision necessary in this case. Any new work returns the artist in an initial condition.
There is nothing more alien to it, rather than dim, friable aesthetics of that modern painting which программно cultivates дилетантизм: the more low professional level of workers of a brush, the многозначительней reasonings on depths where “art” and “неискусство” are indiscernible. From word Ignatov’s canvases jump aside, as balls. Its painting is self-sufficient. High level of picturesque culture allows it to express everything that is necessary, painting language – is certain and accurate. How to disagree with Van Gogh: “When the person clearly expresses what wants to express, – unless it, strictly speaking, it is not enough?” The culture, in turn, assumes free possession of craft.
Love to craft – to a pure canvas, a painty smell, to the concentrated, patient work – patrimonial мета the artist. Only the professional can inhale life in the formula of Bjuffona. “Style is a person”. But the person who has created the image of the world.
«Summer. A desk. To the right a door. On a wall a picture. In a picture the horse, and in teeth at a horse of gipsies is drawn.»
Daniel Kharms
Quite I suppose that игнатовский the image of the world is distinct and close not all. The poetry of absurdity discharged by irony, toughened by grotesque, cannot neither console, nor warm. It is poetry of lonely existence in the turned world. It is deprived a sentimental moisture which the spectator is inclined to accept for true feeling, is not present in it and heavy gravity of lecture or claims for possession of true. It it is rigid and truthful. It involves the few.
Paradoxicality – the integral property игнатовской thoughts and a rod element of its poetics. Essence of paradox – in game dynamics of displacement and shifts: from familiar spots concepts and values break, various semantic levels mix up and face. The word does it easily, but to the image not so simply to find freedom of semantic transformations. It is stabler inherently, is subordinated the uniting power of a plane-space. Liberating it, breaking off with its “imaginary” constancy for the sake of original – a constancy of changes and transformations, the artist releases the image at most terrestrial gravitation. In the game space created by it characters and subjects, colour stains and lines behave extremely раскованно: soar, fly, run, dance, easily, on the move exchanging senses and values. The immemorial symbolical nature of the image is bared. Imperceptible there is a side between live and lifeless, reasonable and irrational, real and fantastic, poetic and brutal. Any element of a picture is multiple-valued and reversible. All, in effect, is transformed in plastic tracks – a composition, colour, light, a line, the invoice, a plot, and even a myth. As metaphors are perceived also through motives of painting of Ignatov: Game, Music, the City, the Character, Flowers…
But the game elements penetrating these a metaphysical reality, are strictly limited, closed within a canvas, tamed by constructive logic of construction of a picture. For the picture is thought over, constructed, made.
If it is by all means necessary to answer a question – on what this art? – I will tell: about senselessness, relentless cruelty of life. And its bright, celebratory, easy beauty. But unless not about “it” all art?
XX-th century painting knows many remarkable embodiments of “other reality”. The strong and original artist, Ignatov has created the plastic version of travel to the invisible world which lives in us and round us.
But especially valuable that the artist has managed to unite happily in the work the promptings going from life is represented to me, its heart and mind, with those is probably, the strongest – about which Picasso has well told: “Painting is stronger than me. I should do that she wants …»
The critic
Anna Zavarova
Paradoxes friend Konstantin-Vadim Ignatov has presented in the National art museum of Ukraine an exposition «to Friends and a city»
Here each conceivable and inconceivable being stays in a condition of a continuous call. Myths are defiantly turned inside out: the Narcissus appears gloomy люмпеном, Judas Iskariot — запойным the drunk who has embraced a stalk of a lantern as if gradually preparing for the «осинному» to the ending. Yes, by the way, the picture and is called: «Judas Training». And Penelopa, and Virsavija?.
Paradoxes in Ignatov’s painting – continually. It has thoroughly studied them «a cheerful science», has comprehended a secret of “a sacred fico». After all behind inevitable explosion of a laughter the spectator if he does not refuse to think over, makes also unexpected opening: and why also is not present? At least, at hypothesis level. This conclusion, however, is muffled by the next outburst, the next fireworks. By the way, the author and authentic fireworks adores, especially in landscapes of Kiev which (at a present exhibition — in тетраптихе “Salutes”) are very recognised from it, despite refined grotesqueness. And can, just thanks to it. Paradox therefore also paradox that it a little кусюч and harms, as many игнатовские characters.
Surrealism? In appearance — very much even. And not only because of obvious реминесценций Miro and Picasso (but in no event – Distances: this moustached inventor chosen by ours образованщиной, bears direct responsibility for blossoming of a picturesque pop-music on Andreevsky descent). Original surrealism — elements of a holiday, a carnival, even, perhaps, circus. Entertainments, to Ignatov transforming football players in acrobats, apparently, not of the alien. The surrealism however dreamt of far heavens and a high dream calibrated an unworthy reality as if being ashamed of this reality, using it, as a springboard for imagination. That from this left, it too well-known: shocking мутировал in pretentiousness…
At Ignatov – all occurs just what isn’t needed. He knows the price of the tart, capacious detail here and there emerging on vast space of paradox set free. Therefore supports internal reliability of the neo-Iudy with clusters of stubs at the lamppost which has been pasted over besides a mosaic of fussy announcements “purchase/will sell”. And a leitmotif of the semiburnt match similar to a match усекновенной of a candle? If inevitably to aspire to stylistic definitions the author of these pictures — is faster the expressionist sensitively feeling soil underfoot. However here again Ignatov escapes from verbal окольцевания, avoiding, with rare exception (in “Rain”, for example), firm экспрессионистического a minor. Even its nightmares are genuinely cheerful, though are generated, certainly, «our Lovely life». How there at other classic? «A nail in a boot at me кошмарней, than imagination at Goethe». And so, игнатовский a nail, no less than a boot, you will not confuse with what other…
Here pertinently to remind that the talented painter in Soviet period has got reputation of the uncommon illustrator, about quarter of the century having worked in publishing house “Веселка” where to make out to it it was necessary at times and classics (14 times Merimee in 1959 overworked a cover for «Paradise and a hell»!), but more often – popular scientific books for children and youth. Including — the potential best seller for our days how nobody has guessed to republish? — The monography about money, and still — researches about properties of clay and secrets of minerals. Certainly, here again there was a place for mischief (so, without having found Bering’s rare portrait for «Hunters of microbes», the artist has replaced it… A moustached face of president Poincare – also has passed!) But more often the initial material demanded careful выверености graphic components. But, unlike some colleagues with might and main moulding «books – puddings», Ignatov has opened for itself riches of “live matters», slowly building from their pragmatical structures the surprising paradoxes. By the way and today its works with shine decorate covers of books – for example, “Feminism” of Solomii Pavlychko.
Time, alas, another. Now not a rarity to hear in a teleether silly, but almost unanimous heresy: the literature in covers has come to an end, to it on change has welcomed the Internet. I think, confirming it had never control over the books issued by Ignatov. Otherwise they «would close варежку». It is a pity that these books, as they say, became a rare book. But every cloud has a silver lining: the creative invention of the artist has powerfully directed in a picturesque channel. And canvases at a present exhibition in the National art museum — only a little bit of that he has created last years.
The critic
Oleg Sidor-Gibelinda
Vladimir Vysotsky’s statement about Konstantin-Vadim Ignatov’s creativity
M. Ц – What were art tastes and Vysotsky’s predilections?
Э.Д. – you know, its tastes went much above socialist realism, he it as did not recognise, as well as we. It had circle of artists, whose works to it very much were pleasant. We will tell, the artist from Kiev Vadim Ignatov. He drew people such mechanical, from details any, Volodja very much loved these works. And he did not love official socialist art and did not approve.