The Art of Leonid Afremov

THE subject of this blog is by way of a tribute to the work of the Jewish Russian artist, Leonid Afremov. I recently came upon his works of art online by accident and was immediately captivated by it. His art has blossomed since he left Russia for his ancestral homeland, Israel, and now he must be one of the most prolific and creative painters around, with a very distinctive style.

AFREMOV works in oil using a palette knife, not a paint-brush, to achieve striking and eye-catching visual effects,  and they certainly caught my eye! I suppose because the style of his artwork is very bold, very loud and very brash in many ways, you will either love it or hate it. One thing you cannot do is remain indifferent to it. I myself have fallen in love with its raw naked energy and that's why I am now sharing my passion for Afremov's art with you here.

APART from the strong use of a palette of bold colours that have an immediate impact on the viewer, one will easily perceive certain recurring themes: night-time scenes, long tree-lined avenues, kerbside lamp-posts lighting up the scene, lonely figures strolling on their own or as couples, and above all what I call the "wet look" everywhere. In a great number of Afremov's paintings it is either raining - umbrellas often bear witness to this - or it has been raining and the ground is sodden, often strewn with puddles. And this is where the light from the ubiquitous lamp-posts comes into its own as it is reflected back up off the stagnant rainwater or wet surface, producing a truly magical effect.

AS well as the all-pervasive rain theme in Afremov's art (and this is where he and I are in tune, since I love rain and its effects), and the failing light of day or eternal dusk, which enables him to exploit the effects of lamplight, there is also an air of loneliness or desolation in his pictures. A lone figure or couple is seen walking down a street or avenue otherwise deserted. They exude loneliness and isolation. This may be deliberate on the part of Afremov or just a consequence of his style of art but either way the effect is of a certain urban desolation in this strange twilight world where it is nearly always night and nearly always raining.

FOR me such recurring and somewhat haunting themes combined with the lavish use of striking colours, and the bold strokes of the palette knife that lay the paint on thickly, are a feast for the eye and the soul and I am very glad I stumbled across the art of Leonid Afremov. His fascinations are also mine and he has managed to put these into his art time and time again but in a thousand-and-one combinations which has resulted in some truly remarkable paintings.

THE above examples of his art are just a tiny sample of his vast range and the selection I've made is inevitably somewhat arbitrary and invidious, especially as he has produced such a large body of work, but they do give a good idea of what I'm talking about. For those who wish to acquaint themselves further with the art of this amazingly gifted artist, I suggest you put his name in an online search and there will be no shortage of results that pop up. And for those with some extra cash, it is possible to buy many of his works on the Internet. So happy hunting!