Documenta Kassel News

I am a Russian artist, living abroad and feeling myself a part of the
artistic world.
My cultural background is European art in the broadest sense. It’s
visual art, literature, music, a European artistic mentality. Russian
culture, in this context, is an integral part of European culture.
My personal background is actually my own perception of the universe, my
personal experience of life and of art.
I am deeply convinced that you can’t exist in art by accident. It doesn’t
matter how a person arrives at art, one thing is obvious - it’s something
predestined, by God, if you wish.
I’ve always felt myself an artist, for as long as I can remember.
I spent a lot of time acquiring an artistic education. It’s hard to say
what effect my education had on me in terms of the development of my
talent, but it definitely gave me the necessary tools and techniques which
one can’t live without in the world of professional art.
I have many favorites. The list of artists I admire is very long, and among
them are some very famous names, but there are also little-known artists
and some artists that are not known at all. In my opinion the admiration of
an artist by an artist is different from the critic’s or the observer’s
admiration. I think the difference is that an artist who admires the art of
another artist experiences a strong feeling of disappointment at the same
time. Admiration for someone who managed to achieve the result that you
were striving for and didn’t achieve, and disappointment from the fact that
the feeling you had, that felt unique, entirely your own, has been expressed
by someone else, and you can’t understand how he occupied your place
before you… I can’t be sure that all artists will agree with me, but I
personally have the feelings that I describe. When I admire Kandinsky, I
think, yes,this is my vision of art. When I become numb from the power of
the images of the great Michelangelo, I think, yes, this is my understanding
of God. When I can’t tear my eyes away from the faces and the hands of the
Rembrandt’s old men, I feel that this is how I love people.
What do I like to paint?
Of course, it’s a woman! There is no better subject in art than a woman;
everything in her is worthy of an artist’s admiration. Beautiful forms,
lofty feelings and her soul -all of these are the subject of my painting.

Website: nick danilov
Contact email: info@nickdanilov.com