December 2013

Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art in Charleston, SC, Features works by Aleksander and Lyuba Titovet

Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art in Charleston, SC, will present an exhibit of works by Aleksander and Lyuba Titovet, on view from Dec. 6 - 31, 2013. A reception will be held on Dec. 6, from 5-8pm.

Both artists paint in traditional Russian style, with heavy brushwork and bold colors that immediately grab the viewer. Lyuba’s still life paintings and lively figurative scenes are whimsical and grand, and Aleksander’s landscapes and portraits are simply majestic.

Siberian born, Aleksander received his Masters in Fine Arts from St. Petersburg University College of Fine Arts. His classical art skills reflect the Russian School of Oil Painting, a style that combines a powerful realistic involvement with the soft, lyrical looseness of impressionism. Although some of Aleksander’s recent work is influenced by his surroundings in the desert southwest, the majority of his images are still inspired by his Russian homeland. His reserve of some 100 sketches, precious documents of earlier travels, is the basis for these nostalgic creations.

Of his most prestigious honors, Aleksander was chosen by the Smithsonian to paint First Lady Laura Bush’s portrait for the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. This painting was the initial portrait that opened the “First Ladies Gallery” there. In October 2010, the El Paso International Museum of Art inducted Aleksander into The Artists’ Hall of Fame. His work and name have appeared in many publications, such as Best of Portrait Painting, Art of the West, Art-Talk, Southwest Art, and International Artist, which described Aleksander as “one of America’s leading impressionistic painters.”

Lyuba grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia. She started her private painting lessons at the age of five and at seven she was selected for the Children’s Art Club in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg. She went on to the State University in St. Petersburg and received a BA and MFA in the College of Fine Arts.

Lyuba’s colorful still lifes are based on intricate settings she arranges in her studio which create an appreciation of color harmony translating into imaginative figurative works. Lyuba’s style is reminiscent of her country’s charming folk traditions. Her subject matter is primarily drawn from her vivid imagination, although she often makes use of old books and photographs to enhance her ideas.

Lyuba describes her paintings as “too symbolic to be realistic and too realistic to be symbolic.” Less than ten years after arriving in the United States from Russia, Lyuba has received numerous awards and honors including the National Oil Painters of America competition, Great American Artists exhibition in Cincinnati, OH, and the Westminster Abbey show in London.

For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/722-3660 or visit (www.ellarichardson.com).

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