Short encounter with Vladimir Martynov

   I first met Vladimir Martynov getting off a train in Tuscany (Italy). He did not speak any English or Italian, and I did not speak Russian. We spend the next four hours looking through his catalog. Having already spoken to his brother Andrey I knew that he was a digital artist so I expected something mechanical and on the colder side, but I was surprise to find warm earth-colors and intimate patterns. They were natural, in the tradition of Russian art but also sophisticated, intelligent and contemporary. Though the compositions were extremely complicated, in total they were stunningly beautiful with an inherent grace and elegance in their designs.
   Also in the catalog was a series of life-size planned installations the seemed to be sets for some futurist movie. This series unlike the first were full of light, energy and were in constant movement. This work jumped out of the surface of the print and subliminally transported us to another place. In all, they were realities that exist out of his world or in he minds of artists. 
It was this dichotomy of extremes in the artwork of Valdimir Marynov that interested me. Though we could not speak each other’s language we were able to communicate using the universal language of “art.”

Frank Dituri

Professor, C.W. Post, Long Island University, New York
Professor, Libera Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy

http://www.frankdituri.com/