Symbolism 21st century
Boris Georgievich Birger (Russian: Борис Георгиевич Биргер) was a Soviet artist of the second half of the twentieth century of Jewish origin. He is known as a portrait painter, a representative of "unofficial art", a follower of symbolism.
Boris Birger developed his individual style of portrait painting, recognizable by his colorism. He often portrayed representatives of the liberal creative intelligentsia and was twice expelled from the Union of Artists of the USSR because of his criticism of official cultural policy.
In the 1970s his work was recognized abroad, especially in Germany, and from 1990 he lived in that country.
Jonas Burgert is a German figurative artist living and working in Berlin.
Jonas Burgert graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin and studied as a graduate student (Meisterschueler) under Prof. Dieter Hacker in Berlin, and his work has been characterized from the very beginning by its vivid originality.
Burgert's paintings are filled with fantastic figures of the most unimaginable proportions. In the spaces of his panoramic paintings, one is immersed in a visual chaos of narrative layers, amidst mysterious events, strange figures and creatures. Jonas Burgert's large-format paintings are dominated by the grotesque, the bizarre and the surreal. Nightmarish zombie-like figures invade his pictorial worlds, frightening and appealing at the same time.
Since 1998 his work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions around the world, Jonas Burgert is now very successful and his works are very willingly acquired by many galleries.
Alfredo Castañeda was a Mexican surrealist painter.
Castañeda had been interested in painting and drawing since childhood, but first became an architect, earning a degree in architecture from the University of Mexico. During his studies, he continued to paint as a hobby, which he became more and more serious about over the years. At university, Alfredo became acquainted with the painter, sculptor and architect Matthias Goeritz, as well as the work of René Magritte. Both played a huge role in the young artist's worldview.
After his studies, Castañeda worked as an architect and in 1969 had his first solo exhibition at Galeria de Arte Mexicano. His work has also been shown internationally numerous times in the United States and in many Latin American countries, including Mexico. His work is collected in collections and museums throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Alfredo Castañeda is known for his surrealist paintings, often portraits. The same character appears in many of his paintings, sometimes revealed in multiple versions of himself. This person (often resembling the artist himself) seems to be engaged in an endless dialog with himself, involving the viewer as well.
Ken Currie is a Scottish artist and a graduate of Glasgow School of Art (1978-1983). Ken grew up in industrial Glasgow. This has had a significant influence on his early works. In the 1980s Currie produced a series of works that romanticised Red Clydeside depicting heroic Dockworkers, Shop-stewards and urban areas along the River Clyde.
She studied art in Japan, Spain and Germany.
Leiko Ikemura's work encompasses painting, sculpture, video and photography. She works in a variety of techniques, including oil painting, ceramic and bronze sculpture, printmaking and watercolor. She currently works in Cologne and Berlin and teaches painting at the Hochschule für Kunst in Berlin.
Dylan Lewis is a South African painter and sculptor based in Stellenbosch.
Dylan Lewis, who began his career as a painter, later turned his full attention to sculpting the wildlife of Africa. Lewis conveys his fascination with the habits and movements of wild animals and especially big cats: jumping and pulling, resting and hunting - their expressive physical forms are mesmerizing in the sculptor's works.
Over time, Lewis's works become more abstract, although they remain recognizable: he gradually switched to human figures. Naturalism receded into the background, giving way to the mystical. Some sculptures are missing heads and legs, others are masked, others have grown wings - it is obvious that the artist is trying to show the commonality of all life on Earth.
Dylan Lewis has created a unique sculpture garden where some of his most famous bronze pieces can be seen in their natural environment.
Horst G. Loewel is a German-born painter who lives and works in Canada and Spain.
Loewel is a representative of the fantastical-surrealistic trend in art. He meticulously and realistically depicts landscapes of another universe filled with symbolism. Thanks to his boundless imagination, the artist shows us a fabulous, unreal world in which man has almost no place.
Ronald Paris, a renowned German painter and graphic artist, left an indelible mark on the art world. His journey in art began with studies in glass art and stained glass, transitioning to mural painting, where he honed his craft under notable mentors at the Visual Arts Academy in Weissensee, Berlin.
Ronald Paris's career was marked by his unique portrayal of subjects, often challenging the prevailing narratives of his time. Notably, his 1961 triptych "Village Games in Wartenberg" faced criticism for its honest depiction of workers, diverging from the idealized views enforced by East Germany's leadership. His dedication to realism and expressive content continued throughout his career, culminating in notable works such as the mural "Triumph des Todes" and the altar piece for the Trinitatis-Kirche in Sondershausen.
Throughout his life, Ronald Paris's works were celebrated and exhibited across Germany, earning him prestigious awards like the Käthe-Kollwitz-Medaille and the Nationalpreis der DDR. His legacy endures through his contributions to various exhibitions and his role as a professor at the Burg Giebichenstein Arts Academy in Halle.
For art collectors and enthusiasts, Ronald Paris's oeuvre offers a deep dive into the essence of German postwar and contemporary art, embodying a profound realism that captures the spirit of his times.
If you're passionate about exploring the rich tapestry of German art, Ronald Paris's work offers a captivating blend of historical insight and artistic innovation. Sign up for updates to stay informed about sales, auctions, and exhibitions featuring Ronald Paris's art, and delve into the world of a painter who not only witnessed but also painted history with a bold and realistic brushstroke.
Oscar Yakovlevich Rabin (Russian: Оскар Яковлевич Рабин) was a Soviet and French artist of the second half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. He is known as a nonconformist painter, one of the founders of the unofficial art group "Lianozovo", the organizer of the famous "Bulldozer Exhibition".
Oscar Rabin created works using the surrounding life as a material, turning ordinary objects into symbols and reflecting in his work the influence of European Expressionism of the 1920s. His preferred genres were landscape, still life and interiors. The artist used perspective distortion and warping in his work, which created unique and impressive compositions.
Elling Reitan is a Norwegian symbolist painter.
Today Reitan is one of the most recognized and sought-after artists of the country. His paintings are characterized by symbolism and color, and the viewer is captivated by the beautiful and pure colors. He is also proficient in most techniques and works in lithography, watercolor and pastel.
Dagmar Riese is a German painter, graphic artist and sculptor. He studied sculpture, painting and restoration at the art school in Flensburg. He was also a private pupil of the Basel artist Barbara Linhart. Dagmar Riese currently lives and works in Hamburg, Germany.
Nikolai Stepanovich (Nikas) Safronov (Russian: Ни́колай Степа́нович (Никас) Сафро́нов) is a Soviet and contemporary Russian artist and teacher, the founder of the school of painting in Moscow. He works in different genres, directions and styles and invents new formats in art. Safronov is sometimes called the "Russian Salvador Dali" for his outrage and love of experimentation.
Nikas Safronov is known as the author of psychological portraits of famous politicians, actors, pop stars. In a number of his paintings modern personalities turn into heroes of ancient works. Safronov's animalistic works, depicting half-cats, half-dogs and other representatives of fauna with human features, are also widely known.
Safronov created his own special direction in the fine arts - Dream Vision. It is a synthesis of classical painting and subconscious feelings, visions of the artist, in which it is difficult to catch the boundary between reality and fantasy. Some paintings are reminiscent of Impressionist works: the blurred details make up a coherent impression.
Alec Soth is an American photographer. He is known for his large-format color photographs that often explore the themes of American life, culture, and landscape.
Soth began his career as a newspaper photographer before transitioning to fine art photography. He gained recognition for his project "Sleeping by the Mississippi," which features photographs of people and places along the Mississippi River.
Throughout his career, Soth has continued to produce photographic projects that explore various aspects of American life, from small towns to suburban communities. He has also published several books of his work, including "Songbook," "Broken Manual," and "I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating."
Soth's work has been exhibited widely and is included in the collections of many major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has also received numerous awards and honors for his photography, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography, and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.
