“Architects as Artists” Exhibition Opened at SUSU

The opening ceremony of Architects as Artists graphics exhibition took place at the Art Gallery of South Ural State University.

The exhibition consists of works by Vladimir Ivanov and Aleksey Khudyakov, staff members of the Department of Architecture of the SUSU Institute of Architecture and Construction. The exhibition features 71 works made over the years, mainly in the watercolour technique. Anatoliy Razuev, art expert, senior lecturer of the Department of Theology, Culture and Arts and Victoria Istomina, artist-designer and Master’s student of the Department of Architecture, were the curators of the exhibition. Giving the welcome speech, Anatoliy Razuev shared on the complex ties between architecture and visual arts, the depth of works and the variety of motifs reflected in them.

Vladimir Ivanov continues the traditions of architectural plein air paintings and artist-architects. Almost all his works are the sketches of buildings and views that impressed him once. He is inspired by the Michelangelo and Durer masterpieces, that is why most of his works are dedicated to places where they lived. Thus, he pays tribute to his idols, shows the places and colours of their lives, and this is how, for example, the works from Florence appeared.

“The combination of art and architecture is some a kind of a creative escape for me. There is the teaching routine, but there also is different side, packed with enjoying the process, emerging of effects, cognition and conveying of places, objects, events and plots. I was working on many of my creations for years. The Michelangelo tombstone was the longest work I ever made, since I was working on it for 4 years. I am interested in the process itself, as behind the superficial lightness of the watercolour hides a really complex work. For example, more than 60 layers of paint were put on the painting of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Layer after layer – that’s how the hue saturation was achieved,” shared Vladimir Ivanov.

For Aleksey Khudyakov, the exhibition was a debut, as well as a great opportunity to present the arts with the colleague, a former teacher of his. Aleksey Khudyakov’s works are totally different, they are light and soaring, showing two various approaches: an veracious registration of the surrounding world and an attempt to show the elusive impressions of the master.

“It was a spontaneous decision to participate in the exhibition. I was invited to supplement the Vladimir Ivanov’s exhibition, to somehow expand and balance it. I enjoy portraying different types of moods, moments that caused surprise, conveying the moment that needs to be captured. I want to share my emotions with the people, who would see my works some day. My pieces of art are always tied with personal feelings, experience and a place in time. By capturing them, I can dive into them again,” said Aleksey Khudyakov.

Aleksey gave a piece of advice for the beginners: “You just need to start drawing, take a pencil, brushes and try to express what you feel and imagine on paper. As a result, any simple thing will transform into a complex one, or vice versa. Everyone has his/her own path, the most important thing is not to restrain yourself and simply draw.”

“Vladimir Ivanov is our teacher, and we came here to see how he shares his arts. Most of all we wanted to take a look at the exhibited draft, which he mentioned so many times. We are really into his drawings, since the plein air paintings practice is an integral part of an architect’s or a student’s work,” shared Maria Dilma, student of the Department of Architecture.

The exhibition is open till March 10th.

Venue: SUSU Art Gallery, Main University Building