“Childhood is a time of great discovery. It is a time when every morning brings new knowledge about the world and you can’t wait to get up and explore. Most of the people I grew up with were of humble origin, working in fields and on farms. You can see this in my paintings. The stories and faces of these people, ones with big hearts, calloused hands and smiley eyes, live in my imagination and provide me with endless inspiration.” – Victor Nizovtsev
The boundless dreams of childhood are within reach in the enchanting works of Victor Nizovtsev, the latest artist to be featured on our journal covers. Nizovtsev, who now resides in Maryland, was born in 1965 in Ulan-Ude, Siberia. At age seven he began attending art school and later studied at the elite Vera Mukhina University for Industrial Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Technically brilliant and encompassing both academic formalism and surrealism, his work hearkens back to the golden age of children’s book illustration. His subjects invoke the fantastic figures that linger deep in our collective imaginations and his techniques, such as the use of translucent glazes, bewitch with colour and light.
For our Wonder & Imagination series, we have reproduced four of Nizovtsev’s paintings:
|
|
|
|
|
|
The artist’s stated hope that his paintings “will give people a small taste of their childhood and will inspire their own stories” is a gleaming sliver of the magic they conjure in the eye of the viewer. Within the art of Nizovtsev, the infinite possibilities of childhood are awakened – expansive opportunities just waiting to be discovered.
Get all the details about the series here.
Find Wonder & Imagination in Stores
About Paperblanks: 25 years ago, we created Paperblanks to help keep book heritage alive and vital in our modern age, and to offer an inspiring space for people to express themselves. Thanks for joining us on this journey! For more about Paperblanks, go to our website at paperblanks.com.
