The Exhibition of Boris Otarov's Works

 

   Russian Academy of Art and “Zurab Tsereteli Art Gallery” introduced the exhibition of Boris Otarov’s works, dedicated to the 90-th anniversary from the date of master’s birth.

   Boris Otarov (1916-1991) is a representative of Moscow underground. A man with complicated fate, a physician with university education, who passed through al World War II, worked in the sphere of science, he devoted himself to painting only at the second half of 1950-s.

 Otarov studied painting at the workshops of such masters, as P.Sokolov-Skalya, A.Kuprin, P.Konchalovsky, M.Saryan, V.Veisberg, V.Bubnova. Works of the master by their nature are connected with the experience of the art of XX century. According to the words of the artist, he was influenced by Van Gogh, Ruo and Klee.
 Boris Otarov, working in the traditional techniques of pastel, gouache, oil worked out his own style – mixed technique with the using of metal, glass, pitch,  etc.
 Having a natural gift of a rare colour vision, he considered language of colour  to be the main thing in painting: “colour for me is everything – the goal, the sense, the emotions”. His works are colour symphonies, complicated interrelation of colour, light and form. 
   The artist appealed to the Armenian motives for many times (as in the diptych “In the Mountaings of Armenia”). Boris Otarov was deeply influenced by Middle age Armenian architecture and jeweller’s art. The architecture is very essential – and to this quality master strived during all his life. The influence of jeweller’s art find the expression in Otarov’s panting in the aspiration to preciousness of each fragment of texture.
Creating series of works, such as “To Shakespeare’s Chronicles”, “The Fairy-tales of the Seas. Dedication to A.Grin”, he strived to give with the help of technique his world view, “knowing of truth, interrelation and interosculation of phenomenons, intention to bring spirit into sensual and not to sacrifice the latter”.
  Otarov’s works on paper from the series “Sailing ships” are romantic and expressive, from series “Flowers” – elusive and non-material.
Boris Otarov said: “For me painting is a difficult process of construction of the magical world, which appeared in me after experience of the real world.
My main intention is to create something that will absorb our every day life, but will bring it to the level of magic and spiritual. To help the people to strive. The real doesn’t disappear, I don’t lose contact with life, but put the real in the rank of a sign.
    That is why the colour for me is not only an instrument, but a sign of divine…”

       

 

         

    






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