Never too late to start!
Oleg Radvan presented his art works at the Kyiv gallery “Manufaktura”
The artist believes that the best education in the world is self-education and that no one is able to give you more than you can get on your own. The life story of the artist is not typical. It is hard to believe, but he has no professional education and he began his career at the age of 48! Prior to that Radvan tried his hand at various professions, but painting had always been his dream. Once he got an opportunity, he set aside all doubts and started painting. Today, the art is his life.
Oleg Radvan was born in 1956 in Ukraine. Later he immigrated to Israel, lived and worked in Canada and the USA, where 20 years later – in 2002 – he turned to painting and almost immediately gained recognition. Since 2012 Radvan lives in Kyiv.
“Since I started my artistic career in the US, you can call me an American artist,” said Oleg RADVAN. “On the other hand, there is nothing purely American in my art work. Besides, I believe that it makes no sense to differentiate artists by their nationality. The attitude to art abroad is different from what we have in Ukraine. Differences in mentality play a great role in this. There is a greater number of artists in the US and the public appreciates their work more. On the other hand, the influence of the traditional painting school is still rather significant. Although, many try to paint something modern, in most cases they come up with some strange abstractions. I was most surprised by the fact that they try to explain every art work. I believe that author does not have to interpret what he wanted to say, a viewer must see for himself and understand. The real is, in fact, what you see not what you are told. If you don’t see anything then the artist has failed.”
Radvan’s art is closer to realism, which, according to the artist, is an important trend in contemporary art. His favorite genre is portrait. The artist is most fascinated with painting eyes and facial expressions of the characters. The only challenge that he faces all the time is the lack of models. That’s why some models often migrate from one painting to another.
According to Radvan, (no special education is rather an advantage than a disadvantage for an artist) there has to be something deeply personal in artist’s work, otherwise you will never become a true artist and instead will forever try to imitate someone else. Art education often becomes a barrier to that. You start to repeat after somebody else and don’t see things around you anymore, you can’t experiment, don’t try to find something of your own. Often, if you violate the established principles, proportion, rules of composition, you can end up with a much more interesting art work than the “right” ones created by traditional standards. Why not to take a chance then? The most important thing is not to be afraid. This applies to any activity. If you are not afraid, you will succeed.
However, the opinion of his colleagues, including those who have academic education, is important for Radvan. In his opinion, they are often able to see and understand more that an average person. And although, by force of circumstances, the artist works primarily beyond the professional environment, he tries to maintain contact with his colleagues and learn from them. Today, it can be easily done through Internet.
Currently you can see the artist’s work in the gallery “Manufaktura” in the village of Khodosiivka near Kyiv. The gallery marked its opening with the exhibition titled “Pure Essence of Radvan” that will run until November 24. The audience will see among the other works of the artist the paintings that are presented to the public for the first time.
