The best way to end the money depending - is to have a plenty of them

 

David G Wilkins about Denis M:

DENIS MEZENTSEV

 

These works by Denis Mezentsev, a talented young Soviet painter, reveal the diverse styles he has explored in his fledgling career. The earliest works, done when he was still in his teens, show an interest in applying paint heavily and suggestively in a manner that is reminiscent of Impressionists and of twentieth-century expressionists. I think that the best of these is Nevsky Prospekt, a  Revolutionary Scene, in which long strokes of paint, rapidly but carefully applied, evoke the vital moment in the street during the drama of a political event.

          Painted right before he entered the Soviet Army for required service, Soldier has a vast and beautiful sky which silhouettes the enigmatic figure of a soldier seen from the back. This soldier, who dominates the painting but whose expression is hidden from us, seem to be staring downward toward a single red blossom.

          The style of Faust and Mephistopheles and Albrecht Dürer (the latter was Mesentsev’s “graduation” picture from the V. Serov School of Art in Leningrad) reflects an interest in and knowledge of the style of oil painting that developed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centures in Flanders and Germany. The careful illusionism and subtle detail of this paintings reveals both sound academic training and a study of the masterpieces in this style at the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad.

          To an art historian, the Faust and Mephistopheles and Albrecht Dürer are especially fascinating. In the late twentieth century, few artists are interested in immersing themselves in the traditional subjects and iconographic puzzles that so fascinated artists, patrons, and intellectuals during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. But despite the passage of time, such themes are not outdated. The Faust legend has been the subject of so many works of literature, art, and music because it offers an opportunity to explore such timeless human issues as the desire or lust for fame, love, and immortality. On one level Mephistopheles certanly represents evil, but is this an outside force or something within Faust’s personality? In Albrecht Dürer, Denis Mesentsev creates an imaginary portrait of the great sixteenth-century German artist. By representing Dürer surrounded by objects and symbols, Mesentsev searches for insight into creative genius of Dürer. Although we know a great deal about the personality of Dürer, he still remains remote and debate over the sourses for and meaning of many of his greatest works continues. The nature of creative genius – always an appropriate theme for art – plays an important role in this work.

David G. Wilkins

Professor and Chair; Director, University Art Gallery

Henry Clay Frick Fine Arts Department; University of Pittsburgh

 

 

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