Dimitri Pavlotsky

A Chicago based artist, I came to the United States from my native Russia at the age of twenty-six. Classically trained as a figurative artist, I am working against those constraints. Traditional methods don’t allow me to convey a flow of energy, so I experiment with visual languages, exploring ways to express strong emotion and to energize the process of painting.

In the nostalgic Nineteenth Century series I base the imagery on Russian literature and paintings of the period. While the spirit of the past is preserved by the “antiquated” poses, the bravado of classical style is reconstructed in the expressionistic and sometimes crude brushwork as a reminder that many things have happened between then and now.

In the Thick Style series I further dig into the medium, “building” pictures out of paint. The physicality of the creative process is emphasized and made tangible through the sculptural chemistry of the medium. While applying the paint the decision making process is not hidden but rather incorporated into the language of spontaneity and uncertainty.