Anatoly Zaslavsky

Born in Kiev, Ukraine, 1939
Graduated from the secondary art school in Kiev, 1957
Graduated from the Mukhina Art Academy, Leningrad, 1965
Member of the Union of Artists, 1977
Member of the Academy of Contemporary Art, St. Petersburg, 1994
Member of the International Federation of Artists (IFA)

On one hand, Anatoly Zaslavsky is an impulsive artist. He acts on his most natural instincts, but on the other hand, he is a theoretical guru. A passionate defender of oil painting, Zalavsky compares himself to a piano player caught in the world of disco with the mission of maintaining a legacy though interpretation and self-improvisation.

For Zaslavsky, the world as a colorful substance is a primary impulse, and the painterly content of his work takes precedence over the image—coming into existence as a portrait, street, trolley, fence, or a potato field. The blend of childlike drawing technique and skillfulness, emphasis on the importance of a first impression, thoughtful reflection, playfulness, and observation, defines his art as fresh, improvisational, inspirational, unaffected, and unconstrained.

Linking Zaslavsky’s works to poetry seems as natural as it could be. It is not by chance Zaslavsky chooses to paint portraits of poets in his studio setting as often as his family members. Everything that catches his eye automatically becomes an animated painterly utterance or a picturesque event that glorifies the delight and rapture of the moment. Zaslavsky is always astonished by the magic of the everyday life.

Unintentionally, Zaslavsky’s works reveal Jewish sensibility, by elevating lyricism and irony through dynamic movement of colors within the canvas, vibrant flying light energy, and an unfinished- like quality that makes each painting a fraction of ongoing, living, and artistic development.