Artworks

Alexander Seliverstov · 07-16-2010, 08:01 AM

Hello everyone. Sorry for my English. I'm here for the first time. I want to present my latest artworks - oil on canvas, 61x54cm.,
and learn the opinion of experts. At what level of performance are those of artwork. Thank you.

Richard Bingham · 07-16-2010, 07:17 PM

Alex, this is a "polite" forum, so you will be told your work is "pretty".

You have too much ability to be passed over that way. At the risk of being banned here, I will say that while you own some massive skills, judging from three pieces alone, I'd say you have yet to develop a "voice".

The first piece is solid and painterly. The shirt is a little weak, compared to the sculptural strokes that form the head, though.

The girl with the oranges is vibrant and very competently rendered, it's so good to see something here besides yet another taxidermied head. The problem is, it's a little too good . . . slick, it looks more like an ad illustration than what Sargent would call a "paugh-trait". (I love it though, it's fun, it's "alive").

The last head demonstrates even more of your understanding of paint handling, and as a composition, points toward a dramatic and interesting approach to the portrait head . . . but the face is out of drawing. (beautiful color on flesh!)

Please show us more, these paintings have really brightened up a moribund site!

Alexander Seliverstov · 07-17-2010, 07:11 AM

Thank you for your comment Mr. Richard Bingham. I can see better than I can draw. So I do not like my artworks. All portraits are drawn in different styles. I am always in search of something new. Can I do a good Hyperrealism, but it is not something that I wanted. Not enough good advice from the experts.

Claudemir Bonfim · 07-24-2010, 06:10 PM

Beautiful work,

welcome to the forum.

Ramesh Vyaghrapuri · 07-24-2010, 09:21 PM

Love the very first and the very last portraits you have posted so far, esp the brushwork in the faces.

Please post if you have more!

Alexander Seliverstov · 07-25-2010, 06:19 AM

Specialists, specifically criticism please.
Portraits obviously not top quality, report bugs and I'll take it into account in the following artworks. Thanks.

Terri Ficenec · 08-26-2010, 02:35 AM

Hi Alexander,

I think it's difficult to comment specifically when you post so many paintings and ask only for 'specific' criticisms -- where to start? Assuming you actually want specific things to consider to improve your painting... I'll try commenting on the two pieces in post #3 (the blonde woman in the black turtleneck and the man in the blue shirt. Let me start by saying there is a dramatic difference in the quality of these two works -- they hardly look like they were done by the same artist.

To my eye, the painting of the woman has hard edges everywhere, many of which could be softened to give her a more realistic feel. These overly hard edges (for example, around the base of her nose, the planes around her mouth, the side of her wrist where it turns from light to shade, her hair against her forehead, around her eyes/eyebrows etc.) give her an almost plastic appearance. To me the woman looks unfinished -- like she needs just a little more work considering how to make all the parts read together as a whole. Drawing-wise there are some inconsistencies too. The shape of her mouth seems off (her mouth droops on *her* left, yet the way she's leaning on her hand there would more likely push that side of her face up, if anything. . . and the shape of her face above her hand to *our* right of her eye reads somehow too wide to me? It's hard to tell because it looks like there might be some glare in your photo there, but it looks as if her shoulder could use a little more light on it, the light on her face is so strong.

The man's head looks reads more solidly. There are some minor things that read a little off - like his far cheek just beyond/below his eye reads a little bright to me, really pretty minor. The head overall is solid. The level of finish in the shirt, however, seems inconsistent with the face and takes away from the painting as a whole.

I agree with the comments above that your work shows a lot of potential. I'd suggest as you are working on a piece, especially as it is nearing completion, that you take time to step back and assess the work overall -- to make sure that the entire piece works together and 'reads' well. It might also help to get away from a particular painting for a few days so that you can look at it fresh, inconsistencies can be a lot more apparent with fresh eyes!

By the way, I love how you handled the girl with the oranges hair in the sunshine -- there is some effective use of soft edges!