Valery Lukka: "Before the expression"
ARTinvestment.RU   25 февраля 2014

In the gallery DiDi (St. Petersburg) an exhibition of early (1971-1980) painting B. Lucca. The exhibit selected works created "to the expression," that is to conceptual expressionism, in which B. Lucca been running for about 30 years

Gallery DiDi, February 20 - March 27, 2014
St. Petersburg, Bolshoi Prospect In . O., 62

C February 20 to March 27 in St. Petersburg gallery DiDi passes first exhibition project in 2014 . The exhibition presents early paintings (1971-1980) famous Petersburg artist Lucca . Lovers and admirers of contemporary art masters will be interesting to see what his work "to the expression ," that is to conceptual expressionism , in which B. Lucca has been working for about 30 years .

LUCCA B. Self . 1973 Tempera on cardboard . 94 × 69,5

Lucca . Self-portrait. Sketch. 1975 Oil on cardboard. 38 × 28

Today Valery Lukka pattern creates dramatic tension , dynamic , with an unusually active , sometimes aggressive texture that seeks to break the plane and go beyond the surface of the canvas . Balancing on the brink of figuration and abstraction heroes B. Lucca always animated , they are transformed and move in front of the viewer , whether people or city streets . These extremely vivid as on graphic structure , and on plastic solution work - mature works of the artist, his recognizable artistic style .

more interesting in this context early paintings B. Lucca. There is no riot , speakers, head expressionism , its volume , even screen - quiet here . Composition and poses , usually static, instead of picturesque relief layers and complex mixing paints - rather large land smoothly position of the local color . Heroes do not interact with each other either , neither space nor with the audience - they are focused on themselves and in themselves. Silent , impassive calm appears in people empty space art workshop , uninhabited landscapes - these are the main theme songs .

LUCCA B. Spring in Tobolsk. 1980 Tempera on cardboard . 60 × 62

LUCCA B. Workshop . 1977 Oil on canvas. 74,5 × 84,5

With the general approach to the selection and interpretation of the plot is evident in paintings stylistic evolution , which the master was in search of his own artistic language. Frontier 1960 70s marked impressionism . As he says B. Lucca , impressionism seemed to him pure artistic expression , art uncomplicated , sincere experience. Later, the artist develops Impressionism through passion P. Cézanne and V. Van Gogh. Next - Cubism , Surrealism , New Objectivity . There was even a short period of fascination sotsart - picture in which social issues touched upon existence of Soviet man. At the end of the decade B. Lucca working towards that in an attempt to self-determination calls " metaphysical symbolism ." Trying certain stylistic forms , the artist strives to feel inside , to accept or reject their characteristic principles of that comes from both eternally seeking creative nature of the author, and from his art history education. It is obvious serious theoretical training and the desire to overcome the boundary between theory and practice .

Lucca . Muzhskoĭ portrait ( artist Picasso ) . 1980 Oil on cardboard. 70 × 62

Lucca . Fatigue. 1976 Oil on cardboard. 65 × 35

Scene V. Lucca stable world , as the artist is not looking composed and exotic topics, and draws ideas from everyday life, from the inner circle . Leitmotifs in his work can be found pretty much : a self-portrait and portraits of loved ones , the image of the artist in the studio , Petersburg landscapes. In particular, among his favorite themes - Apraxin yard, where the master lived for many years. Imagination of the artist , who knew firsthand this place gives it special qualities : it is an animate nature and myth-making power. This image breaks the silence and static world of early Lucca and takes a step towards the dynamics and expression . Cityscape deprived habitual perspectives , turning it into a confused jumble of roofs , similar coffins (" Roofs Apraksina court" , 1975 ), in a stormy blue , which includes ship ( " Ship in Apraksin Dvor " , 1980). Nevertheless, it is the world " to the expression " that becomes clear when compared with later versions of " Apraksina yard " of the 1990s , where the painting is completely free of figurative representation. If in 1970 the artist has a value category awareness of place, time , or character , then gradually increase the degree of generalization. The trend is that , for example, the " Monument to Mendeleev in Tobolsk ", " Parisienne ", " Portrait of Picasso" are replaced by numerous "landscape" , " Sketches ", "figure" . Content of the picture expands , losing that character or scene , and visual environment becomes the bearer of universal perspective .

LUCCA B. Photo from childhood. 1979 Oil on cardboard, tempera. 46 × 44

LUCCA B. I write Apraxin Yard . 1979 Oil on canvas. 65 × 60

Thus, the exhibited works should not be considered apart from the "conceptual expressionism "Valery Lucca, where he works today. Early paintings help to see a way of gaining artist of his fine and expressive language , its themes and its place in the stylistic diversity. In these works, the author expressed the creative will , provoking him to a constant search for new methods of artistic expression . That is why it is so interesting and the world of meanings early Valery Lukka world to expression .

Eugene Zalivin

Valery Lucca was born in 1945 . In 1977 he graduated LIZhSA them . Ilya Repin. Since the late 1970s , together with Vyacheslav Mikhailov and Felix Volosenkov entered the creative group " Three heroes ," the basis of visual language which was active texture . Member of the Union of Artists of Russia (1983), the National Association of Italian artists «ITALART» ( 1993), the St. Petersburg Academy of Contemporary Art " SAVE " (1996) . Member of more than two hundred fifty exhibitions in Russia and abroad. In 2002 held a retrospective exhibition of the artist at the State Russian Museum. Papers of Lucca are in museums in Russia , Ukraine, Norway, Estonia, the United States , as well as in numerous private collections .

Source : didigallery.com