In the Paris Museum of Modern Art (Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris) an exhibition of one of the most famous contemporary painters Peter Doig

May 30, in the Paris Museum of Modern Art (Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris) opened an exhibition of one of the most famous contemporary painters, Peter Doig. In 2007, Doig painting «White Canoe» (1991) was sold at auction Sotheby's for 5.7 million pounds, with five exceeding estimeyta, and became the most expensive piece of living European artist. In early 2008 the Tate Gallery in London held his retrospective exhibition.

Currently, Doig is one of the main stars on the world art scene. His success has become a symbol of the revival of traditional painting in the era of post. Doig is working in the genre of landscape painting, for a long time, the former «not Tabor» a good artist. His paintings are very complex and very beautiful, that earned him the love and admiration of critics and the public, tired of sarkastichnogo postmodern art, and extending to the romanticism.

Peter Doig was born in 1959. In 1961 the family moved to the island of Trinidad, with a further five years - in Canada. In 17 years, Doig left the house and began drilling work. This work, he said, helped him to «feel their relationship with the land». But the young man did not want to be the drillers, as well as the work was too dangerous and a risk of injury: the majority of workers from his team missing several fingers. Doig started painting still lifes and landscapes, and soon decided to move to London, the city, the birthplace of his favorite music - punk. In the British capital, he studied in college St. Martin's and Chelsea, made friends with many of the movement «Young British Artists», whose names were later progremeli for the whole world. In «Chelsea» he met with the artist Chris Ofili, who became one of his best friends. Several years ago, Ofili and Doig moved to Trinidad, where they live and work today. Doig says the painting, but also shows the local people worship the American films in his studio, where he organized the Film club. Рекламки to the film, he paints himself - perhaps over time they will be sold at auction for decent amounts.

The main inspiration for creativity Doig is, of course, the nature of those places where he went, - Africa, Canada and Europe. But Doig never writes from life. The main thing for him - not an exact reproduction of nature on canvas, and the transfer of their own feelings from a place of fantasy associated with it. Doig writes from memory, and often uses photographs, old postcards, amateur videos. The artist likes to portray the wild, deserted place, where signs of human presence: single boats, abandoned houses ... If you are writing your romantic landscapes Doig inspired by not only its own memories, but also photography, television broadcasting, video works, design albums, and, of course, movies ( mostly horror movies). For example, to create a famous painting of a canoe it spodvigla scene from the film «Friday the 13th». Doig wants to show not so much the place but the atmosphere that makes this place the people who once were there. For example, one of his most famous paintings, «Concrete hut», represents the dilapidated buildings of Le Corbusier building, which the artist accidentally bumped, walking in the woods in the north-eastern France. This picture contrasts beautifully transferred modernist utopia, and wildlife. The extent to which the artist painted, is near the town of Verdi - most of whose name brings dark memories of world wars. Very close to the building of Le Corbusier is a cemetery, where black crosses a lot of German soldiers are buried. Many say that in places where many have died a violent death of people, there is a heavy, pressing aura. That is the bleak atmosphere of the artist tried to convey in his painting. Portfolio Doig often compared to paintings, and Munch Chyurlenisa, as well as the films of David Lynch.

glory came to Peter Doig relatively late. When he began his career, painting (especially landscapes) was not popular. «On horseback» was the art, its principles proclaimed the irony and sensation, and its stars became friends on the college Doig Damien Hurst, Chris Ofili, Chapman brothers ... But in recent years, in the wake of the revival of general interest in art in Europe, the United States and in the East (see the rabid success of the Chinese symbolist Zhang Syaogana), art Doig finally «vybilos a leader». Several years ago megakollektsioner Charles Saatchi (who owes much to the success of «Young British Artists») organized an exhibition «Triumph of Painting», where Doig paintings were exhibited along with works by many famous artists such as Martin Kippenbergera. Now Doig painting sells for aggressive investments, but the artist believes it is very strange. In an interview with The Guardian he said that a record amount paid for the «White Canoe»: «As an artist I know that somewhere there is this strange market, but I can not imagine how it works. At my last show, people, of course, wanted to buy, but not for such big money. And I began to wonder: why so took off the price? I thought that 300 thousand pounds for my picture - it is a gigantic amount of ... »In the same interview, he noted:« If Jeff Koons, or someone like that will make a great Chrome heart, then this will require a lot of manpower and production capacity. In this case, [the giant. - Ed .] The value of works more naturally. But I am going to his studio work as one and decide all the tasks. I am sure of one thing: [a large value of the painting. - Ed .] Does not facilitate the creative process ».

In the year of the artist writes six to eight pictures. Some works created in the recent past, can be seen at an exhibition in Paris. It represented more than a hundred paintings and drawings Doig, grouped by topic. The exhibition will last till September 7.

Julia Maksimova

Sources: paris.fr , guardian.co.uk , saatchi-gallery.co.uk , artinvestment.ru