DIALOGUE ACROSS ERAS: ANDREY BAZANOV’S MASTERCLASSES

DIALOGUE ACROSS ERAS is a cultural and educational project exploring the continuity of the Russian painting tradition and the ways in which it continues to inform the practice of artists today. Through a series of masterclasses, films and accompanying articles, the project revisits the work of major twentieth-century Russian artists, considering their approach to colour, form and composition from the perspective of a contemporary painter.

At the heart of the project is not the reproduction of well-known works or an attempt to imitate the style of a particular period, but a professional dialogue conducted through painting itself. Artist Andrey Bazanov engages with the work of earlier masters, exploring their palettes and distinctive pictorial language before creating an independent work informed by his own understanding of that tradition.

This approach makes it possible to encounter artistic heritage not only through a finished painting, but through the process of its creation: the construction of form, the search for colour relationships, the mixing of paints, the handling of texture and the sequence of decisions through which an image gradually takes shape. Art history becomes a point of departure for contemporary artistic practice.

By engaging with the work of Pyotr Konchalovsky, Ilya Mashkov, Alexander Samokhvalov and other artists, the project presents the Russian school of painting as a living and evolving tradition. Many of its fundamental principles — close attention to drawing and form, an understanding of colour as a means of constructing volume and space, and a deep knowledge of materials — remain relevant to painters today.

The materials themselves form a natural part of this dialogue. Across the three masterclasses, Andrey Bazanov works with three ranges of Nevskaya Palitra oil colours: Master Class, Ladoga and Sonnet. Each is used in the creation of an independent painting, allowing different approaches to palette, colour mixing, the construction of form and the handling of the paint layer to emerge through the working process itself.

Of particular interest is the relationship between the contemporary palette and the materials used by painters of earlier generations. Cadmium and cobalt colours, ultramarine, ochres and earth pigments remain part of the painter’s palette alongside modern pigments, while some historical materials now have contemporary alternatives. This provides another perspective on continuity in painting: not only in artistic principles, but also in the development of the materials through which those principles are expressed.

Films from the masterclasses, together with articles exploring the artistic and historical context of each session, will be published throughout 2026 on Nevskaya Palitra’s English-language website. The project offers an opportunity to encounter the Russian painting tradition through the artist’s working process — from historical context and initial concept to palette, materials and the completed work.

ALEXANDER SAMOKHVALOV — PORTRAIT OF MARIA

As part of the DIALOGUE ACROSS ERAS project, artist Andrey Bazanov paints a portrait from life, drawing on the legacy of the Soviet academic school and the work of Alexander Samokhvalov — one of the outstanding artists of the 1930s.

PYOTR KONCHALOVSKY — STILL LIFE WITH QUINCE

As part of the DIALOGUE ACROSS ERAS project, artist Andrey Bazanov creates a still life with quinces, drawing on the artistic legacy of Pyotr Konchalovsky — one of the leading figures of twentieth-century Russian art.

ILYA MASHKOV — STILL LIFE WITH PINEAPPLE AND BANANAS

As part of the DIALOGUE ACROSS ERAS project, artist Andrey Bazanov creates a still life with a pineapple, inspired by the artistic legacy of Ilya Mashkov — one of the most distinctive figures of the Russian avant-garde and a leading member of the Jack of Diamonds group.

Master Class Oil Colours

ALEXANDER SAMOKHVALOV — PORTRAIT OF MARIA

In this masterclass, Andrey Bazanov engages with the work of Alexander Samokhvalov, whose painting brought together academic discipline, a strong sense of form and the distinctive visual language of the 1920s and 1930s. His figures are characterised by clarity, physical presence and a carefully considered relationship between drawing and colour.

Andrey creates a portrait of Maria whose appearance evokes the female figures found in Samokhvalov’s work and the wider visual culture of the 1930s. Her clothing, hairstyle and overall image establish a connection with the period, while the portrait itself remains an independent contemporary work rather than a reconstruction or imitation of a particular painting. For the portrait, Bazanov works with Master Class oil colours, drawing on colour relationships characteristic of Samokhvalov’s palette: earths and ochres, cadmium reds and yellows, ultramarine and cobalt colours. Colour becomes one of the principal means of constructing form, while relationships between warm and cool tones establish volume, space and the overall character of the portrait.

The masterclass reveals how the principles of an earlier painting tradition can be explored through contemporary practice. From the construction of form and selection of colours to brushwork and the organisation of the paint layer, Samokhvalov’s artistic legacy becomes a starting point for a new work rather than a model to be copied.

Sonnet Oil Colours

ILYA MASHKOV — STILL LIFE WITH PINEAPPLE AND BANANAS

In this masterclass, Andrey Bazanov engages with the work of Ilya Mashkov, one of the most distinctive figures in early twentieth-century Russian art and a leading member of the Jack of Diamonds group. His still lifes are characterised by powerful forms, intense colour and a pronounced sense of materiality, often giving everyday objects an almost monumental presence.

Bazanov creates a still life with pineapple and bananas, motifs that resonate with the imagery found in Mashkov’s work. Rather than reproducing a particular historical painting, he develops an independent composition inspired by Mashkov’s approach to colour, contrast, form and the physical presence of objects. For the still life, Bazanov works with Sonnet oil colours, using the studio range to create a complete original painting. Saturated reds and yellows, greens, ochres and earth tones, deep blues and complex neutrals form the basis of the palette. Contrasts and mixtures of warm and cool colours help construct the forms, while the direction and density of the brushwork reinforce their physical presence.

The masterclass reveals how a studio range can become part of an accomplished artist’s creative practice. From complex colour mixing and the construction of form to texture and the handling of the paint layer, Sonnet is explored within the same demanding process of creating a finished work, while Mashkov’s artistic legacy provides the starting point for a distinctly contemporary painting.

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