Russian Artist
Alexander Sergeevich Kvasov
            Галерея (Gallery)
                   << Alexander Sergeevich Kvasov ( Александр Сергеевич Квасов ) was born in Moscow in 1933. He studied in the Moscow Higher school of Industrial and Applied Arts (formerly Stroganovskoye) from 1953 till 1961. His instructors were G.M. Korzchev, V.P. Komarshenkova, E.V. Egorova. He is an aquarellist (black-and-white artist), and a designer. He is a member of the Union of Artists of Russia from 1975. Since 1972 he has been a participant of many Moscow, Russian country's and foreign exhibitions. He is a permanent participant of All-Union and Russia's water-colour exhibitions. For example he was a participant of the following international exhibitions: Bulgaria (1978), Czechoslovakia (1979), Bulgaria (1980), Italy(1987), Germany (1992)…

                   Some of his water-colours are in the Tretjakov Gallery in Moscow, in the Museum of Moscow History, in the Archangelskiy art Museum and in some of other museums and galleries of Russia. Some of Aleksander Sergeevich Kvasov's works were reproduced in special art magazines and books and got viewers'and specialists'high praises and a good press. Alexander Sergeevich Kvasov arranged 25 personal exhibitions. His last exhibition devoted to the 850 Th. Anniversary of Moscow was held in the State Duma. Kvasov carriers on large scientific and research work . He has published two text-books on design, a lot of scientific articles dealing with the problems of decorative and applied arts.

                   Since 1961 Kvasov has been a teacher of the Moscow state University of Industrial and Applied Arts named after S.Stroganoff, professor, Merited Woruer of Art of Russia, academician, principal of the Moscow State University of Industrial and Applied Arts (1982 - 1999), Peoples (Folk) artist of Russian Federation.             (wikipedia, List of Peoples (Folk) artists of the Russian Federation)

                   Kvasov's art is full of life, love for man, delicate penetration into the psychology and sensitive world of our contemporaries into the being of rivers and woods, fields and meadows. It attracts by the richness of his natural observations, by Kvasov's profound contemplation and understanding of the meaning and beauty of life, by his interesting artistic approach and plastic solutions. Kvasov is very versatile and many-sided in his crative seeking: he has done a lot of water-colours and drawings, memorial plaques, worth mentioning - a plaque devoted to the Peoples'Artist of the Russia Zchikov N.N. with his very expressive representation; Kvasov wrote a lot of scientific works, dealing with the actual problems of theory and practice of pictorial art and design. Kvasov is talented instructor, who has brought up many generations of students of the Moscow State University of industrial and applied arts named after S.G.Stroganov, the principal of which he was from 1982 to 1999.

                   Kvasov got to know art from his childhood. He started drawing in his early childhood. In 1950 he finished a special art school and got the qualification of a stone-cutter. He worked on the Sakhaline. In 1953 he entered the Moscow Higher School of Industrial and Applied Arts (formerly Stroganovskoe). Since that time he has not left his "Alma Mater". A.S. Kvasov always has his paints-and-brushes box at hand. His creative activity proves the fruitfulness of the Russian school of painting.

                   Nowadays we have got a lot of means to reflect technical appliances. However no technical exact reflection of nature can compete with the attractiveness a personal perception. In the Surrounding world an artist select motifs adequate to the state of his soul. They are usually born during the process of interaction of artist and material.

                   Kvasov belongs to the group of artists who can guide and direct his a Pegasus. His using water-colours for many years has become his fourable technique for self-expression. In his works one can see his high artistic skills and passion for work which always remain in and create a definite pictorial system, so that one gets the impression of an absolutely natural embodiment of the depicted images. Affectation, violence and heart-rending feelings are alien to him. The tonality of the artist's works contains shades and hues which are meant for a confiding and lyrical narration.

                   In spit eof his affection for Moscow and its suburbs, Kvasov travels a lot. We can find different geographical belts of Russia in Kvasov's personal tour ist map, his various tours abroad. His water-coulour pictures are his best withess of mood and of how much time and work has been spent on this or on that scene.

                   The main theme of Kvasov's water-colours is his naval and favorite city of Moscow Kvasov considers the excitement of Moscow streets to be very attractive. It is not a fuss or bustle or tiring intensity, but it is some dynamics which brings about joy, accustoms to a confident and business life of a big country.     Kvasov's water-colours convey the mood of capital's weekdays and holidays. All these works are full of kind emotions, sincere and warm sympathy with business and emotional experience of his coteporaries. Looking at his works one takes a fascinating walk about the capital. It begins from the Kremlin walls. The meeting with the Kremlin is the meeting the history of our state, with ist past and future. One of the Moscow most overcrowded squares - Komsomolskaya - is depicted very vividly and expressively. Here are some very romantic bridges over the Yauza river with a drainage canal, and over there one can see tall buildings of new blocks of flats! Moscow sheets are very emotional. The on them are apprehended as a self-manifestation of nature when the subject matter is not so important and is relegated to the bakgroud towncaps. Air vibration, changing atmospheric conditions, seeking for a special tonal and spatial substance become reference points of a united continuous tract where the being of a separate object vanished. The paper the changing view of the city.

                   Many of Mr. Kvasov's water-colours are devoted to the suburbs of Moscow with its villages, monuments of architecture of the past centuries, highways, little woods and rivers, which overflow their banks in spring. These sheets tell about the life of nature during all the seasons using the language of semishades, hues, colours spots, spatial perspective solutions. When you look at them , yours soul is filled with an exciting, a little alarming and attracting feeling and apprehension of a healthy, natural earthly existence and its fullness. The water-colours delicately convey the touching cleanness of first snow which is covering the ground and thawing immediately. Other sheets depict winter and frost. Spring motifs are especially lyrical, when the damp show becomes heavy, ready to thaw away from the ground, when the buds are swelling and black and white forest acquires a great of tender radiant shades. The golden autumn time is rendered with deep apprehension: there is a blue strip in the sky covered with a light haze, silent and thoughtful woods with fallen golden leaves on the ground. The water-coulours have been made from nature during one sitting. Great experience of compositional thinking and imagination is in harmony with bold improvisations. The sheets look like very well thought out and at the same time, lively born by the direct and strong experience of the motif.

                   Sketching from nature is the basis of Kvasov's A.S. pictorial creative activity. When he goes about the country, when he takes walks in the open air his march album and pencil are always with him. Composition plays a determining role in the plastic of an image because it defines the space, laconic selection and generalization of details, the rhythm of execution which attracts the not-interrupting gaze of viewer, the abidance of black and white tones which even in the outline drawing are perceived as music, as a little graphic symphony.

                   Kvasov's sheets made abroad are as a rule sketches and outlines representing a genre of traveling notes. Definite realities of a particular district are very attractive in them. Kvasov's tireless life-loving curiosity impress greatly Kvasov makes an impression, as he wants to absorb in himself all variety of nature. This is just the painter must be, each time in his hew work telling the world about his love for it.

                   Kvasov's water colors receive high praises of his colleges, and specialists and again attracting the on-lockers to themselves.

                   Kvasov A.S. uses water-colors in different ways. Sometimes he allows the paint to spread over the sheet and to be absorbed deeply in it. Sometimes the paints remain on the surface looking like precious enamels. The important components of an art image are almost always the colour and texture of paper.

                   Water-colours in the creative activity of a lot of artists have acquired lately a monumental character and approached to frescoes and stained glasses in size and plastic treatment. Monumentalism is to some extent characteristic of Kvasov's art too. He does not like small details, sluggish forms; his water-colors keep intimacy and lyricism. He paints comparatively not large pictures which can be viewed for a long time with love and can be looked at from a short distance.

                   A. S. Kvasov is a talented landscape painter, able to feel and to convey the fascination of nature of different regions and countries, revealing her soul. Looking attentively at the sheets one finds himself outside the exhibition hall either in the Russian North, in the Far East, in Italy of in Spain, Yogoslavia and Bulgaria.

                   Kvasov's works are closely connected with the tradition of Russian realist art. Strict taste, of absence of superficial effects, and mainly high professional skill - these are the main features of this artist's creative works.

                   Once I asked the artist where his attachment to the ground came from, when it seems that his paints are able to convey even the musty smell of an old forest. "It's quite possible that this fact is connected with my biography - he answered, being a boy I spent the shole war in the village of Raevo, a hundred kilometers from Penza. The scenery there impressed me gratly for all my life. I wanted to draw everything I saw. I wanted to draw the smoke, from the chimneys of the huts, how the women light the stove, and the smell of the smoke, hey, hemp around, how the fields becomes green with rye and wheat and the meadows become covered with flowers; then there appear large burdocks as umbrellas? N size and bushes of stinging nettles, where one can hide himself and the earth begins to breathe, and the birds begin to sing. I try to convey the transparency of the world in my works so that everything was expressed in deep colours, so that one coulour was flowing from the other so that the background was rendered exactly; the freedom of expression must not be limited by anything."

                   "How do I work?" - Mr. Kvasov says after me, - I come to some place, look around, abserve it and sometimes I am not going tip stop and work here. But looking attentively I chose a motif. Suddenly my heart begins to beat faster, something attracts my attention. This is just the case that took place with me in Kiev on the Andreev Hill, when I saw a winding street with windows screw into it. I cannot explain myself why I begin doing this or that work. There is some mystery in it. Some place gives a place doesn't. One needs the whole set of creative motifs.

                   I was happy to see Itali, there and when I came back home taught of the fact that any person, getting familiar with the great Italian culture becomes more spiritual, richer in soul and loftier. The inspiring impressions keep on living in the mind and soul. The country which gave great world geniuses. Dante's country, who taught people the art of seeing the world with one glance. Michelangelo 'country who was able to convey his admiration and joy of creative labor and sorrow for the whole mankind in his sestina chapel. The sky, water, houses and a gondolier is singing and singing so beautifully! He is an artist, a musician, a poet - that's why he is singing so beautifully! Everything in Italy always disposes to creative contemplation. One can endlessly speak about Italy, and all the time with admiration. In that country every small corner is already a museum. From the history of Arts we know such gigantic as Rafael, Michelangelo, but there are a lot of artist about whom history of arts does not mention but who are almost equal to the well-known gigantic. Here is the town of San-Djaminiano. It is no less worse that Florence or Venice and the masters who worked there are no less great in scale and gift. And there are nowhere repeating elements and details - all houses are varied. There are no similar frames, windows etc. The windows are varied in form rectangular, oval square, diamond-shaped etc.; and the balconies are also varied. Venice seemed to me a scattered mosaic, it seemed to me a joyful coloured fair. I was looking for traces of ancient art. I was drawing and painting with enthusiasm…">>

                   L.A.Efremova, artcritic

                   A.S.Kvasov passed away in 1999 and remained the artist of XX Century, but his paintings live and show his understanding of beauty of the world and artist's philosophy of live.







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Alexander Sergeevich Kvasov

Poppies. (1978), water-color

Palace Bridge. Yauza. (1985), water-color

Flowers in a Delfware Vase. (1986) Water-color

Moscow. Arkhipov Street (1983), Water - Color

A. S. Kvasov

A. Kvasov

Aleksander Kvasov

Alexander Kvasov

Alexander Kvasov