Born in 1962, a Yakhroma, in Russia Andrey Remnev is a master of Russian contemporary painting.
Inspired by the imagery and geometries of traditional Russian painting, Remnev art invites the viewer to embark on a journey of comprehension of the emblematic visual language of Russian Icons, reinterpreted with a figurative style dense in symbolism in a contemporary key and under the profound influence of his passion for Italian Classical Art. Greatly influenced by Italian Masters, such as Benozzo Gozzoli and Piero della Francesca, Remnev enhances his technique and his canvases with the ancient tradition of egg tempera and oil paint. In a succession of layers of colour and images, his artworks are a true fusion between pictorial traditions and the contemporary, permeated with organic light and spiritual vision. The originality of this technique, constitutes the signature style that make Remnev's works so distinctive. In particular, the enchanting rendering of a jewel-like palette gives his paintings the regality of Byzantine art and the preciousness of Haute Couture.
The gold pigment that characterises his works creates an effect that conveys to the viewer the feeling of looking at a precious fabric. The recurring choice of red and pink also helps to render his characters in a highly contemporary key, further enhanced by the intense and mysterious blue that, from Giotto to Tiziano and ultimately to Yves Klein, drop by drops keeps enchanting us with its sacredness.
The preciousness of Remnev's works, which lies in the care and richness of the details and in the use of a wide range of colours, resonates with the imagery produced by the unique creations of Gustav Fabergé.
Although logic and rationality are implicit in the artist's style, always striving for a spasmodic search for grace and eternal beauty, Remnev's imagery is on the verge of magical realism. His female figures, the predominant protagonists of his work, positioned against as seemingly flat background, are always sprinkled by magical elements and seem to almost fly out of the canvas. Behind Remnev’s artistic choice there is the core aim to glorify femininity, which he considers the purest form and expression of Nature’s strength.
