Arts : Paintings : Boris Gusev
Biography Exposition Exhibitions Criticism Replies

 

Maria Valjaeva
Manager of the department of modern art of Tretyakov gallery, Moscow

BORIS GUSEV:
BOUNDLESS WORLD OF IMAGES


Paintings and graphics of Boris Gusev undoubtedly is a fruit of indefatigable and continuous activity of deepness subconscious. Before his internal sight the boundless world of images, in which bright children's impressions accumulate with dramatic experiences of the mature person. Shading and anticipating each other, they form whimsical fantastic theatrical action, with brilliant skill changed in refined painting, colorful pattern lying down on a plane of a canvas. The artist draws up in his art complete plastic program created on strict stylistic laws, acquired not only by means of erudition and visual experience, but also incorporated in the depth creative endowments and comprehended intuitively. Reminiscences of medieval painting and the miniatures refract in consciousness through a prism of refined stylistic of "art novae", being enriched by discoveries of surrealism, that gained in the process of re-comprehension an unexpected nobleness. Today it is extremely rare to meet the artist, in whose creativity the set of different times impulses interlace, but thus are not present surface of eclecticism; whose imagination is fraught with a heap of symbolic-associative images and motives, but thus the plastic language and color result all in a state of polyphonic harmony. Boris Gusev has developed as the most active creative person with unique vision of the world and boldness of its expression in art. Only uncommon energy, stimulating purposefulness and will, was necessary for final its development. And it is given to the artist together with natural gift.




Edward Lemonov

PERSON CAPABLE ON FOLLY

Sortie young man with a large face sat in a conference hall of Russian-American press center on a Grain lane, between two poets Alina Vituhnovskaya and Constantine Kedrov. Boris Gusev has appeared the publisher of the share book these two poets. "The Pavlov's Dog" - was named the book. After representation of the book a vine presents. I have acquainted with Gusev. Me annually acquaint with thousands of the people. The large part of these thousands never calls on the telephone number, scratched by me, and I never call to the other part. Boris Gusev has called, I was interesting to him, and he has managed to make so, that he has become interesting to me. Jointly we have created advertising agency "Hundred lemons " and at first built grandiose plans on the future, dreaming to advertise Russian goods. Alas, unique production of agency till now there is a color post-card. On it I (embody Russia) prepare to bite Gusev, dressed in derby of Uncle Sam and in a shirt from American flag (embody USA) on a neck behind. The inscription on a card says: "Russia should be with teeth!" Stomatological Corporation "Stompo" produced the card. On the back there was an address of this corporation. Our agency was not up, but our publishing free enterprise was not completed on it. We have created an album "Lemonov in photos" (make up by Lisa Blese, my girlfriend of those times) and have issued it in 300 copies circulation. The half of circulation till now lays at my corridor, however, we have remained are pleased with itself: the issuing historically exists. I do not know, whether Gusev is mader than me, or I am madder than Gusev, or our madness are incomparable, different, but both of us are mad. It is doubtless. Looking on gaudy, exotic, requiring wild nesting of labor works of Gusev, is useless to deny madness. Knowing the strange biography of the sortie young man with a large face, I can not stop to amaze to presence of Madness in his biography. And as in my own biography prevail folly acts and solutions, I naturally test sympathy to Gusev. "Here the person also capable on folly lives close", - obviously, I reflect, and I meet him again and again. For a long time already not a trace remains of the people I has got acquainted with in 1996-th year, Gusev regularly occurs in my life invariable accurately dressed and smelling by vigorous colognes, with the wife Larisa at a hip. His appearance means only one - he is constantly interesting to me. Dead links I do not support, ordinary inconsiderately I break it off. The painting, graphics, photo, whether self-terrible acts, all is possible to this essentially young man. I welcome you, Boris, with new exhibition, with new works.


Edward Lemonov

THE JOYFUL ARTIST
Aix-en-Provans "Les amis des paint" 23.09 - 09.10.97.

Boris Gusev is 34 years old and he's the most European of the Russian artists. Probably, it's obligated that circumstance, what Gusev was born in city of Riga and lived in Riga till the 1989? As though there was, Gusev is free goes on all heritage of European art and feels himself as at home. His painting would be impossible, if abstract painting did not exist up to him, and surrealists would not expose in due time their hallucinatory canvases. The blossoming complexity of Gusev's pictures just also arises from blossoming complexity of all-european cultural heritage. Gusev has nothing common with Russian picturesque tradition. I presented on the presentation of the Gusev's works for the officials of Russian State Congress (Duma) for organizing his exhibition in future. Congressmen treated Gusev as "international artist". The exhibition was not held. Elegant, carefully dressed, extremely affable and friendly Gusev is not similar in any way to the most widespread type of the Russian artist, negligent drunker with a beard and in crumpled trousers in the shape of a bubbles. In this sense Gusev is "new Russian artist". Just as Gusev's prose, photos and collages, his canvases daily celebrate, eulogize, admire modernity and bathe in modernity. The motorcycle to him is more interesting than a landscape, bar, boutique, club, the trade mark are described and licked by him with the same carefulness, that the Dutchs drew the still lifes in their time, and Englishmen - jumps and horses. A field of activity of the artist - city and it attributes, person and it production, consumption for Gusev is not a shameful defect, but enjoying. Gusev has rare at the end of 20-th century positive attitude. The world for him is pleasure, and consequently the pleasure fills up to edges his bright canvases. With the same pleasure Gusev selects dishes, when accepts the visitors: pink shrimps near by emerald salade, scarlet caviar and every delicacies from sea. His strong liked tekila with green lemons is the certificate of perception of the world as exotic. Even on the last money Gusev will not become to chew on the boring newspaper any boring casual meal. On a rarity the integral person and integral artist he has organized the chaos in exotic, bright, exited space of Boris Gusev. And on smaller he disagrees.
The best definition, what is possible is to found for Boris Gusev - the joyful artist. The magnificent, joyful, excessive, happy foreman and person. Each day of Gusev - it's the best day. As are excessive, are happy, are magnificent and the canvases are joyful also it. The holiday of life created from whimsical birds, colors, ppaint of female bodies, forms which are not having the names - is those Gusev's picturesque world. Everyone of his picture is a magical sight.



Rose Pushkhareva

IN CENTIMETER FROM THE COUNTRY OF MIRACLES

If a pictures of an artist arise from contact of his internal world with the enclosing subject environment, the secrets of the creative world of Boris Gusev are not detected enough, and furthermore given in to the analysis. Gusev's pictures bewitch, remaining a riddle. Not without reason visitors frequently write it of his exhibitions as Country of Miracles created by Gusev. Artist in the admissions on these pages opens little. However, matter of the foreman - to create and the spectator - to perceive his images executed by refined imagination, extraordinary of bright colors, inexplicable philosophical implication. The young artist (he was born in 1963) of 27 years old has risked to leave native Riga and to try happiness in Moscow. His first exhibition (1991) was held in a Stamp hall of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. Today on the score of Boris Gusev are some personal exhibitions, tens of his works are purchased by foreign galleries, and on exhibitions of the known businessman Jose Perez Gusev's pictures are on display near to creations of Salvatore Dali And Pablo Picasso. "The works of Boris Gusev involve with the philosophical comprehension of the world. They are indefinitely deep!" "By getting in your picturesque world on some hours, become Alice in the Country of Miracles. It would be necessary to all to be surprised and to comprehend this world, full of riddles and geniusly simple things. And then silently to be delighted to that too has become a part of the magic world of paint"."We, artists of other aesthetic creed, like pictures of Boris Gusev for exclusiveness and original poetic names, which would to be continued by verses".
- As the teachers I can name the books, art and life. But before something to achieve, has found faith in God. All life I aspired to realize myself in art, and long time all efforts were vain. The miracle has taken place, when there was a dialogue with True. And the technique, color and other - It is just result of searches, which objective in, that the picture attracted sight both from several meters, and from distance in some centimeters. During my exhibitions I for myself have acquired, that the spectator is the phenomenon not featureless, not mass. My love to the ones who visit my exhibitions, besides the signature in the last picture, which sounds as "I love you!", consist in labor, which I invest in my works. If there is an interaction, the response is born - one of my main objectives is achieved.
From magazine "Phaeton"