Igor Bragin

Bragin Igor Vladimirovich

Born in 1967 in Zhigulevsk. Graduated from the Art and Graphic Faculty of Togliatti Pedagogical University in 1995. Participant in art exhibitions since 1991. From 1991 to 2018, he took part in more than 50 exhibitions in cities such as Zhigulevsk, Togliatti, Syzran, Samara, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary, Paris, Hamburg, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and others. His paintings are held in private collections of art lovers in Russia, Romania, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, the USA, and many other countries. Member of the creative union of professional artists.

I especially enjoy oil painting because it is a powerful means of self-expression. There is something infinite in painting; this something wonderful conveys mood. Hidden harmonies and contrasts are embedded in the colors, which interact on their own and can only be used to express mood.

Usually, it is difficult for an artist to talk about themselves and their work; only the paintings created by the artist can speak about them, their personality, and skill. For example, I paint what I feel and do not try to embellish my feelings, because embellishments, all kinds of empty beautiful words, are an outer shell that prevents seeing the true face of the artist.

I strive to express my feelings and thoughts in the simplest form while avoiding primitiveness. I perceive nature, everything visible, the entire surrounding world only as a source of inspiration, and I express my perception of all this on the canvas in the simplest form. I live in a world of images and paint because I cannot not paint. While working, I do not think about how much I will sell my painting for or whether anyone will like it. Another important rule for me is to paint only what I love. If I do not love what I paint, nothing will come of it. The feelings that possess the artist during work should fill the painting. The integrity and strength of the painting lie in the value of this feeling. During work, a very specific task suddenly arises for me: I must exaggerate the asymmetry of the head, torso, arm, hand, wall, table, window, chair. That is, for the sake of composition and to enhance truth, I deform the proportions of the figures. My working method is to try to combine two irrefutable realities: the concrete and the abstract. I believe that the collision of these two realities gives birth to great art. Great art is the most beautiful intertwining of the abstract and the concrete. This can be found in both Rembrandt and Picasso. However, each artist has their own understanding of this. The problem lies in finding a reasonable measure for this intertwining. The solution depends on the character of the artist.

I am convinced that art is such an approximation to truth that it is sometimes even stronger than truth. Stronger because it is detached from trivialities, more holistic, more filled with feelings and experiences. Therefore, truth that does not inspire the artist cannot move anyone.

In search of my style, I experiment with color, form, material, and space, trying to maintain simplicity and integrity of form, generalized plasticity, and coloring, sometimes reaching naivety. But this, in my opinion, only enhances the inner content and magic of the work.

Once I read an interesting thing that supposedly at the third stage of painting, it begins to live its own life and can even change the plot. Since then, much has become clear to me, and I do not interfere with the paintings doing whatever they please. I realize that I am dealing with a living being that will soon cease to depend on me and will go into this world, becoming a part of it… I can only help it at the first stage; what happens next does not depend on me.

The world is rich in feelings, emotions, color, energy, and much more. Every person sees and feels this in their own way. My goal is to express this in my works so that anyone can understand this world and empathize with me. If I manage to breathe warmth and love into my “things,” they will find friends.