introduction

As an aesthetic movement, Abstract Art has had its time, at least in terms of being the dominant style of modernism. Fine art can be recognisable again, and Realism is once again receiving due appreciation. But what is realism in a world where our perception is continually influenced by the media? We regard reality very differently than we did in the past; now, even the idea of a single reality is questionable. The discovery of photography was of fundamental importance to the way in which artists began to represent the world around them: by bringing it to a standstill. The artist Andrei Zadorine adds an extra dimension to this aspect of his work by sequencing still images to form a painted photographic series. In using the medium of oil paint, he consciously endows his image choices with extra power and emotional weight. Is Andrei Zadorine’s work a new fixed start in the firmament of fine art?

Werner van den Belt