Wednesday, 21 January 2009
On January 18, 2009 the Belarusian Museum in New York hosted Ales Shaternik’s personal art exhibition “The Sun Cross”. Ales Shaternik is a famous Belarusian sculptor and artist.
The exhibition also gives you an opportunity to get acquainted with his first poems. The fact that an artist has started to write poems proves that he is in constant development.
The majority of the paintings are landscapes. The beauty of Belarusian nature is manifested by way of expressing its real mood, which is vital and substantial for the artist himself.
“Tsna River”(canvas, oil 2006) had a great emotional influence on those present at the exhibition. The painting is a piece of fine art; it gives you a real sense of Nature’s beauty. “The Holy Spirit itself is in the painting”, says Zianon Pazniak who did a thorough art analysis of Shaternik’s creative work. The painting makes an impression of being three-dimensional.
Every single painting of Shaternik is a striking proof of his extraordinary ability to use color and light techniques.
“Lyntupka River” (canvas, oil 1998) is filled with light and creates a feeling of real freshness and cleanness in the air.
Zianon Pazniak expressed his deep gratitude to Ales Shaternik for bringing a little part of Belarus to St. Cyril of Turau Cathedral. Mr. Pazniak also turned his attention to Shaternik’s sculpture works. The exhibition contains one of the new sculptures “Tadeusz Kosciuszko” (coral stone, toning 2009). The sculptural image of Belarusian hero Tadeusz Kosciuszko was created by Ales Shaternik in Key West, Florida as an original impromptu in sculpture as well as new plastic material.
Ales Shaternik spoke about his creative work; he proudly introduced his album-book “The Sun Cross” published right before his trip to America. Those present at the grand opening had a unique opportunity to listen to the poem “The Sun Cross” read by Shaternik himself.
Great art gives the greatest pleasure. Shaternik’s personal exhibition convinced those present that an indefinable warm spirit of something mysterious and incomprehensible about our Motherland is missing in any picturesque foreign landscape.
Natalia Rabava