Мир за чертой

История искусств всегда пыталась сгруппировать некие явления, чтобы потом уложить их на общую полочку и обозначить содержимое полочки, да и свой собственный труд скромным словом "гениально". Разумеется, систематизация - это невероятный труд, но гениален ли результат. Очень часто художников загоняют под одну крышу только потому, что они жили в одно время, общались и выставлялись. И хотя иногда большую группу художников разгоняют на более мелкие полочки-подвиды, проблему это не решает. А тот факт, что разные школы искусствоведов классифицируют художников по-разному, запутывает ситуацию еще больше.

Творческие воззрения, насильно загнанные на полки еще не самый большой грех. Существует невероятное количество явлений, которые никоим образом на этих полках не помещаются. И чаще всего подобные вещи случаются когда художнику тесны рамы, отведенные ему временем, канонами, правительством. В истории искусств творчеству прибалтийский художников, художников Польши, Украины и Белоруссии никогда не уделялось достаточно внимание. Польское - аппендицит Западного, Белорусское - один из вариантов Советского.

Да, понимаю, критиковать легче всего. Создавать систему гораздо сложнее. Тем более, что белорусских художников времен СССР действительно дальше натюрмортов и пейзажей не выпускали. Это в лучшем случае. В худшем - портреты членов правительства на субботниках, съездах и среди внимательно слушающего народа...

Когда я впервые увидел графику (а это была именно графика) Александра Григорьева я даже не поверил собственным глазам. Как подобное мог сотворить художник из какого-то Бреста? А ведь сотворил. Тут надо бы поставить восклицательный знак, но я просто замру в восхищении. У каждого из нас свой мир, образование, образы и взгляды на творчество. Я не буду навязывать свое мнение, просто выскажусь. Еще сто лет назад годы Андре Бретон - один из идеологов сюрреализма - утверждал, что основа сюрреализма - это отраженное подсознательное, например, сон. Однако в этом направлении кроме Кирико никто не преуспел. Дали, Мах - да, были близки, но не более. Отражая другие более глобальные концепции Бретона (например, автоматическое письмо) тот же Дали чаще сливался с фигуративным абстракционизмом, иногда шла перекличка с Магриттом и Эшером - и все.

Художники изображали сон, но именно изображали. Отстраненно, романтично, находясь где-то вне происходящих на картине событий. Так смотрит случайный прохожий на пьяницу на пике загула.

Впрочем, все не совсем так. Был Босх, была серия Капричос Гойи, когда благодаря таланту художника изображенное превращалось в тяжелый, но незабываемый сон. Было ли это предтечей сюрреализма?

Попытка впихнуть творчество Григорьева в рамки привычных "измов" ни к чему не приведет - слишком мало случайного, иррационального, слишком много логичного - уникального, своеобразного и все-таки логичного. Что-то можно понять глазами, что-то анализом, а что-то осознаешь непонятно чем, неким шестым или восьмым чувством, которое так доминирует в творчестве Григорьева. Не придумывая специальный стиль, я бы назвал увиденное "за чертой". Герои произведений Григорьева не зомби, но их уже давно нет. Они живут там, в своем, понятном только им мире. Старики, продолжающие о чем-то спорить, крестьяне, которые продолжают улыбаться, тяжелая стрекоза, которая в нашем мире много лет висела приколотая под стеклом, а тут продолжает летать, бесшумно и холодно. Все они когда-то незаметно для себя перешагнули черту, продолжая все также обсуждать, смеяться, летать. Смотреть на его работы-воспоминания больно, но не смотреть невозможно. Мир за чертой... мир за чертой...

The World Beyond
The history of art has always tried to group certain phenomena in order to later put them on a common shelf and designate the contents of the shelf, and its own work, with the modest word "brilliant". Of course, systematization is an incredible work, but is the result brilliant? Very often, artists are driven under one roof only because they lived at the same time, communicated and exhibited. And although sometimes a large group of artists is dispersed into smaller shelves-subspecies, this does not solve the problem. And the fact that different schools of art historians classify artists differently confuses the situation even more.
Creative views, forcibly driven onto shelves, are not the greatest sin. There is an incredible number of phenomena that in no way fit on these shelves. And most often, such things happen when the artist is cramped by the framework allotted to him by time, canons, government. In the history of art, the work of Baltic artists, artists from Poland, Ukraine and Belarus has never received enough attention. Polish is the appendix of the Western, Belarusian is one of the variants of the Soviet.
Yes, I understand, it is easiest to criticize. It is much more difficult to create a system. Moreover, Belarusian artists of the USSR were really not allowed to go beyond still lifes and landscapes. This is in the best case. In the worst case - portraits of government members at subbotniks, congresses and among attentively listening people...
When I first saw the graphics (and it was graphics) of Alexander Grigoriev, I did not even believe my own eyes. How could an artist from some Brest create something like this? But he did. Here I should put an exclamation mark, but I will simply freeze in admiration. Each of us has his own world, education, images and views on creativity. I will not impose my opinion, I will simply express myself. A hundred years ago, Andre Breton, one of the ideologists of surrealism, claimed that the basis of surrealism is the reflected subconscious, for example, a dream. However, in this direction, no one except Chirico succeeded. Dali, Mach - yes, they were close, but no more. Reflecting other more global concepts of Breton (for example, automatic writing), the same Dali often merged with figurative abstractionism, sometimes there was a roll call with Magritte and Escher - and that's all.
Artists depicted a dream, but they just depicted it. Detachedly, romantically, being somewhere outside the events taking place in the picture. This is how a random passerby looks at a drunkard at the peak of a binge.
However, everything is not quite so. There was Bosch, there was a series of Caprichos by Goya, when, thanks to the talent of the artist, the depicted turned into a heavy, but unforgettable dream. Was this a precursor of surrealism?
Trying to squeeze Grigoriev's work into the framework of familiar "isms" will lead to nothing - too little of the random, irrational, too much of the logical - unique, original and yet logical. Something can be understood with the eyes, something by analysis, and something is realized by something incomprehensible, some sixth or eighth sense, which dominates so much in Grigoriev's work. Without inventing a special style, I would call what I saw "beyond the line". The heroes of Grigoriev's works are not zombies, but they have long been gone. They live there, in their own world, understandable only to them. Old men who continue to argue about something, peasants who continue to smile, a heavy dragonfly, which in our world hung pinned under glass for many years, and here continues to fly, silently and coldly. All of them once, imperceptibly for themselves, crossed the line, continuing to discuss, laugh, fly. It's painful to look at his memoirs, but impossible not to look. The world beyond... the world beyond...

Biography:

Born May 19, 1955 in the village of Mazurkas, Belarus.
Member of the Belarusian Union of Artists since 1999.
Member of the International Union of UNIMA since 2013.
He works in the field of graphics, paintings, sculptors and scenography.
Author and director of the international project “BREST PRINT TRIENNIAL” since 2008.
Author and director of the project “GRIGART PRINT STUDIO-2015” in Brest.
Author and curator of exhibitions: “23 master of the Polish Ex-Libris” Brest, “Golden Ring of Russia A. Kalashnikov” Brest, “Leonid Kuris, Israel, Ex Libris” Brest, Pinsk, Romanov (RP), Byala-Pldlyaska (RP).
Member of the jury of 4 International competitions of exhibitions of small forms of graphics and bookplates.
Created images, costumes, puppets and scenography for eight performances.
Bookplate, 1995 deals with. Total executed 61 exlibris.
Member of about 100 exhibits.
It works in the techniques of etching, aquatint. It exhibited since 1986.
In international exhibitions and competitions vystavkah-participates since 2001
A. Grigoriev develops conceptual designs in the style of tragicomedy. His work is characterized by allegorical way of thinking, understanding of life and contemporary life.
National culture, based on the ideals of good and humanism, embodies the soul of our people, is one of the symbols of Belarus. Alexander Grigoriev belong to an extraordinary country representatives of the creative intelligentsia, those who devote their talents and inspired work of the people, keep and increase its spiritual richness.
Works A. Grigorieva are in the collections of the Brest regional museum, galleries and library collections: Belgrade (Serbia), Ankara (Turkey), Lamaze, Milan, Asuka&Terme (Italy), Arad (Romania), Ostrow Wielikopolski, Gliwice, Sanok, Nice and Malbork (Poland), Lefkada (Greece), Havirov (Czech Republic), Sofia (Bulgaria), Cadaques & Herron (Spain), Winkfield (England), Bages (Spain), Guadalupe (Mexico), Sichuan (China), New York (USA), Ufa, Irbit and Vologda (Russia), Bahia (Brazil).

Lives and works in Brest, Belarus, since 1976.

Awards:

1992 – Honorary Diploma awarded first prize Republican contest “Advertisement-92”.
2002 – Honorary diploma of first prize – at the II International competition schedules and ekslibrisa – Sanok, Poland.
2005 – MEDAL AND HONORARY DIPLOM – VI International Competition graphics and bookplates – Glivitse, Poland.
2005 – POCHETNY DIPLOM – XIII Biennale Mini Print and Exlibris, Ostrow Wielikopolski, Poland.
2005 – Certificate of Merit – the Brest City Executive Committee for his great personal contribution to the development and promotion of art.
2007 – DIPLOMA – (nomination) – IV International Triennale, Arad, Romania.
2010 – Grand Prix (Bronze statuette, diploma) – “URAL PRINT TRIENNIAL-2010”, Ufa, Russia.
2010 – FIRST PRIZE (Gold statuette, diploma) – at the VIII International competition of graphics and bookplates in Gliwice, Poland.
2011 – Laureate Diploma – III All-Russian exhibition-competition bookplates in Vologda, Russia.
2012 – DIPLOMA AFTER ALBIN Brunovsky FISAE for outstanding contributions in the arts and bookplate.
2012 – GRATITUDE State inspection of protection of fauna and flora of the President of the Republic of Belarus. For the enhancement of the spiritual wealth of the country, the dedication of its highly artistic creativity extraordinary preservation of the unique natural diversity of Belarus, with the filling of the national culture ideals of goodness and humanity.
2013 – Laureate Diploma -IV All-Russian exhibition-competition bookplates in Vologda, Russia.
2013 – Gratitude for active participation in the artistic life of the Brest Association of Belarusian Union of Artists and the special contribution to the development of the Belarusian Fine Arts.
2015 – Honorary Diploma – III “BREST PRINT TRIENNIAL” for many years of outstanding creative achievements in the field of bookplates and graphics.
2015 – Thanks. For assistance in the organization of creative and active part in the Fifth All-Russian Exhibition and Competition bookplates, Vologda, Russia.
2015 – Honorary diploma “GRIGART PRINT STUDIO” – III “BREST PRINT TRIENNIAL” for outstanding creative achievements and special contribution to the promotion of bookplates and graphics.
2015 – Certificate of Merit of UNIMA – For his outstanding work in the creation of performances and special contribution to the development and promotion of theatrical art in Belarus.