Serguei Zlenko
Serguei Zlenko is a figurative painter who has exhibited extensively across Europe in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, England, Ireland, Russia, Spain, Italy, and France as well as in New York. Notable exhibitions include venues such as the Museum of National History in Copenhagen, Ljungberg Museum in Sweden, and Gallery Sonia Monti in Paris. Notable publications include Finland’s most circulated newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, as well as a feature in Portrait Now, a catalogue of the international portrait exhibition of Scandinavian countries.
The oil paintings focus on two series of ballet dancers and nudes, familiar subjects to 19th and 20th century painting but unusual in 21st century art. What makes Serguei's works remarkable is in fact his traditional approach to capturing subjects through pastel, watercolor, and drawing studies with real life models including live ballet rehearsals. While many contemporary realists use projectors, grids, and tracing to capture their subjects from photography, Serguei’s thoroughly traditional approach leaves a fluid and organic realism where the subjects appear alive and in motion as opposed to stiff and frozen. His ballet dancers appear as if they are in mid-stride and his nudes appear relaxed and in harmony with the composition.
By using the figure, particularly the female form, Sergei explores social norms and psychology as these women interact with each other during rehearsals in a setting where work becomes creativity. With twists and turns, the dancers convey subtle fatigue, relaxation, and comradery with their fellow crew members. His nudes convey eroticism, sensuality, and comfort with their sense of confidence and relaxed muscle tension. Often using mirrors in his paintings, his subjects identify their own reflections with great pleasure, admiring their own sense of beauty and form.
Trio (pictured above) depicts ballerinas in relaxed posture on the floor with their backs turned to the viewer, they face the audience not directly but through their mirrored reflection. Relaxed and with tension released you can tell they are resting after rehearsal rather than before. The dancers socialize with various hand expressions as one fixes her hair, one holds a ballet shoe, and the other holds her hand to her mouth and chin as if to express intrigue by the conversation. The color scheme of a neutral floor, dark black gowns to the left and right, with a white dress in the center creates a delightful and balanced composition.
Serguei Zlenko explores figurative expression through feminine beauty and form. He builds on traditions while offering sophisticated contemporary compositions with orchestrated color harmony, balance, and strategic use of space. The nuance of colors in the flesh tones and backgrounds along with his loose brushwork would almost make him an impressionist if not for the astonishing level of precision and detail. Serguei shows the audience how traditional techniques are not outdated and can be utilized to portray fresh perspectives through compositional psychology on traditional subject matter.
