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Robert

David Shikovich Brodsky • Painting, 2010, 75×95 cm
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About the artwork
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Art form: Painting
Subject and objects: Portrait
Style of art: Realism
Technique: Oil
Materials: Canvas
Date of creation: 2010
Size: 75×95 cm

Description of the artwork «Robert»

Once...
Once I arrived in the Czech Republic to work, I stopped in a small town with absolutely beautiful people. They gave me the room of the youngest son and asked only one thing: “David, excuse me, could you smoke on the balcony?”.
“What I mean,” I said almost in Czech, “of course I can and will be on the balcony.”
The children were on vacation and the three of us spent wonderful evenings at the oak table in the garden, among the colorful bushes of roses and some other strange flowers. They drank coffee, homemade palenku and talked. You ask: "In what language?" I will answer this way. At one time, schools in Czechoslovakia were learning Russian along with another foreign language. They learned three languages and all three still remember. We were taught two. Many people remember the second? Many and poorly remember the first.
In the morning I chopped wood, jumped into the pool, had breakfast and went to the second floor to paint. Went to the balcony to smoke, and this was the only inconvenience.
There is no balcony in my workshop. And I would ...
In the evenings ... However, I already wrote this.
Gradually lined up some queue for a portrait. And exclusively from children.
To the question of parents: "Why do not you order yourself or relatives?" - they looked surprised and surprised at my complete misunderstanding of the obvious.
- Firstly, for a child's portrait you will take less money (?).
- Secondly, we do not have time to pose.
- Thirdly, why should we look at ourselves? Here is much more interesting for children!
Then another “childish” reason turned out - the order was usually sponsored by grandparents, and they were ready to fork out for grandchildren and grandchildren only. And I fully understood them. The children were healthy, well-fed, smiling, cute and well dressed.
On the first point of the local view on the size of the fee, various "misunderstandings" occurred.
For example, one father brought three (!) Daughters and offered to make them up for the price of two.
- Why ?! - I asked.
- So the third is only one and a half years old, and it will not take up much space on a single canvas, - the large father answered ...
After that, we had to establish a strict tax: one person - one amount.
Then they began to "play about" with sizes downwards, down to miniature.
I said to myself like this: I feel good here, there is a beautiful nature all around, wonderful owners, you can’t think of anything better, but also earn money. Humble yourself. And I resigned. After that, the work went, as at the Ford plant. I released products, I was fed, joyful customers invited me to take them to picnics and fishing. A day later, in the evenings, the host drove me to a local pivbar. There is no need to tell about the quality of Czech beer - no matter how - a global brand! But the local, which was cooked right there, was, to put it mildly, too strong for me and after two or three mugs I was ... what is called.
After three weeks I understood: I immediately sniff. And constantly using very nourishing and rich Czech cuisine, I will also unimaginably grow fat. Have to stop the conveyor. But I came with the main goal - to work. So? So you need to minimize drinking and go on a diet.
The first one managed with difficulty: one had to choose, or not to walk at all on the “unbeer beer” (and this offended the owner), or to drink a little (and this offended the owner’s friends). He invented the middle: he let through one time, and when he came, he made sketches of visitors. Noisy success and full enthusiasm of the parties.
The food was easier: what I cooked, the owners did not even eat out of respect for the guest. Navar pan soup from carp heads, ate it for a week.
The only "dish" that the local people liked that I made was ... coffee. They completely forgot (and maybe did not know?) That coffee is not poured with boiling water, but brewed. All my friends and acquaintances of the owners converged on my coffee, and acquaintances of acquaintances on Sundays.
While I was serving the local kindergarten, the master children’s holidays were over and ...
And I stopped the conveyor. Junior, named Robert, delighted me to the depth of the tendons!
With my weakness for the ginger he was riding red! I was absolutely not interested in painting other children. They immediately seemed to be some kind of gray, puffy and similar to cheap celluloid dolls. Yes, they, being next to Robert, just could not look different! And I completely switched to coloring it with a freck face.
Rationale: Well, I must somehow thank the owners for their luxurious reception!
Poor Robert wanted to chase the ball and climb trees, and the angry and nasty bearded artist who took the room from him made him (through his mother, of course) sit in the sun for hours.
I presented two portraits to my parents as fiery, and one, with a burning ear and an ominous look, finished it at home in his workshop. Long finished, almost a year. I even had to use fluorescent red - no other one transmitted the glow coming from the combination of pearl-pink delicate skin and red hair burning with fire.
Robert is probably finishing school. Does he remember the bearded artist?
And I remembered it for life. Friends, entering the workshop, ask: Show red again.
I take a large canvas from the rack, put it on the machine and we sit and admire the divine miracle of red nature.
Be healthy, Robert!
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