Alexander
Alexandrovich Dementiev

Alexander always drew what was little covered in life. The theme of the human being had exhausted itself. Because of financial pressure, interior painting is dehumanized. It is undeservedly not perceived deeply.
Alexander studied in great detail the works of different schools and eras, he was especially close to the Dutch painting. By studying and experimenting, discovering new things, Alexander created himself as an artist. Symbolism has always attracted him in paintings and of course is present in his works. Fantasy is Alexander's second passion after Symbolism and the source of his creative ideas, as Alexander himself conveys in his paintings a different reality, another world without people and bustle, natural but unreal, the way nature could look like if there were no people on earth at all. For Alexander, fantasy is a world in which one wants to live. But in general Alexander rather extends our existing reality than creates a new one, because the heroes of the paintings and objects in the paintings exist in our world. The artist seeks to convey a holistic and harmonious world, sometimes adding elements of the Baroque style, as the splendor of the Baroque for Alexander - force. The baroque splendor of ancient painting asserted the triumph and power of man. Alexander transferred this artistic technique to all other figures of the physical world: animals, birds, mountains, trees and mushrooms.
Around the age of 17, Alexander begins to do graphic work, but is disappointed: we are talking about computer graphics, this is a replicable form of art, so, from the point of view of the author, computer graphics carries little value before the traditional forms of fine art. Works in pastel, but the last choice fell on the oil as it is "stronger".
Alexander's oil painting technique is close to the 16th-17th centuries, there is much in common in the materials, but the author's vision of the world is different, hence the new coloristic solution in the paintings. They are painted in glaze technique, the basics of which the author began to learn as a child and youth school Juventa Andrei Andreevich Sidorenko, through watercolor. This study largely determined the creative way from the technical side: soon Alexander masters pastel independently and confidently owns it already at the age of 21, by the age of 24 he achieves great results in the work with a pencil ("The Attack of the clicker", "Flesh of the flesh", "The Lion Skeleton"). At the heart of his drawing methods are leisures, through them he comes to the conclusion that the possession of different tools is holistic and should have a minimum of distinction. The artist tunes in to find commonalities between different materials. Gradually the main idea emerges - the personality, devoid of contradictions, is able to create holistic paintings, integral compositions.
By the age of 26, Alexander begins to work closely on his character and redefines both himself and creativity. He begins to work in the techniques of the old masters. With the help of conscious observation, he chooses the old masters. In his mind their work is mixed with the illustrative nature of the modern world. He became interested in Furry-art, i.e. in anthropomorphic animals, (at the age of 17-19) encouraged by the heroes of Walt Disney and Warner Brothers Productions. Even earlier, as a child, he received an impression of computer graphics, which are usually present in cartoons and fantasy animations, which can explain the brightness of his work. It is the brightness and saturation of the works that make them stand out, draw attention to them, and you feel that such bright color is not accidental, it is also symbolic.
Alexander writes animals to suit his mood. This is also symbolism: if there are two animals, then either this is an expression of loneliness through a pair of animals, or already warm feelings between the animals. There are works where the animal is alone, again, either a symbol of loneliness or a symbol of self-sufficiency as a person. It is connected with the social phenomena of modernity: careerism, aspirations, emancipation of women, independence, self-sufficiency as a personal anarchy: everyone can only count on himself, everyone is on his own... Under such conditions there is a response in the comparison of the 21st century man with a wild cat, which is well tolerating solitude, independent and reaches its own goal. In Alexander's works there is a deep emotionality of animals, each has its own character, each is portrayed in a certain moment, exactly as Alexander wanted to convey. That is to say, these are not just well-drawn animals, they are personalities, each with their own destiny. It is interesting to connect the sacred and the real in his animalistic paintings: it is a reflection of family relationships and values. In the work "Wolf Care" it is very well seen: the wolf "noticed" us, and she is wary, but the wolf cub, like any child, is very naive, he is natural and calm, he does not yet know that life is not so simple, but the wolf knows already, she "allows" him to be himself and takes care of all the problems. We see the image of a strong mother and a very loving one at that.
A series of mushrooms was painted in order to "enliven" the interior painting. Here, too, there is an unreal world, but it already fits more into ours. However, here, too, there will be no man, and the mushrooms are individuals. Each one is an individual. The texture of the mushroom stem may be similar to centuries-old tree trunks, i.e. it is an expression of the big world through a new small world, as yet unexplored by people and unsung by art. In this new natural world Alexander finds new images and alternative atmosphere. The background of such works was inspired by Gauguin's canvases. In this series the idea of "life without people" is most fully conveyed: a mystery... a secret world in itself, where no human has yet set foot. Survival - it won't end in a cataclysm. What survives can go away and lurk, because there is always a hiding place on Earth. This is true of the "Mysteries of Old Wood" series as well.
Thus, the main idea and thought of Alexander expressed in his work is the deepening of the "new reality," a world in which it is interesting to live. A world with its own laws, animals and nature.
A series of new works, devoted to the fluidity and continuity of the movement of leaves, moss, wood chips and roots... they seem to disperse in Alexander's paintings, coexisting in dynamics with mushrooms and trees. The forest can symbolize: time, people, path, everyday life, etc.
Contrary to modern trends, what is shown is something that is not given the attention it deserves--the details. The autumn mood, the haze, the vibrant carpet of leaves, the bright spots. There are also signs in the paintings, for example, in one of the new works there is a lost toy, and a mushroom under which it was forgotten, serves as a beacon that there is something here, but we even this natural beacon and will not notice, we are too busy ..
The lichen is reinterpreted as time, which flows in the forest and flows unhurriedly. It, too, wants to live - stretches in all directions. The background is red, also not accidentally, life is fleeting. The work "Seeds and Sower" also has a deep meaning - the cone is a sower, its function is already done, it withers, but the seeds under it grow. This painting is about man not thinking when he gave, giving so much that he became powerless, and the petals of the seeds contain mysteries that we see in the painting as unusual patterns, they float to us. But the sower had no other choice, for the cone obeys the laws of nature, which cannot be preempted. All the leaves in the works symbolize people, and all people, like leaves, are different. You can experience loneliness when surrounded by someone.
The works on the glider are interesting because the insects that were caught on the canvas during the work were preserved and incorporated into the paintings.
Alexander uses antique paints because the recipes for the colors have been preserved. The coloring of his works is striking, they attract the eye, these colors are very rich in shades and are themselves able to create a certain coloristic solution and influence the color. Among the most frequently used are lapis lazuli, lead-tin, lead antimonate, hematite, chrome yellow and lead whitewash.