Andrey
Vladimirovich Shapkin

Shapkin Andrey Vladimirovich.
Artist, master of lacquer miniatures, icon painter.
Born on November 14, 1968 in Kolchugino.
Since childhood, she has been living in a picturesque place - the village of Nikologory of the Vladimir region.
As an artist, Andrei Shapkin is known, above all, for his stunning imagination in paintings that combine incredible realism and fabulous mystery.
In 1984. Enters the course of lacquer miniatures at the Mstera Art School named. Modorova (now the Mstera branch of F. A. Modorov lacquer miniature painting of the federal state budgetary educational institution of higher education Higher School of Folk Arts)
The village of Mstera is one of the famous four centers of lacquer painting, known not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders.
After finishing his studies, he has been working as a graphic designer at the House of Culture in the village of Nikologory for some time.
From the beginning of the 90s he joined the group of artists and wrote works for St. Petersburg art firms working abroad.
It’s no secret that the artist’s perception of the world is shaped in the earliest years. From a pure spring of children's and youthful impressions, a lot of images and motifs are warmed, warming the artist's soul and inspiring him to work.
The main motive of the artist's works is the beauty of Russian nature.
His landscapes are an amazing example of mystical realism, when completely familiar objects acquire a deep symbolic meaning.
Mstera, as well as Palekh and Kholui, were ancient centers of icon painting. Masters were engaged not only in the art of painting icons, they also restored the frescoes of ancient temples, painted walls.
In the 2000s, Andrew comes to icon painting. Being Orthodox, inspiration draws from the work of Andrei Rublev and the biography of saints.
The artist's work is not limited to thematic works, it is much wider. The main thing in it is, of course, the landscape, which is traditionally preferred by artists of the land of Vladimir. In the landscapes of Shapkin there is everything: the spring that stirs the senses and the autumn that presses the soul with its luxurious attire, the fragrantly beautiful summer, the elegant and festive Russian winter. This testifies to the breadth and diversity of his contacts with nature, always deeply experienced and felt.
Andrei is fascinated by the uniqueness of the central Russian strip and lives without ceasing to admire it. The artist does not have to travel far for impressions. All his life he lives among the fields and rivers, dense forests and crystal lakes.
The landscape images of his canvases are diverse, but Andrei, like any artist, has favorite motifs that he repeats and varies.
In 2014, inspired once again by the beauty of the Russian land, he began to work on birch bark, creating plots of the life of Ancient Russia, as well as fairy tales, so beloved by him P.P. Bazhov.
In the pictures we are greeted by a world filled with clear colors. This world of pre-Christian Russia, depicted by the artist is always sublime, festive - he glorifies the images he created, referring us to the pagan past of the country. For Andrei, art is an opportunity to remind Russians of a centuries-old, complex, but impressively beautiful story.

In collaboration with her daughter, who also devoted herself to art, writes animalistic images on sea and river stones that serve as cabochons for a collection of ethnic ornaments.

The artist does not stop only on painting.
In 1995 with colleagues creates a rock band "Kondraty", where he is the vocalist and songwriter.
After the collapse of the musical group in the 90s, it became one of the associates for its reunification and in 2014, with a slightly changed composition, Kondraty began its creative life again, and two years later the group released their first solo album

For a long time, the creative search for precisely the tempera has become the embodiment and performer of the plans, feelings and experiences of the artist. Almost all the works are done in the technique of decorative miniature painting. This technique does not need bulky canvases on stretchers, palettes and a lot of brushes with solvents. It is light and jewelery in its executed form, and in the very process of creation.
Filled with light and air, built on color nuances, his canvases have a deep emotional sound. The subtlest soul organization is present in almost every artist's work, and the viewer, who has managed to feel it, freezes before the work of this unique artist.
The author of the text: daughter Vera