Elena Dobrovolskaya is a Russian portraitist based in New York. Classically-trained under Oleg Leonov, a member of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts, Dobrovolskaya blends the core tenets of Northern Renaissance painters with the graphic aesthetic of Post Impressionism. From Holbein she takes the deep blues and greens of the background, from Durer the dark reds, from Gauguin the flat surfaces and thick outlines. The elegant simplicity of Dobrovolskaya’s paintings is deceitfully effortless. Rather, it rests on solid drawing foundations and skillful color layering, a process that can last up to one month. Dobrovolskaya paints exclusively in oils from live models, as it allows her to best capture the energy of her subject. Her palette is very limited for the clothes and background as opposed to the skin, whereby she builds a hypnotic luminosity that draws the viewer’s attention to the face. Pensive, dreamy, and overall intriguing; each figure inhabits a world only half-revealed, inviting us to probe further. What are these people’s thoughts? What are they looking at? What has just happened? The possibilities are endless and it is this very aura of mystery that keeps them forever alive.
Elena exhibited broadly in the US and Europe, including New York, London, Paris, Lisbon, Vienna, Venice, Rome and Milan. Elena was awarded International Prize “Artist of the Year 2019” during Mantova ArtExpo in Italy, Velasquez Prize in Barcelona and Leonardo da Vinci Prize in Florence in 2020.
Her art was published in French, Italian and British magazines (House&Garden, GQ, Aesthetica) as well as in “We Contemporary 2019” art volume in Italy, “50 artists to invest in” art catalogue in 2020 and “Trends in Art: Insights for Collectors” art book in Great Britain in 2021.
Elena’s first Solo portrait exhibition took place in March 2021 at the Artifact Gallery in Manhattan, New York, with a great viewers appreciation.
Elena Dobrovolskaya received a personal invitation from the President and Founder of Florence Biennale Dt. Pasquale Celona to participate in Florence Biennale XIIIth edition in October 2021.
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