Helena Cherkasova
Helena Cherkasova was born in Moscow in 1962. Finished art school in Moscow. Painted icons for orthodox churches. Now she paints by oil landscapes, still lifes and compositions mainly with religious topics. Participant of exhibitions in Russia and abroad. Lives and works in Moscow.
"The quiet art of Helen Cherkasova seems simple at first sight - simple even to the naivete. And for much it is true if we imply by naivete pure natural sources and the belief in the clear divine spring of any real creative act. As usual, dimensions of her works are not great. Nevertheless, some of them bear evident epic traits that are inherent to such monumental arts as mosaic or fresco.
Landscapes of the Middle Russia, interpretations of Evangelical subjects, the world of the common things united by the creative will of the artist into classical still lives, portraits of friends and relations - this is a rather vast universe, where Helen Cherkasova lives. Almost in all her compositions one can feel hard striving for selection that does not permit the raw material to prevail over the artist. Her original architectural-textual constructions («Night Prayer», triptych «Psalm 50»), where she plunges into the second and the third plans of the canonical image, revealing themselves between and beyond the main figures of the saints, are of special interest. Spectator is lead by Cherkasova into the imaginary space of icons and frescos and delights in contemplation minute details of architecture and refined calligraphy of the Cyrillic inscriptions.
The current stage of development of Cherkasova hardly can be defined in strict, «pharmaceutical» terms. Thank God, there is still much mobility, much diversity in her painting full of light touches to the marginal domains of art. The only thing is beyond any doubt: the artist Helen Cherkasova lives under the high skies of the unique and non-casual world of her own."
