Chemiakin / Shemyakin

Mihail Chemiakin is an internationally known artist who has metamor-phosed in style over 40 years, and his recent works, shown here, are entirely different from the blasts of color that first made him famous.  The transliteration of his name from Russian is best represented as "Shemyakin," but when he was kicked out of the Soviet Union in 1971 for failing to conform to Soviet Realism norms, he went to Paris and was known there as "Chemiakin."  Although he later went to to New York City and became famous there, he is back in Paris, with occasional visits to Russia.  The current exhibit of his work in Moscow is entirely in tones of brown and black.

Chemiakin's work is frequently called "surreal grotesque."  The giclee shown above is entitled, if I remember correctly, "Phantasm."  It was the title he gave to a number of his works done since 2000.

 This one is called "Two Spies."  I love how much he conveys with a few spare lines.  It is another giclee, numbered 1 of 2.

 My favorite.  It is of a man and his shadow.  The shadow seems to be wearing a hat that the man does not have on.  And are we looking through the body of the man, or only at pieces of his clothing?  If I ever meet Mihail Chemiakin, I need to ask him about this.