Born in Moscow, Russia in 1980, Anna Ataeva received a Master's degree from the Moscow State Academic V.I. Surikov Art Institute, the nation's top art school. She continued her education at the Ilya Kabakov Studio. Ms. Ataeva arrived in Houston six years ago and quickly established her studio practice here. Her works are in collections in the United States and Europe. Currently, Ms. Ataeva is developing her oil on canvas paintings along two separate lines. The first is a series of contemplative works dealing with the observation of light on water, water plants and koi fish. The other takes a more expressionist track, presenting the human form portrayed as emotionally charged, stretched and contorted figures in space. Ms. Ataeva's works have been published and reviewed in publications including: the encyclopedia The Brilliant Europe" (Russia and Europe); art almanac The Most Important Russian Artists" (Russia); art newspaper Isograph" (Russia); art journal Kultura" (Russia); television program Cultural News" (Moscow, Russia), 002 Magazine, and the Houston Chronicle. I'm a painter working in a traditional, figurative mode. My media is oil on canvas. Thickly impastoed, they are painted almost entirely with palate knives. The works can be divided into two camps: the first is a heavily psychological and figurative body of works, and the second a more meditative focus on water lilies and Koi fish. Each of these approaches is based on direct observation and may be thought of as post-impressionist in their construction; in the use of bright color and heavy mark making.My situation as a Russian immigrant plays an enormous role in the construction of my works. Inspired by the expressionist works of artists such as Phil Hale and Nikolai Fechin, my anatomical paintings are a map of my experiences across translated gaps in understanding, between East and West. The works that comprise my observations of nature, by contrast, are an effort to find a calm center, a respite from the heavily emotional works. … Read More