Dmitry Plavinskiy's Graphics. From the Mellow "Book of Herbs" to Сomplex Etchings

Graphic works in Dmitriy Plavinskiy’s oeuvre play a very significant role, perhaps, even larger than his paintings, installations or art objects. Major part of the artist’s art pieces was created exactly in the graphic technique; these works let us understand Dmitriy’s aesthetics, artistic approach, philosophy. In the drawings and monotypes, featured in “The Book of Herbs” (1963), the artist reveals the idea of art as contemplation. The etchings “The Chinese Landscape” and “The Cosmic Leaf” (1975) feature the idea of reflection of the big in the small, the unity of the micro and macrocosmos. In the pieces “The Old House (House with an Owl)” (1968) and “The Forgotten Old Church” (1975) we could discern the dedication to the topic of dissemination, transformation of the living substance to the dead one, while “The Scroll” (1969) and “The Bosporan Turtle” (1975) hide deciphered texts and symbols. The entirety of the Plavinskiy’s art world is united by the innovative concept that conceives time as a metaphysical category.

During the lecture we will delve into the analysis of the main features of figurative and plastic language of the artist, sources of his inspiration, Dmitriy’s working methods. We will also try to figure out the role of Plavinsky in the artistic life of the 1960s-1970s.

Oleg Antonov is an art historian, deputy head of the graphic department of The Pushkin State Museum, collection keeper of the Russian drawing foundations.