Page 7 - Monograph Max

coming identification.
Certain portraits, such as “Old Man Tikhon,”
contain subtle nuances and diacritical transitions from warm to cold. This portrait speaks with its stance and raised strong shoulders over which the head and face are bent like that of an ascetic who is a brave hero of Christian asceticism.
Let’s note here that in all his portraits, the paint- er Maxim correctly places the bust. The head stands well and balanced on the shoulders, regardless of whether it is bent in some places and raised in oth- ers, while in some areas, it makes a scherzo, espe- cially in the case of female characters. But regardless of those details, Maxim preserves robustness in his build and the relationship of his head to his body. The secret here is naturally hidden in the eyes.
The painting “Old Man Athanasius in the Night” attempts to apply the technique of character forma- tion using several layered chromatic sequences, from relatively dark layers to successively lighter ones. This could be described as overpainting rather than the more traditional approach of defining a composition by underpainting. By painting light rather than shadow, the lines of the subject become visible from within; the warm and dark outline of the figure remains equal to the background. All this leads to the application of final bright accents. The chro- matic progression from dark to light is in balance with the movement of the depicted objects.
The original attitude and directedness of the de- tails of the physiognomy of the characters from Dostoyevsky’s works convey a special spirit and stand out from the previous works of Bishop Maxim, which avoids monotony. Specific is the movement of the body and the dynamic drawing in which the line
says everything. The painter is careful not to over- spread the colors and thereby weaken the line of the drawing, which speaks for itself and is recognizable from a distance.
I also want to point out that no one has thought about the theme of Dostoyevsky’s hero in such a way as Bishop Maxim. Bishop Maxim’s work extends to other topics and has freedom and originality in com- position and, God willing, will be developed with his rich colors.
Bishop Maxim achieved the specificity of his personal identity and abolishes some possible simi- larities that connect him with some other painters, thereby overcoming identification. He studies the good old painters, as well as the great teachers of iconography, such as Panselinos, Rublev, the paint- ing of Sopoćani, Theophanes the Greek, Theophanes of Crete. Also, his art relies on some solutions of great world painters. But there are also specific painters from various times that he follows, such as Chaïm Soutine, Goya, Modigliani, Van Dongen, Hen- ri Rousseau, Raul Duffy, Robert Delaunay, etc., who are not at the top of painting but are ingenious, unique, unexpected, who should be given to stimu- late the imagination of inspiration in order to initiate unique moments in artistic creation. It is the most precious thing given to us by the Creator. The mo- ment we exalt ourselves, we will be humbled. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
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