Serenade
Serigraph on canvas 36 x 48
Your price $600
Sold Out
Serigraph on canvas 36 x 48
Your price $600
Sold Out
Personal Music
Giclee on canvas
Your price $600
Sold Out
Giclee on canvas
Your price $600
Sold Out
About the Artist :
Oleg Zhivetin was born March 18, 1964 in Uzbekistan. He started school at six years of age; at age
nine, he entered an art studio program for children where he soon began working with watercolors
and creating landscapes. As a teen, he decided to apply to the Moscow Academy of Fine Arts and
began studying with a professional artist to prepare for the rigorous competition for admission.
EARLY EDUCATION:
During this preparation, he spent a significant amount of time with his grandparents, who were
warm and creative people. Oleg watched as they crafted down comforters with intricately quilted
patterns. Many of these designs incorporated linear images of flowers with petals—symbols of
simplicity, purity, and beauty seen in much of Oleg’s later work.Oleg gained admission to the Academy
of Fine Arts when he was fifteen. There he spent each day painting, drawing, and studying traditional
academic subjects. After three years, Oleg applied for admission to the Surikov Art Institute, the Soviet
Union’s most prestigious art school. When his initial application was declined, he returned to
Uzbekistan for a year and earned his degree in art education. He then reapplied to the Surikov; this
time he was accepted — a great honor and an indication of his high level of talent and technical ability.
At the Surikov, Oleg studied under such highly respected Soviet artists as Yuri Karilov, Director of the
Tretyakov Museum. He concentrated on producing his best work and completing his degree in a
Master of Fine Arts.
MAKING A LIVING
With graduation nearing, financial survival as an artist concerned Oleg more and more. He hired a
neighbor to sell his paintings on the street, and as the months went by his work began to sell. One
day, the neighbor asked him, “Would you like to go to America?” He gave Oleg a matchbook with a
phone number left by a man looking for talented artists to sponsor. Oleg called.COMING TO
AMERICA: The sponsor provided Oleg with a three-month visa to work in the U.S. He arrived in
California and eventually found his way to Laguna Beach where he made a quick assessment of the
type of art selling in local galleries. He completed several still-life paintings and took them to a
Russian art dealer who instantly recognized the quality of his work. The response to Oleg’s art was
immediate and he was able to take the first steps to financial and artistic independence.
OLEG'S STYLE
Russian icon painting is a basic and profound point-of-reference in Oleg’s work. The viewer will find
religious imagery—golden halos, Madonnas, angels, and saints. Other typical icons include hearts,
musical instruments, books, celestial beings, and flowers—symbols of beauty, delicacy, and spiritual
development.One of the most beautiful aspects of Oleg’s painting is his skillful rendering of faces,
hands, and feet. His characters often communicate through the use of hand gestures rather than eye
contact. Gestures are imbued with subtle meaning; a deep sense of shared experience is created
through this control of body language.His combination of geometric shapes and abstract patterns —
often applied onto canvas in gold foil or gold leaf — is truly masterful. His characters’ faces evolve
from flat, mask-like images to fully realized visages exuding intelligence and emotion. Their facial
contours are delicately and softly molded.To stand before an Oleg masterpiece is an experience you
will not soon forget; to own one is a source of pride and privilege.
Oleg Zhivetin was born March 18, 1964 in Uzbekistan. He started school at six years of age; at age
nine, he entered an art studio program for children where he soon began working with watercolors
and creating landscapes. As a teen, he decided to apply to the Moscow Academy of Fine Arts and
began studying with a professional artist to prepare for the rigorous competition for admission.
EARLY EDUCATION:
During this preparation, he spent a significant amount of time with his grandparents, who were
warm and creative people. Oleg watched as they crafted down comforters with intricately quilted
patterns. Many of these designs incorporated linear images of flowers with petals—symbols of
simplicity, purity, and beauty seen in much of Oleg’s later work.Oleg gained admission to the Academy
of Fine Arts when he was fifteen. There he spent each day painting, drawing, and studying traditional
academic subjects. After three years, Oleg applied for admission to the Surikov Art Institute, the Soviet
Union’s most prestigious art school. When his initial application was declined, he returned to
Uzbekistan for a year and earned his degree in art education. He then reapplied to the Surikov; this
time he was accepted — a great honor and an indication of his high level of talent and technical ability.
At the Surikov, Oleg studied under such highly respected Soviet artists as Yuri Karilov, Director of the
Tretyakov Museum. He concentrated on producing his best work and completing his degree in a
Master of Fine Arts.
MAKING A LIVING
With graduation nearing, financial survival as an artist concerned Oleg more and more. He hired a
neighbor to sell his paintings on the street, and as the months went by his work began to sell. One
day, the neighbor asked him, “Would you like to go to America?” He gave Oleg a matchbook with a
phone number left by a man looking for talented artists to sponsor. Oleg called.COMING TO
AMERICA: The sponsor provided Oleg with a three-month visa to work in the U.S. He arrived in
California and eventually found his way to Laguna Beach where he made a quick assessment of the
type of art selling in local galleries. He completed several still-life paintings and took them to a
Russian art dealer who instantly recognized the quality of his work. The response to Oleg’s art was
immediate and he was able to take the first steps to financial and artistic independence.
OLEG'S STYLE
Russian icon painting is a basic and profound point-of-reference in Oleg’s work. The viewer will find
religious imagery—golden halos, Madonnas, angels, and saints. Other typical icons include hearts,
musical instruments, books, celestial beings, and flowers—symbols of beauty, delicacy, and spiritual
development.One of the most beautiful aspects of Oleg’s painting is his skillful rendering of faces,
hands, and feet. His characters often communicate through the use of hand gestures rather than eye
contact. Gestures are imbued with subtle meaning; a deep sense of shared experience is created
through this control of body language.His combination of geometric shapes and abstract patterns —
often applied onto canvas in gold foil or gold leaf — is truly masterful. His characters’ faces evolve
from flat, mask-like images to fully realized visages exuding intelligence and emotion. Their facial
contours are delicately and softly molded.To stand before an Oleg masterpiece is an experience you
will not soon forget; to own one is a source of pride and privilege.
Oleg Zhivetin
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