Interview with Rostislav Romanov — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

Rostislav Romanov is a Russian born artist that lives and works in the southeast of England.

He is a trained landscape painter that travels and captures nature between Russia and England. He uses his art as a way to understand the world which gives him, a unique soul voice and perspective.

Rostislav Romanov is primarily a painter in oils, but is not limited solely oil, he explores other mediums and techniques He has been known to use hand carved relief printing, etching, silk screen printing. Also, uses pastels, sharpies and gouache as well to help his voice get multi lingual. He is not afraid to carry on studying different techniques in art. Rostislav believes that all these different techniques lead and help his paintings.

Rostislav Romanoff has exhibited jointly in Almaty Kazakhstan in the A. Kasteev Art Museum. He got his artwork into Monte Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean charity auction, Monaco in 2018. His solo exhibitions started with the show called Copla in Moscow, Russia at the Fabrica Gallery in 2011. Then Way Of Life show at C. John Gallery, Mayfair London UK in 2018. His art is hold from Galleries around the world from Monaco to Laguna USA.

Rostislav Romanoff does many collaborations. He is working with Ortaea Jewellery which created a new line called Imperium. Also, Rostislav has a long term collaboration with a friend and Russian artist called Dasha Fursey.

Can you pinpoint the moment you decided you wanted to become an artist?

Yes I can I was in my last year of school doing my A-levels in the first term so winter term in the UK. I was considering becoming a stone mason. I remember the day and the light and where I was standing in the art class at,, Milton Abbey, my mentor John Hinchcliffe told me that I can do it I can,, become a professional artist. So off I went. I owe a great deal John Hinchcliffe, his wife Wendy Barber and their family for my art career.

Where is your studio and where are you from?

At the moment I am in between studios, I found a place to rent at the Devonshire Collective in Eastbourne. I thank my higher power that there are people and places like this to let artists create in a space and not worry. I am living in the southeast of England., Always in the countryside. Struggled to live in cities when I was younger, but my, life is not built for that.

Tell us a little about your artistic background. What were your first influences to be creative and become a serious artist?

My first influence is Kandinsky his abstract pieces soothed my soul in one of the most troubling, times, of my life. For me looking back on the history of the world I am thankful for the past 100 years, how music, art, comedy and life in general has broken so many boundaries to allow me the joy to paint today.

Can you tell us what you have going on right now?

I am in exciting times right now, working on the final logistics of,, an exhibition in St Petersburg after spending 6 months creating it from scratch a mixture of gouache to the pinnacle of 3 oil paintings in different shapes and large sizes because I got tired of painting on rectangles and squares. I wanted to explore how my art will change in different shapes.

I am starting, to do a weird essence of artistic illustrations for 4 different Russian fairytales each story represents different seasons so summer, autumn, winter and spring.

But always in the background explore my mental health, science, and new different art forms never glad on one, subject.

Can you describe what an average working day for you is like? Do you work on many creatures at once or one at a time?

For me an average day is a bit normal wake breakfast coffee, then off to the studio to paint or,, work from home to work on sketches, then lunch, then back to work then dinner. One thing I need to do is switch of my mind as it can go on and on and on never ending. I need that rope to hold me from keeping on falling into my abyss. I can only work on one painting at a time. But doing that my mind is creating new and different paintings at once. Like the novella called Chess story by Stefan Zwieg.

What makes your art different than others?

Wow broad question, I cannot answer that. I hold my journey of my art career up to the momentous like shooting for the moon in the card game hearts. I take inspiration for my art from Jethro Buck, Dickon Dury, Dan Feit, Leon Kossoff, Frank Auerbach, Gillian Ayres. These people are doing it or done it, I just got to believe. I can give a standard answer but what is unique? Everyone will get a different feeling,, idea and view of my art. I am still somewhere in my journey so I might answer this question at the end.

In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society? What do you hope that others will gain from viewing your art?

Kandinsky said that the artist is a ladder between the social levels. So to put in, modern, way artists are here to blur the lines of the social world. Also for me one of the most important aspects of being an artist is to speak their truth to help and nurture new artists. For me I want my art to be what Bod Dylan did for Jimi Hendrix and what the punk scene has done for music, to show one does not need that rare beautiful voice, the style and so on blasted at us. To show if you have something to say, say it through music, comedy,, art , or performance or all together. Saying that after one is finished please listen instead of being stubborn.

What’s the most important element in your artwork?

Passion, boarder line obsession, heart on my sleeve,, and exploring the world in it whole not closing down parts. Being honest open and, willing.

That being said, are there any lessons that you’ve learned that you could pass on to the younger generation of artists as they begin their journeys?

Explore The world does not shut, doors until listening,, constructing a voice be you, most importantly carry on learning never stop. Life a precious and unique and extensive so, excellent time,, to learn.