The still lifes of Russian artist Nadejda Pastoukhova leave one wondering. They transport us into her dreamlike and poetic world, in which fruit come to life, where the banality of everyday life takes on a cosmic dimension, where we become aware of the beauty of simplicity. Ethereal but powerful, her paintings are an ode to the spiritual world but also to human presence.

"The poetry of reality, of everyday life attracts me. My compositions are very pure, as in the minimalist and intimate still lifes of Morandi, or like the audacious sprawl of Peter Doig's landscapes. Often, in my paintings, which represent objects or vast deserted landscapes, man is absent, but his presence is tangible: it is translated by objects he has created, touched, and perhaps left behind."

The grain and matt surface of her paintings are close to the murals she has seen in Russian Orthodox cathedrals. This surface also has a sensual aspect: one feels like touching the canvas, going over it with one's hand to feel its softness. Her painting evolves in layers; several dozen layers of semi-opaque colours mixed with wax (technique called "encaustic") finally create a rich and united chromatic atmosphere. "I particularly like the palettes of Italian painters of the Renaissance period, such as Bellini." For Nadejda, everything lies in the atmosphere of her artworks: "In my paintings, drawings or engravings, I try to create an atmosphere, a world where time is suspended. Silence and immensity envelop pure and simple compositions. Finally, I try to make objects, or places that we no longer look at, beautiful."

See all the works of Nadejda Pastoukhova