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 Nikas Safronov, artist (Russia), 17/01/2010
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Portraitist Nikas Safronov is one of the most well-known Russian modern artists. His creativity ranges from the iconography to cubism, symbolism and psychological portraiture. Many of his paintings are based on metaphors and his own system of symbols. Most of his works belong to private and museum collections in Russia and Europe. More than 800 of his paintings were sold to western collectors. |
When you cried last time and, if no secret, for what reason? I am deeply upset with every display of injustice irrespectively of whether it is close to home or happens somewhere in the world. Last time I cried at the funeral of my friend.
There are some events during our life, when it seems as there is no way out. That could be tragic circumstances or such assessment of them. At that time, what's the thing to do? I do not believe in the universal recipe for hopeless conditions but could dare to share some solutions from my personal experience: first – not to panic, second – give yourself some time to ponder on the situation – do not rush with conclusions and especially do not take nasty actions. It could worsen the situation if you take an inadequate or morally wrong steps in haste. And finally, think about others, not only about yourself or your feelings. Let me tell you 3 stories that may be relevant. Me father died when I was driving away from his hospital because doctors persuaded me to go home to rest. My best friend has been in intensive care for some time and I could not find the time to visit him, I choose to comfortably trust his explanation that he was better. I travelled to London and next day learned that he died. So here is another advice: if you know or feel that there is something wrong with your close ones – leave everything and rush to their side. And, now, one anecdote about the hopeless conditions: once in South America, we encountered the tribe of cannibals, I am still unsure what would have been the outcome of this "meeting" had I not taken out my brush and made a sketch of the tribal chief. So, staying cool is another asset.
Could you please choose any event of last days, weeks or months, that has distressed you? It can be any happening on a local or international scale. How could you comment on it? The tragedy in Haiti, aka vulnerability of a human being.
There's always a new danger watching for humanity in its way, always a new temptation we're ready succumb to. What's the danger of our days? And what's the way to avoid this trap? I could name the global warming, new diseases – pandemics, terrorism and many more. However, in my view the biggest danger for humanity represents a human being without sense of responsibility for his own actions and their repercussions or side-effects. As a thinking specie, I am fascinated by, say, an idea of a super Collider, by the possibilities it opens in further understanding of our universe. Yet, I really hope that we are not creating here the "Ice-Nine" of Kurt Vonnegut and that the scientists not only foresee the possible results but also are ready to bear responsibility for them, as well as for the ways these results could be used in the foreseeable future (Hopefully not for another Hiroshima). As to temptations, one philosopher believed that God made two mistakes: creating a woman and the gold. There have always been a handful of temptations around. One should trust his intuition, self-preservation instinct. As regards one of the biggest temptations – women – be careful, do not share your secrets with or entrust your money to a woman, speaking from my experience.
What are the main obstructions to apply humanities principles at our today's life? Could they be solved? As mentioned above, the absence or lack of spirituality, culture, emotional culture, mutual respect, tolerance and responsibility are, in my opinion, the most significant obstacles. In other words, we are once again coming back to a human being itself. The society consisting of humans cannot force an individual "swallow" everything – good or bad – that it "cooks". Each person has a choice what to "digest". The Almighty gave us a priceless gift of Ten Commandments, analogies of which exist in every religion. Choose the humanity to behave accordingly, problems would disappear.
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