Aleksey Kharitonov
Cold

The endless expanses of the Arkhangelsk Oblast appear before us as they are seen by Aleksey Kharitonov. If you had a chance to glimpse these views through a train window in winter, you probably recall the way snowy woods and frozen marshes rapidly alternate with semi-deserted villages full of simple, nearly dilapidated houses flashing by under the low-hanging skies. At the stations, stray dogs and cats are in all weathers vying for attention of the few and far between passengers, while countless freight trains indifferently whisk by cisterns full of oil and liquefied gas. Century after century, all the riches of this land are being carried away, albeit in our days via pipelines or rail rather than by carts.

Kharitonov, who was born and raised and still lives here, is obviously in the best position to sense the region’s genius loci, and that is why his art is a loving celebration of his homeland rather than just a rendering of its poor infrastructure in greyish tones or an illustration of the hardships of provincial life. The painter transforms his surroundings into a gripping artistic vision, and each artwork featured in the show is rich in meanings and signifiers. For instance, the title P-1145 alludes to a railway platform marking the distance of 1145 kilometres from Moscow where the house in which Aleksey was born still stands. Not far from it is platform 1153, also referenced in one of the most poignant canvases. This place, now abandoned and quite dangerous due to the sharp turn of railway tracks is where the artist spent his childhood years.

Juxtaposed with the steel confidence of locomotives, the austere northern nature looks helpless and vulnerable. All these iron monster trains seem to have a consciousness of their own. The artist paints them in a way tinted with boyish admiration verging on fear induced by their unstoppable might. One feels particularly concerned about the dogs crossing the tracks exactly at the moment when the monster’s ‘eyes’ have already lit up.

Aleksey Kharitonov’s works seem to reassert that nothing lasts forever and entropy always wins. In T3, for example, the massive ‘body’ of the locomotive and all that surrounds it are destroyed in a clash with post-apocalyptic reality. In other paintings, earthly scenes are framed by the cosmic space symbolising eternity and the Universe’s indifference towards our temporary presence in it, with falling snow as the visual metaphor for time whose incessant flow we are not aware of.

The artist says that painting is his only way to tap into reality. By using compelling imagery he manages to elevate the viewers from their mundane existence. In our minds, his paintings can generate new meanings of their own accord, while the powerful visuals – be it an old lady leaving for good her abandoned village or a stray dog with a penetrating gaze living by the waste bins where someone has also dumped some books – evoke empathy. ‘Being human takes an effort to be human,’ said Merab Mamardashvili whose philosophical writings are particularly valued by the artist.

Aleksey Kharitonov is a painter not spoiled for attention: this is his first solo exhibition outside of his home region. This show was programmed through the feedback form on the museum’s website. Erarta offers the artists working in various genres and media an opportunity to reach out to their viewers by introducing its visitors to their artworks.