Pyotr Dik

Pyotr Dik was born in 1939 in the village of Glyaden, Altai Krai, into a family of ethnic Germans. Upon graduation from the Ivan Shadr Sverdlovsk Art College and the Moscow Academy of Design and Applied Arts (formerly known as the Stroganov Academy), he moved to Vladimir where he spent most of his life. Member of the Artists’ Union of the USSR (since 1977) and holder of honorary titles Distinguished Artist of Russia (since 1991) and People’s Artist of the Russian Federation (since 1999), Dik passed away in Germany in 2002 and was buried in Vladimir.

Pyotr Dik is a celebrated graphic artist. The artist progressed from the archaic forms of folk art through the study of Early Russian painting and architecture to mastering the visual and conceptual legacy of the avant-garde. In the late 1980s, Dik discovered his medium of choice: pastel, charcoal and sanguine on sandpaper or velour. The dark background and grainy texture add special depth to his pastels, emphasising the intensity of colours. In this way the artist achieved particular dramatic tension, making his works seem timeless on both physical and metaphysical levels.