When you see art that offers a truly different perspective, it’s difficult not to notice. These stunning oil paintings of Anton Pavlenko, for example, give a fresh twist and new heights to landscapes.
Born in Soviet Russia, Anton’s story is an endearing one. He moved to the United States at a very young age, and though his family didn’t have much money to put towards Anton’s artistic ambitions, his father always encouraged him to keep drawing and painting.
This encouragement unfolded into a business relationship between father and son. Anton created masterpieces and his father gave him an allowance in exchange for his art. Today Anton is a self-taught artist living in Portland, Oregon.
Anton is passionate about nature, and in particular, trees. Pairing bright colors with an innovative viewpoint, he is able to capture the power of these majestic living forms in a refreshing way. One can see this unique perspective above and below.
By capturing the tree canopy from below, Anton creates space in a different manner from most painters, through height rather than depth. How can you not imagine stretching your neck on unbalanced toes to look up through these leaves?
Nothing is traditional about these oil paintings. They have more of an illustrative approach, and Anton uses an interesting method of applying color. If you look closely at the image above, you can see that the leaves are painted simply as blocks of paint. They have an appealing geometric feel to them, yet they are still soft and captivating.
And while the perspective of these paintings is mesmerizing, the glow of light is equally stunning. Anton is able to capture light below trees, above trees, and (in the next painting) behind them, creating an extraordinary woodland.
Whether the sun is rising or setting in this painting we may never know, but either way its glow lends a powerful energy and light to these fall-laden trees.
Above all, Anton feels that light and color speak of life—which is exactly why he strives to infuse them into his paintings. I encourage you to explore more of these amazing images at his beautiful website.