In my native Saint Petersburg, Russia, I spent many afternoons in the Hermitage Museum studying the Renaissance Masters. Fasinated by Rembrandt, I have endeavored to emulate his technique of applying numerous layers of paint on the canvas. This process is time consuming but the resulting richness of color and depth are very satisfying.

I received a traditional classical education from the prestigious Lenigrad Academy of Art. Then I built a solid foundation for my art with countless hours drawing nudes and studying human anatomy. In 1991, I was awarded a Masters Degree in Art from the Russian Academy. With my formal education behind me, I traveled through Europe where I explored the many art treasures of Florence, Rome and Paris.

My paintings are rather romantic, even poetical. The rhythmic grace of the figures, the elegance of long supple hands blending with peculiar landscapes and delightful nature. I paint truthfully without harshness or confrontation, with an inclination to discover in my art the peaceful qualities of my own nature. The woman are painted with a sentiment of distant melancholy, undisturbed by any moral ambition.

" I realize there is a process of creation going on in my soul. As I paint, I gain more understanding of that dynamic process. Each canvas becomes the materialization of the relatonship between me and the outside world. My paintings are in effect love pictures, songs of praise for the innocence of youth, the glory of women, and the mystery of nature."

My paintings provide a nostalgic glimpse of the Renaissance with its sumptuous costumes and colorful pagentry. I am facinated bu the ambivalent character of the jester and like I like to use masks to evoke philosophical expression.

The lovely use of wildflowers and leaves interwoven with golden hair frame the classical beautiful faces. Beauty that is sweetened by an inner dream in the subjects eye, attracting you more and more and leaving you haunted by their charm.

Fine Art Exhibitions

2004: White Space Gallery (New Haven, CT)
1998, 2000-2001: Art Expo, International Fine Art Show (NYC)
1993: Russian Contemporary Artists (Philadelphia, PA)
1992,1994: Bixler Gallery (Stroudsburg, PA)

Artists Statement

While visiting Leningrad in 1989, a Philadelphia art dealer discovered a young Russian artist painting at her easel in the shadow of the Hermitage. Enchanted by her paintings, he made arrangements to bring Tatyana Eliseeva to the United States, and a string of successful gallery exhibitions quickly followed.

Even as a child Tatyana loved to draw. Under Soviet socialism the most talented artists were given free education and Tatyana soon found herself studying at the prestigious Leningrad Academy of the Arts.

Tatyana loves theater, especially Shakespearian tragedy. This love is reflected on canvases that create a sense of drama and provide a nostalgic glimpse of the Renaissance with its elaborate costumes and colorful pageantry. This affinity for Shakespeare also brings a philosophical expression to her painting. She is fascinated by the ambivalent character of the jester and she delights in the Shakespearean notion that ‘all the world’s a stage’. Tatyana likes King Lear’s comment …

“When we are born, we cry that we are
come to this great stage of fools.”