Ilya Glazunov’s skills as a brilliant draftsman
and profound psychologist were already evident
in works completed during his early student
years. The portraits that he has painted
over the years – whether of the famous and
powerful or of men and women from ordinary
walks of life, are a source of great pride
to their subjects. One notable aspect of
Glazunov’s creative talent is its multi-faceted
nature – portrait painting is only one of
the many facets. In order to paint portraits
with such mastery, the artist must have
a genuine love of people and be able to
grasp the essence that defines their nature.
In addition, one must have great virtuosity
in the mediums of drawing and painting.
Glazunov has made numerous visits to Spain
and for many years has shared a close friendship
and mutual admiration with the great Spanish
sculptor Juan de Avalos.
Many exhibitions of Glazunov’s work have
been held in Spain, and as a result of their
enormous success, the artist was elected
an honorary member of the Royal Academies
of Art in Madrid and Barcelona. One German
critic’s assertion that “Ilya Glazunov is
a king of artists and the artist of kings”
was confirmed once again in Spain. The artist
declared that it was a great honor to work
on the portrait of King Juan Carlos I. “I
have sketched and painted hundreds of portraits,”
states Ilya Sergeyevich. “I consider them
to be the faces of our era. But when you
paint the portrait of a famous person, it
becomes a topic of much discussion, whereas
if you are painting portraits of your close
friends and loved ones, or people from ordinary
walks of life, then it passes by the clamorous
and sensation-hungry press.”
Vladimir Iosif Resin. Detail. 1993
Portrait
of Aleksandr Korzhakov. 1995
Portrait of Juan Carlos I, King of
Spain. 1991
Portrait
of Nursultan Nazarbayev, President
of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 1999
Portrait of Aleksandr Nikolayevich Shokhin.
1994
Tatyana Valentinovna Shokhina. 1994
Anatoly Sobchak, First Mayor of St.
Petersburg. Detail. 1995
Lyudmila Narusova, wife of A. Sobchak.
Detail. 1995
Portrait
of Pavel Pavlovich Borodin. Detail.
1996
Journalist Pavel Gusev. 1995
Portrait of Mr. Kim. 1996
Portrait
of Viktor Stepanovich Stolpovskikh.
1997
Portrait
of Valentina Stolpovskikh. 1997
Portrait
of Vitaly Ignatenko. 1999
Yuri
Mikhailovich Luzhkov. 1998
Portrait
of Tomas Anatol’evich Kolesnichenko.
1998
Portrait
of Russian General Aleksandr Ivanovich
Kotelkin. 1996
Portrait
of Valentina Ivanovna Matvienko. Detail.
2000
