Denis Sarazhin was born in Nikopol, Ukraine in 1982 . He attended the Kharkov Art and Design Academy, graduating in 2008. He specialized in painting and was a pupil of Ganozkiy V. L., Chaus V. N., and Vintayev V. N.. Sarazhin was awarded with the 1st Degree Diploma Award for Excellence in Painting from the Ukrainian Art Academy.
Since 2007 he has been a member of Kharkov’s section of the association of Ukraine’s Artists’ Alliance.
The way you paint hands gives me the feeling that there is more to the story than just the human figure? Could you say more about them?
Hands are a very important part of the human body. They are taking part in the expression of emotions and feelings. This is one of the ways of non-verbal communication. In addition, in the anatomical sense, it is one of the most plastically demanding, interesting and expressive elements.
So when I’m depicting hands I set a task, not only to display correctly and truthfully, but also try to express by them a certain emotional and nonverbal value.
Your painting style is rather unique with the virtuosity of the brushwork, how did your style evolve into this?
The style and manner of performance for any artist depends on many factors. It’s like – the environment in which he was born and lived, the people around him while studying at art school, what he sees in magazines and reproductions, or in museums and exhibition halls.
Because of this, it’s difficult to identify anything specific, clear. In every artist you can find something that will inspire and influence you. In addition to this, over time tastes are changing, what I like today, tomorrow may already seem dull and unsightly.
It is difficult to single out a certain style and the era that influenced me. Something I like in the style of «Modern” but at the same time, there is a lot I do not understand in it.
View Denis Sarazhin Paintings
What are your main sources of inspiration beside your field of work?
Stories for my compositions are born from my observations of life. They can be seen by me anywhere, in unexpected situations and places. Some compositions are a reflection and understanding of what I saw or heard. I can say this is my experience of life.