Martin Lawrence Galleries

Liudmila Kondakova’s first childhood memories were all bright color: reds, blues, greens, yellows, and whites. She recalls her first persistent question to the adults around her was “What color is this”? Painting absorbs Kondakova’s whole being. If she is not painting, she is thinking about her current or future projects. Days when she does not work, she considers lost. Liudmila Kondakova painted with egg tempera for many years. It is an unforgiving technique. If you make a mistake, you have to start over. Through this process, she learned planning and discipline, and she uses those skills to create highly detailed paintings of her favorite cities, places, and spaces. She starts painting from the farthest background area, and she works forward. From the darkest parts of the painting to the lightest, as if she is bringing her composition from darkness to light. Paris is a city that Kondakova has portrayed time and again in her work, and its architecture has inspired many of her works.

Although much ado is made about Paris in the springtime, each season has its fans. In Liudmila Kondakova’s case, she finds true inspiration in each Parisian season. In "Autumn on the Seine” her love for fall is shown through the detailed ethereal colors used. The leaves slowly turning from green to golden, enhancing the already glowing city with their natural beauty. In view comes the setup of an artist who makes you think of Liudmila Kondakova’s presence in her own painting. The art within art detailed concept makes this painting stand out. It seems that art and the city of Paris is a destiny Liudmila Kondakova cannot escape. In the distance, you can see the Cathedral of Notre Dame, magnificently detailed in Liudmila Kondakova’s unique style.

The finished paintings, casually yet hopefully displayed for purchase, depict some of the other great monuments of the City of Light such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame as seen from the front entrance, the cathedral of Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre, the beloved and iconic sidewalk shops and cafés, and more. Kondakova often incorporates favorite images and object that are constant in some of her painting. In this instance, the Bicycle is an object that we see time and again in Liudmila Kondakova’s work, and it is depicted in purple and as a quintessential part of the artist’s setup by the Seine River. “Autumn on The Seine” is a 22 x 28- inch hand signed serigraph on gesso board.