Meet Artist Ruslan Korostenskij: A Renaissance Man in Contemporary World

When you meet artist Ruslan Korostenskij for the first time, you soon realize that this person is much more than he will readily reveal about himself. An excellent interlocutor, he will make you feel at home; and, if you only try to learn more about him, you will be amazed at how great the artist's world of activity is.

During my brief yet fruitful acquaintance with the artist (needless to say, I have also enriched my collection of floral paintings) and thanks to my own inquisitive nature, I found out several personalities in Mr. Korostenskij to the effect that eventually I referred to him as a Renaissance man with a range of interests comparable to the intellectuals of the time.

"I do not mind the comparison at all, as I have always been enchanted with the Renaissance", - the artist smiles. It must have been natural for a Renaissance man to master seemingly unrelated crafts to a degree of excellence. As for Mr.Korostenskij, he must have never regarded his skills as something extraordinary: everything comes naturally to him. "Well, I do devote much time to merely implement my creative ideas. I have never regarded my skills as a series of professions. Rather, I always present them as my hobbies".

So what are the hobbies of Mr. Korostenskij? They are plenty. The professional background reveals a successful filmmaker and a talented fine artist. But only those few lucky ones who enter the artist's abode will realize how boundless his interests are. The artist's home reveals an ongoing creative process. One might be surprised to learn that, being an admirer of Eastern philosophy and culture; Ruslan has designed and built a real Dzen garden in his homestead. If you are invited, you will definitely see hand-made bows, Chinese fans and other martial arts accessories. Ah, yes, a Japanese puzzle box, designed and created by the artist. This is not the only sphere of Ruslan's activity, though. Another "hobby", as the artist modestly puts himself, is musical instruments. "The real sound is meditative, it is not at all like the modern techno-minded musical industry". This is probably why Ruslan has several flutes in his collection, all of which he again has made himself. Now he is spending hours scrupulously shaping out the guqin, a 7-string Chinese zither. The artist has restored the design of this ancient musical instrument after he had conducted scrupulous research on the images of the instrument available. "I just want to try my hand at it", - he explains upon noticing my bewilderement.

Now back to my home and for a hundredth time looking at Mr. Korostenskij's early materpiece "Flowers", I remember my first acquaintance with the artist's creative world, one that cannot be forgotten. It was when I was browsing through the collection of paintings in a dazzling exhibition hall. I was then drawn to various works but one stuck out from others, flooded with a gentle melancholia and nostalgia that is associated with the artists Eastern European past. It turned out to be Mr. Korostenskij's "Flowers"(one can see some of the artist's paintings by visiting his official webpage at www.paintart.lt). As part of the artist's floral collection, its appeal lies in its overwhelming serenity. There are no hard lines or dramatic statements being made. Rather it appeals because of how much it invokes one's own experience of certain feelings. It creates the impression of an eternal summer in one's soul. Having a painting by Mr. Korostenskij on your wall is like having a window to another dimension. Acquaintance with this truly Renaissance man can never be forgotten, while his paintings undoubtedly are worthy investment into work by a promising artist. As a collector, to anyone interested I would recommend to follow the market closely.