House, 1990
The work is executed in an expressive manner with elements of abstraction: the artist uses thick paint texture, the “dripping” technique and layering, which creates a sense of dynamics and inner energy. Contrasting colour combinations dominate — pink and black patches against a background of white and brown areas. Pink adds emotionality, black brings drama, and white balances the composition, forming light accents. In the centre of the painting is a massive form resembling a house, while paint flows dripping downwards, enhancing the feeling of movement and instability. The relief texture, with clear traces of brush or palette knife marks, emphasises the materiality of the painting and gives the work volume. The painting evokes mixed emotions — from anxiety and tension due to dark patches and chaotic lines to interest in the internal logic of the composition. It can be interpreted in various ways: as a reflection of inner conflict and the flow of emotions (psychological interpretation); as an image of a building or ruins in the chaos of the modern world (urban interpretation); as a symbol of the struggle between light and darkness, order and chaos, past and present (symbolic interpretation). The painting is executed in the style of “Brutal Expressionism”. Brutal Expressionism is an art movement that combines the characteristic features of Expressionism with special emotional intensity, aggressiveness and physical expressiveness. It focuses on strong, sometimes gloomy emotions, social tension and physical energy, using rough, sharp forms, contrasting colours and a dynamic manner of execution.
Valery Lukka
Valery Nikolaevich Lukka (born 22 January 1945, the village of Gorokhovo, Yaroslavl Oblast) is a Soviet and Russian artist. In 1977 he graduated from the Ilya Repin Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. He has been a member of the Union of Artists of Russia (since 1983), the Saint Petersburg Union of Artists, the Saint Petersburg Academy of Contemporary Art (since 1996), and the Italian association ITALART (since 1993). In the late 1970s, together with Vyacheslav Mikhailov and Felix Volosenkov, he founded a creative group that experimented with relief-like layers of paint. He works in mixed media, using a variety of materials (rags, metal, polymers, etc.). Over time his practice shifts emphasis from pictorial subject matter to plastic form; he creates improvisations on themes from classical works and often turns to the self-portrait. Researchers describe Lukka’s individual style as “conceptual expressionism.” Among his works are Landscape. A Path in Giverny, Siena. Evening, Square in Siena, Flowers, and Deserted Dawn. His paintings are held in museum and private collections in Russia and other countries. Since 1978 he has participated in more than 200 exhibitions in Russia and abroad. Solo exhibitions have been held in Russia, the United States, Austria, Germany, Finland, Poland, and elsewhere. In September 2025, a юбилейная exhibition, My Friend Felix and I (together with Felix Volosenkov), took place in Saint Petersburg, presenting more than 120 works in the style of “brutal expressionism.”