Artworks by Ekaterina Orlova

BIOGRAPHY Ekaterina Orlova is a contemporary painter whose work is rooted in the tradition of Impressionism and focused on light, atmosphere and the changing states of nature. Her interest in art began in early childhood. Her grandfather introduced her to drawing, composition and perspective, took her to museums and galleries, and first opened the world of Impressionism to her. The works of Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh made a profound impression on her, with Monet later becoming one of the most important artistic reference points in her development. At the age of twelve, Ekaterina entered a children’s art school and soon began painting in oils. After completing her early art education, she continued to study independently, exploring oil painting, watercolor, illustration, graphics and miniature painting. In her early twenties, seeking a stronger technical foundation, Ekaterina entered the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute, where she studied classical drawing and painting. Although the academic training gave her an important understanding of form, structure, color and composition, she gradually felt drawn toward a freer and more impressionistic approach. She left the institute and continued her training in the studio of Impressionist painter Georgy Kara-Murza. This period became an important stage in her development, but over time she chose to continue independently, wishing to preserve her own artistic voice rather than remain too closely influenced by a single school or teacher. Her further development has combined independent practice with selected studies and online classes, including lessons with painter Vyacheslav Korolenkov. Since 2018, Ekaterina has pursued painting professionally. Her works have been acquired by private collectors in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, French Guiana, Russia and other countries. ARTIST STATEMENT I describe my current artistic direction as Impressionism of Transitional States. I am especially drawn to moments when nature is changing: the minutes before sunset, the stillness after rain, the transition from summer into autumn, morning light through mist, or the moment when warm daylight begins to dissolve into the cooler colors of evening. For me, Impressionism is not simply a manner of applying paint. It is a way of seeing the world as something fleeting, unstable and constantly changing. My paintings remain deliberately figurative. Recognizable landscape, structure and technically observed form are important to me, but they are not the final goal. I want the viewer to feel that the artist is capable of constructing form convincingly, while at the same time allowing parts of the image to dissolve into light, color, reflection and atmosphere. I am interested in the tension between precision and freedom: between a form that is clearly seen and a form that begins to disappear; between the material world and the impression it leaves. What matters most to me is not simply what a place looks like, but what it feels like to be there at a particular moment. I am especially interested in the moment when light, air and color have already begun to change, but have not yet become something else.