Victor Bregeda

Victor Bregeda (1963 –) is a painter working in the Surrealism and Metarealism styles. He was born in the Russian city of Taganrog into a family of painters.

The artist states that he has painted as long as he can remember. After completing his art studies at an art university in Moscow, Bregeda decided to go along with his personal comprehension of what creative art is all about. This was in direct contrast to the strict rules of the teaching he had received.

He was attracted by the smooth painting of the Dutch school of painting. The artists who most inspired him were Leonardo da Vinci, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Max Ernst, Nicholas Roerich, and he states, "I also like the French school of the 18th and 19th centuries... and in addition, the works of Andrew Wyeth. My artistic abilities are in my blood, thanks to my forefathers, and I grew up in a strong creative environment. "

Bregeda's key directions are working with en plein air landscapes, still lifes and portraits, done in a metarealistic style with a strong influence of subconscious philosophy. The artist is using a mélange of techniques, materials and styles and tries to invent new ones.

Christianity is a subject with a special place in the art of Bregeda. The best selling artwork, "Eucharist" began a series of paintings with Christian symbolism. He used his surrealistic art to portray the image of the Last Supper, Jesus and the idea of divine love. The paintings are interconnected by the same subject, composition and artistic method of transformation of images. The candle, being the symbol of light and Christian faith, transforms into the image of Christ and The Twelve Apostles. The image of Jesus Christ can be easily seen in the flames of Eucharist, while the Apostles, bowed in devotion before their teacher, can be seen in the outlines of the wax candle.

Bregeda's art is displayed in art galleries and museums nationwide and worldwide. In his works Bregeda shows the nature of things hidden from empirical understanding. "I base all of my artwork on observation or experimentation... not on theory."

Singers Stevie Nicks and Sheryl Crow, and boxer Oscar de la Hoya have collected Bregeda, as have actors Burt Reynolds, Connie Sellecca, and John Tesh.

Awardwinning artworks

* Cheers to the Victory - Winner of Taganrog Art Contest dedicated to V-Day in Taganrog in May 1995.
* Karma Hat: Fine A Prize for selected works – Fine A Prize for selected works – 9th International Art Photo Contest – May 2003, Japan.
* When Time Stood Still: Fine A Prize for selected works – 10th International Art Photo Contest – November 2003, Japan.
* Rhapsody Of Life: Fine A Prize for selected works – 11th International Art Photo Contest, Art division, internet, Japan in June 2004.
* In Search of Lost Paradise: Fine A Prize for selected works at "The 12th International Art/Photo Contest", Art division, internet, Japan in December 2004.
* Communion & Night Fantasy: the first place at the contest "Mysterious Paintings" ( _ru. Загадочные картины) held by the Nauka i Zhizn magazine in Moscow, October 2005

External links

* [http://www.bregeda.com Bregeda website]
* [http://bregeda.livejournal.com Victor Bregeda's LJ blog]
* [http://community.livejournal.com/ru_bregeda ЖЖ-фан клуб Виктора Брегеды / Bregeda LJ Fan Club]
* [http://www.taganrogprav.ru/News.aspx?id=13 Шедевр начинается с поиска цвета]
* [http://taganrogcity.com/pr_05272008.html The Personal Exhibition of the Russian-U.S. Surrealist Artist Victor Bregeda Opens in Taganrog]