Lenin's Ear is the story of a Russian artist, who grew up in the post-Stalin era. His early years are a partly true account of a boy growing up in Post World War II Russia. Being an independent thinker, he found many ways to get into trouble. His mother, a costume designer for the Kirov Ballet, worked hard to provide him with the benefits one could get by being a good Socialist. After having studied at the prestigious Art Academy of Leningrad, he was expected to fulfill the requirements assigned to him by the Soviet government. He refused and then had to work his way around the barriers set up to hinder his ambitions. "I just want to be an artist," was his mantra.
When his wishes did not work well for him, he found a way to leave Russia. He arrived in Holland where he painted the struggle and perplexity of the human condition. His portrayals were realistic because they represented the fight, the pain, and the price. He knows how it feels because he says he has personally experienced the need for freedom.
His work is easily recognizable. He paints bodies blackened from the expended heat, generated from within. They are as black as the fecund earth from whence they came . . . seared by the inner fire of their struggle. Painted bodies are locked in combat and suffering. Only the strongest survive. As life ends in suffering, the soul lives. As the flickering flame of the almighty's fire, the eyes appear luminous. The soul is locked in combat, either winning or losing the fight. The color of blood underlines the price. "I'm trying to channel it . . . to describe the numbed, hardened, blackened soul."
That's when he had the chance to go to the USA where his works got him into more trouble. Freedom expression was available but one had to be careful how it was used. He did not stay long, After gaining notoriety for the wrong reasons, to this day he claims, "As an artist I know this . . . freedom is not accomplished by those who only dream about it. Freedom is earned. Some think they get it as a birthday present. In most cases that's not true. It's a struggle for everyone. I'm just painting it as an artist."
