By Heidi Trautmann
Near Makarios Avenue, not far from the Walled City, we found the Russian Cultural Centre opposite a little Bistro “Au Bon Plaisir”. What a great place, we said, what a great place for an exhibition around St. Petersburg.
This is what Nicholas Panayi, the initiator and organizer, says himself on last year’s art project:
“the soft pastel colors turned to golden like honey around eleven at night. The low sun over Saint Petersburg, like a traveler passed through every alley, every tree, and left behind dazzling reflections on the picturesque canals.”
Participating are the members of the “Earth Art” group of the Art Studio of Nicholas Panayi that regularly travel to destinations of cultural interests around the world.
During the summer of 2010, the group visited St Petersburg.
The vivid experiences from the perfected architectural styles of the city, the Hermitage, the Russian museum, the Avant-garde artists, the Mariskey theater, the traditional dances and nature around St Petersburg are but a few of the themes that inspired the creation of the art works that will be on display from the 8th to the 11th of February at the Russian Cultural Center in Nicosia.
The ambassador of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vyacheslav D. Shumskiy opened the exhibition to quite a number of people who have come to the Centre, among them the ambassadors of Portugal and Czechia, our friends Rauf Kasimov and his wife, but I could not recognize any artists or friends from the North.
It was a well organized exhibition, there were photo impressions of St. Petersburg, big sized paintings, extremely well done, in a modern but also in a conservative approach in oil, acrylic, there were pastel and water colour impressions, ink drawings and even lino cuts. Judge for yourself. I am impressed. I am always following up Nicholas art travels around the world and as I could see, so were many others, who were talking to Nicholas on the evening of the opening to announce that they would like to join Nicholas Art School to become one of his students and eventually member of the “Earth Group” as they call themselves.
The exhibition closes on February 11, unfortunately.
Russian Cultural Centre
16 Alasias street, Nicosia, Tel: (00357) 22761607
www.nicholaspanayi.com Tel: (00357) 99511509