Galerie Artima is very happy to announce an artistic dialogue between Russian painter Oleg Batrakov and Spanish painter Joan Longas.

Both contemporary-realism painters choose to work in oil on canvas to translate the experience of walking through cities (Paris for Oleg Batrakov and Californian coast for Joan Longas).

Oleg Batrakov’s paintings invite us to appreciate the French summer, the typical “joie de vivre”. We are touched by his exquisite, textured technique; a depictive and enjoyable view of Paris under the sun. Objects and characters are placed as subjects, surrendered to the variety of the days light; from the ethereal afternoon light to the relentless midday sun.

Joan Longas’s view of the USA takes us on a journey. He captures the subtle afternoon sky, tinged with orange; evoking the warmth and chilled ambience of California. His style is cinematographic: We are immersed in a world of realism, somewhat staged, with Hollywoodian décor reminiscent of the work of photographers Gregory Crewdson and Alex Prager.

Both reveal a restful and nostalgic ambience along with an incredible understanding of light. Their scenes of life are Hopper-based inspirations of contemplation and narration where the characters are frozen in a moment. We are welcomed and at ease, gladly identifying ourselves with the reading character in the Jardin de Tuileries sunshine, or the couple returning from a day of surfing at a Californian beach. Dream-like. Joan Longas Was born in 1959 in Barcelona (Spain) where he lives and works.

He graduated from the Escola Massana art school in Barcelona in 1981, and he became a graphic designer and illustrator until he begun a career as a painter in 1999. Ever since then he has accomplished 13 one-man shows and numerous group exhibitions.

His work is shown in Spain, France, Hong Kong, America and the UK.

Oleg Batrakov was born in 1966 in Nijni Novgorod, Russia and lives and works in Le Havre. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg at the restoration faculty where he mastered various restoration methods and techniques. Over the course of six years at the Academy of Fine Arts, Oleg Batrakov performed the art of copying at the Hermitage State Museum. In 2006 Oleg Batrakov left Moscow and moved to France.