Evgeny Scheglov belongs to the young generation of Russian post-Soviet artists, the generation that witnessed the historic events of 1991 and which was thrown by those into the space between two ages. This always reflects the features of both the recent past and the present and this can be seen in the work of modern Russian artists of various groups and schools.
Evgeny Scheglov does not belong to any of these, he is an individual artist. He is entirely free of the Soviet traditional spirit, and possesses a pronounced and dramatic sense of the world, which is so characteristic of this age in general. An artistic temper and an obsession for art has allowed Eugene to create quite a few top-quality works and to present them, during the last five years, at ten personal exhibitions in Russia and France. Exhibitions, in themselves, cannot be repeated and each one in a new way reflects the artist’s gift in sharply experiencing the taste of life: its pain, joy and sorrow.
Evgeny is advancing in great strides, like a horse that has got rid of its harness. His heart is beating in unison with the tense voice of this time. Bright, potent painting, expressive pictures, and an unexpected principle of composition that is open to all human life and is filled with manifold shades of human development.
The newspaper «La semaine du Russillon» wrote the following, concerning one of the latest of Scheglov’s exhibitions in Rivesaltes, France: “The world of his paintings takes one into the miraculous atmosphere of the end of the century. Contradictions between the internal and the external painfully tear the soul. At the same time, his works are enchantingly involving. The palette of the artist’s feelings runs from buoyant to destructive. His paintings are reminiscent of the German expressionists and the symbolists of the Munich school. Women with purple lips, parties — everything in contrast with vibrant flowers and fields of sunflowers.”
The St.Petersburg newspaper “Smena”, analyzing the artist’s activities, anticipated statements from the French press in September 2000: “Unity, a continuous relationship between several generations of culture – Russian and European – are specifically valuable in the work of a modern young artist <…>. He masterfully embodies his experiences. The noble austerity of the St. Petersburg tradition in his canvases unexpectedly corresponds with European expressionism, which is close to him in spirit, and thus, a sophisticated emotional space is established, and his own intonation appears <…>. Today Evgeny Scheglov can be considered along with those few young artists who keep faith with eternal values. His voice is modern. It sounds true and can be heard through the pain.”
It is reassuring that the paintings of Evgeny Scheglov have raised the interest of art connoisseurs in France. Large collections of his works have been brought together by Jacques de France, Elena Heinz.
The present album represents works shown by the artist in the Espace Lhйritier Exhibition Center in Rivesaltes, France (2001 – 2002), as well as in the Royal Castle in Collioure (2002), and canvases of three recent years, which were not included in the catalogues of 1999 – 2000.

Karolina Koval,
Art Critic