Originally published in The Moscow Times on March 31, 2000
If you're one of those people who tends to nod off before still lifes at museums and galleries, David Shterenberg, the man behind "Still Life with Cakes and Pies," has something that's bound to keep at least art lovers with a sweet tooth wide awake.
Shterenberg's many illustrations of colorful lemons, breads, vegetables, candies and smoked fish are currently on display at the Moscow Arts Center - and they're guaranteed to stimulate viewers' taste buds, as well as their intellects.
But the artist, a master of still lifes among early Russian avant-garde artists, hasn't limited himself to just depicting food.
Shterenberg's abstracts, many of them reminiscent of Picasso's work, use teetering piles of books, a colorful collage of oil lamps, flowers, curtains and more to fill every available centimeter of canvas, which is just what the Russian avant-garde has always been about. Do svidaniya to rigid conventions, hello to freedom of form.
The artist doesn't go as far as Russian abstract master Vasily Kandinsky in this respect, although, judging by his work, he probably held the potential to do so.
Shterenberg was…
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