Olga Antonova (b. 1956, Volgograd, Russia) completed her classical art training at the Ilya Repin Institute of Painting in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1980. She subsequently immigrated to the United States and split her residency between Boston, MA, and France for over 15 years. She now resides and works in Plymouth, MA.
Well-regarded for her depictions of antique ceramics and domestic vessels, Antonova renders her still life paintings with delicate, tonally elegant brushwork. She identifies her practice as focused on the technical virtuosity of representing the materiality of her subjects. Antonova states, “For me, it’s not about the subject matter at all – subject matter is just a pretext for my execution and sensitivity to technical issues. I’m getting closer to the divine harmony, closer to divinity, but not quite yet. That is what is great about painting – just when you think you are getting there, the point of achievement moves away. But, I want to catch that moment of solitude, that quiet harmony that people can relate to. That’s what I’m after.”
Antonova has exhibited widely in the United States and internationally, most notably throughout Europe. Her work has been reviewed in many publications, including ARTnews and American Arts Quarterly.