Volodia Popov's paintings whisk us into a delirious whirl of shapes, colours and situations, into a world which, however inspired from his daily life, is nonetheless transfigured by his wild imagination. It is filled at the same time with symbols referring to culture, traditions, religion, mythology-life in short. The composition and background texture of his paintings remind us of the splendid stone mosaic tables which can be found in the rooms of the St.-Petersburg museums. Each colour takes on particular shades and hues thanks to his skilful combination of materials covering his backgrounds, transparencies, juxtapositions and harmonisations. His works are very simple and very complicated at the same time - simple because the subjects he chooses to represent are firmly rooted in his everyday life. They do not contain any great theory on the future of the world or on its state, no polemic but instead draw on a feminine, musical and literary background; His still-lifes represent everyday objects which are very common but indispensable. His works are also complicated because the layout, graphics and range of colours are extremely detailed and calculated. His drawings combine neat and pure lines with the unleashed wildness of his imagination. Volodia Popov cannot deny his Russian origins which have left indelible marks on all his paintings. In each painting, he has placed overt references to the culture, religion and everyday life of this country.
Even the composition of his works reveal a personality having grown in a well-established tradition. While Volodia Popov takes every possible liberty with perspective and the figuration of objects and places such as Western paintings see them, he undoubtedly refers partly to the drawings and colours, which are found in all icons. This is what gives such richness and sense to his work. If we let our eye follow the brushstrokes, we will not believe out eyes-everything is strange, animated with a life of its own and an interplay of colours which are bound by no constraint. His paintings exert on our dazzled eye and soul a strange fascination, which fades only long afterwards. But when we take a closer look and try to interpret the message he is telling us, then we understand that the paintings of this artist contain many symbols. Some of them draw on traditions, which are not always familiar to us, while others are crystal-clear. Volodia Popov is a most talented charmer; he knows very well how to captivate us to lead us into deep wanderings. Let's follow him!