Interview with Eugene Kuperman
Eugene Kuperman is a published and an award winning artist. Eugene’s work is in many private collections including in a private collection of Robert Harris Rothchild who has many notable works in his collection by artists like: Rembrandt, Chagall, Dali, Ernst, Lichtenstein, and many more. Eugene Kuperman studied painting the landscape in the impressionistic style with the Russian painter, Alexander Antonyuk Senior since he was a child and up until his teens. An art catalog came out in 2012 featuring many of those artists as well as the work commissioned from Eugene. From 2010 to his passing in 2014, Eugene Kuperman studied with a renowned Russian artist Leonid Steele whose works are in many museums in the world, including pieces in the notable Tretyakov Gallery in Russia. One of Leonid’s former teachers was a student of a famous Russian landscape painter: Isaac Levitan and another teacher he had, was a student of the famous Russian artist: Ilya Repin. From the end of 2014 since Leonid’s passing, Eugene studied painting with an award winning artist Lance Richlin until 2016 whose technical lineage goes back to the French Academic Masters of the 19th century and one of the teachers that he studied under taught Norman Rockwell.
Given your reverence for historic artistic greats alongside your engagement with present-day societal issues, how do you craft your works to achieve a timeless quality? Which elements do you consider essential for art to transcend its temporal context?
I believe first and foremost that an artist needs to stay true to who they are and depict what they have experienced. If an artist is genuine, it’s felt in their works. A timeless quality still has a place in the time of the artist’s era. I believe that an artist, in some way, needs to portray their era or the issues of their era through their own unique language. In terms of attaining a timeless quality, we should look at the greats of the past, such as the old masters. It took hundreds of years, if not longer, for the evolution to happen in order to achieve perfection in the formal aspects of art, such as composition and design, as well as the use of tones that aren’t over-exaggerated but attain the exact effect the artist aims for in order to achieve the closest illusion to reality. The same goes with sculpture, but in terms of modeling the forms. There’s no reason to re-invent the wheel; it was attempted before by abstract artists and artists like Picasso, and anyone who isn’t in denial can certainly see that the classics are of a much higher level in terms of artistic merit than the modernists. To me, representational art is the truth, and art is the search for the truth.
Throughout your career, your art has often ventured into controversial thematic territories. Have these explorations ever provoked personal or professional repercussions? How do you manage the potential misinterpretations or disputes arising from the provocative nature of your subjects?
I have done numerous works on controversial topics, such as genocide and narcotics, and have received criticism as well as hate from ignorant people. There’s no escaping criticism if you’re an artist; you’ll be criticized for whatever you do. Not everyone will like you because you’re not a one-hundred dollar bill. You just need to continue to do what you believe in, and the repercussions are just part of the territory. If you’re doing art to appease anyone, then you’re not truly a real artist. An artist is a philosopher who shares their view with the world, and not everyone will agree with your philosophy. Essentially, despite working on controversial topics and being a social commentary artist, I have only good intentions, and I want to make the world a better place for all with less hate and ignorance and more personal freedom.
In your artwork, there is a notable juxtaposition between the beauty of the medium and the gravity of the conveyed messages. How do you maintain equilibrium between aesthetic allure and the harsh realities you portray? Does this balance affect the potency of your intended messages?
I don’t necessarily believe that the two are opposed. There can be tragic themes that can be portrayed in a beautiful manner, such as the most famous example of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. They both die at the end of their undying love for one another, which brings two feuding families together to stop their feud only through their daughter’s and son’s deaths. Just because I convey tragic themes doesn’t mean that they have to be created with a lack of sophistication and taste.
Engaging deeply with themes of historical atrocities and social injustices can be psychologically taxing. How do you handle the emotional repercussions of immersing yourself in such intense subject matter during the creative process?
It’s not easy, to be honest. After creating my painting about the Holocaust in 2016, titled ‘Never Again’, and then the next year completing my painting about the Armenian Genocide, titled ‘1915’, I was drained of energy and was feeling low. So I had to take a break for 6 years to complete my Crimes Against Humanity series with my last painting titled ‘Rwanda’ about the Burundian and Rwandan genocide that I completed in 2023.
How has your artistic identity transformed from your initial focus on impressionistic landscapes to your recent emphasis on social commentary? Is there a specific work or moment that catalyzed this significant shift in your artistic pursuits?
I have painted probably over 500 landscapes until I realized how boring and repetitive it was. I’m an intellectual by nature, and I need to constantly engage in some kind of intellectual challenge in order not to feel bored. I also felt like there was a lack of meaning in my landscapes, and I was wasting my time doing crafts instead of real art. I wanted to initially make a positive impact on the world with my talent. I believe in G-d, and I do believe in doing good in life. I want my art to be not only a testament to the traditions of the old masters but also an enlightening beacon in order for a positive change to occur. Even if I change a single person’s mind about not doing drugs, then my painting ‘The Devil is in the Details', which has to do with the detriment of society through drugs, was justified in its creation.
How do you approach the ethical challenges associated with depicting sensitive historical events and current affairs? What responsibilities do you believe artists bear when portraying experiences or cultures that are not their own?
I think that first and foremost, an artist needs to understand what it is they are depicting, then draw a conclusion about how they feel about it. Nowadays, people are mostly guided by their initial emotional responses, which is how the general public gets manipulated through mainstream media. I think that in-depth research is required before even considering making a social statement with their work. If, after understanding the entire situation, the artist feels the need to portray it, then they should go for it, but let it be known that there will always be criticism for their works, so they need to be ready to face the heat.
With the ongoing digital revolution influencing all aspects of the art world, do you anticipate integrating modern media into your practice? How might digital tools be harmonized with traditional painting techniques in your future work?
I already use the computer to design my work through Adobe programs. In terms of artificial intelligence, right now, I don’t believe in it because I don’t want to give away my freedom of creativity to a computer that will make the decisions for me. In general, I believe that any true master artist shouldn’t feel intimidated by artificial intelligence because they are still superior to AI. AI at best can have proficiency in the technical aspect, but they cannot compete with human artists on the genuine aspect of art. The reason for this is that art is not all technicalities; it’s mainly about the reflection of the human condition. No matter what, AI cannot teach humans any kind of wisdom regarding human life, because even if AI is correct, it will only be an imitation and not a genuine answer regarding the human condition, because AI by default will never truly have the real experience of being a human being.
Considering your work often addresses global issues, what role do you believe art plays in international political and social discourse? Should artists feel compelled to address global crises, and if so, what considerations should guide their engagement?
I believe that every artist should be free in their choices of what they depict. If they feel strongly about something, then they should go for it, but art should never be forced. Not all artists are meant to create works regarding global issues simply because it may not interest them or be a part of their character. Artists should feel free to express themselves however they wish.
Could you discuss any philosophical influences that have shaped your approach to art and its functions? How do these philosophical convictions manifest in your selection of themes and execution techniques?
I have experienced a lot and gone through a lot of pain in my life, which has made me contemplate life’s meaning. It took a while for me to finally find myself, through interactions with various individuals and through soul search. Trauma really makes a person mature at a faster rate. My life views are based on my observations of life rather than what is written in books. I also believe in G-d, and since I discovered astrology, I sensed much validity in it; it all clicked for me. I also have mystical beliefs and experiences because I searched for a higher meaning to things and was shown certain miracles, which I do not disclose to anyone. In terms of my technical abilities, I have studied with various mentors, including my current mentor, Lance Richlin, who taught me the academic method of drawing, painting, and sculpting.
Reflecting on your extensive education under renowned mentors, what evolutionary changes would you advocate for in contemporary art education to keep it relevant and stimulating for emerging artists?
First and foremost, I think that proper technical training needs to be taught in art academies. I think that the kind of techniques in painting that the old masters used have mostly been lost, and even in many of these prestigious academies, hardly anyone really knows how to teach their students to paint properly. In terms of ideas, I don’t believe that any teacher should be a guru to their students and tell them what ideas to depict; that’s just egotistical and sick. The beauty of art is that it allows the artist to express their own unique worldview through their lived experiences.
