Portrait of Denis: Actor, Juggler and Fashion Model
By Sergey Svetlakov
© Sergey Svetlakov
Sergey Svetlakov was born in Kazan, the capital city of what is now the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation. He graduated from the Kazan Art School, one of the oldest in Russia, before studying set design at the Theatre Academy in St Petersburg where he lives and works. His work has been seen in solo and group exhibitions in Russia, the Netherlands and Japan.
The portrait of Denis aims to capture his changing moods as he reflects on having moved to St Petersburg to begin a career as a professional actor. Svetlakov works entirely from life and only in natural light. The portrait required a sequence of fifteen sittings as it was completed during the diminishing hours of daylight in the autumn and winter months. There were also substantial breaks between sittings as Denis looked for work.
