SERGEY PISKUNOV | EXTREME BEAUTY

SERGEY PISKUNOV | EXTREME BEAUTY THROUGH HYPER-REALISM

Sergey Piskunov (b. 1989, Ukraine) is a hyperrealist painter based in the Netherlands, known for large-scale figurative works that combine classical oil painting with symbolic and gold elements. His practice is defined by a meticulous, time-intensive approach in which paintings often require many months to complete. Piskunov’s art has been exhibited internationally in the UK, Germany, the USA, and other countries, and has been featured in various art magazines and media. His works are held in private collections worldwide.

Sergey Piskunov is a genre-defying painter passionately committed to exploring the core principles of hyper-realism, redefining the genre through his breathtaking works. The Ukrainian artist creates a stunning anthology of works, which he sees as a “burst of emotion”, forcing the artist to turn inside out his soul and leave it on the canvas.
His accomplished background and education as a computer systems engineer may differ greatly from his career as an international artist, exhibiting and creating works in Ukraine, Germany, the UK, the USA, Switzerland, and beyond. But it is perhaps his unusual beginnings that make the artist so very exceptional. Piskunov’s primary focus and area of work is a unique approach to hyper-realistic painting. He draws on his courage as an artist, creating intuitively and instinctively; he infuses his works with a spirit of harmony and balance, which is then juxtaposed with a distinctive, hypnotic edge.

Piskunov creates work that moves seamlessly between many approaches to realism, while always remaining committed to the truth of his subjects and their stories. Piskunov’s striking paintings go far beyond hyper-realism, drawing the viewer into an enigmatic, transformative, exotic, and sensual world of fantasy, seduction, and spirit. His paintings form an interior dialogue on the intersections of space, place, time, memory, culture, and history. His art emphasizes an aesthetic that is at once alluring, sensual, and salacious, yet intensely intimate and personal. Whether the Piskunov is painting an intimate portrait,
a narrative scene, or even a still life, his style is always grounded in the internal, the psychology of people, places, and symbolism.

Symbolic and gold elements serve as visual anchors, intensifying the atmosphere and drawing attention to subtle shifts within the portrait. Time plays a fundamental role in his process, as prolonged focus and precision allow each work to develop its own quiet resonance. Through hyperrealism, Piskunov seeks to move beyond likeness, creating images that invite contemplation and leave a lingering emotional trace.

Many of Piskunov’s works depict an intimate connection to women; his respect and admiration are clear, and he documents their glory, strength, and fragility.
By visually recording their stories and experiences in his work, he gives them significance, acknowledging their beauty, melancholy, and history. He does so by layering vibrant colors and complex compositions that combine areas of intense detail with cinematic negative space, allowing the subject to really become the focus, and always leaving the viewer wanting more.

In the same vein as other hyper-realist artists, Will Cotton, Bodin Jacques, Chuck Close, or Ron Mueck, Piskunov’s work is often metaphorical. In his case, by focusing on portraiture and still life as primary subjects, Piskunov synthesizes historical and contemporary styles, creating evocative images that examine tradition and history within the context of modern art and the role of the artist as creator of experience.

Piskunov’s art evokes a sense of abundance; they are suspended moments of reality, embodying an intense and energetic physicality. Piskunov’s work creates a type of visual sound through composition and color—the work is made to be listened to.
Piskunov is a rare observer, free from the restrictions and stereotypes of many artists, because he refuses to be limited to a single subject, market trend, or approach. Piskunov is the embodiment of a free artist, independent of market trends, whose faithful compass and guide is the perception of the world through the prism of his own inspiration and talent. His art is ultimately an evocative, intense, and sometimes surreal symphony of beauty and tension that provides the viewer with meditative explorations of both familiar and foreign realities. As an artist, Piskunov is incessantly searching for meaning and answers, but most significantly, a keen observer of humanity, people, and their desires.

Sergey Piskunov’s artistic practice centers on the human presence — its beauty, fragility, and inner stillness. Working with oil on canvas, he builds each painting slowly through multiple layers, capturing both physical detail and emotional depth.

See the full article in Art Market Magazine Edition #109