Observer Staff March 20, 2008
Russian painter back in Winter Park
By Carole Arthurs


Karelian painter Vladimir Fomin recently returned to the United States with a one-man show at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park. Fomin's special exhibit "Florida Animals" features 28 paintings in oil on canvas. He created the works after his last exhibit at the Polasek, showing his colorful and often humorous interpretations of the region's indigenous wildlife. "The 28 paintings represent his interpretation of our indigenous wildlife, an often amusing reflection of what he observed while in Florida," said Debbie Komanski, executive director of the Polasek Museum. "Fomin's 2006 exhibition at the Polasek was a huge hit and a sellout."

Fomin's works are painted in a style that is called avant-garde lubok. Lubok is traditional Russian folk art, a style that is characterized by bright colors and simple compositions. Fomin's works combine lubok with the experimental stylizations of the Russian avant-garde of the early 20th century, along with surrealism and elements of Finno-Ugric ornament and decoration (seen in the refinement of lines and mosaic-like effects).

The Museum held a reception on March 12 to open the exhibit. Museum trustees, staff and area dignitaries came to see the exhibit.

The exhibit will continue through April 13. The Polasek Museum is located at 633 Osceola Avenue, Winter Park.