Page 85 - Museum

 HOME TOWN II, 2009 OIL ON CANVAS 28X22 IN. | 71X55 CM.  SUMMER LEAVES, 2013 OIL ON CANVAS 30X40 IN. /76X101 CM.

most recently, the Russian State Museum of Art in Saint Petersburg, think of it as “Oksism.” If it wasn’t born of this experience, then it began
Museum of Modern Art in Moscow an Museum of Contemporary Art in to come out of the closet during this life transition. Leon Oks has several
Saint Petersburg. Leon was born in the Ukraine. He never knew his father styles of art that reflect the uniqueness of his experience and
who was a casualty of World War II. He grew up poor but enthralled by the complexity of his creative process: landscapes, villages, and people.
the beauty of the world about him and the life that fate gave him. He His expressionistic style recalls the wistfulness and bittersweet memories
began to draw and then to paint at a young age and soon was studying of growing up during the difficult year’s right after World War II in Ukraine.
art in the Russian manner in school. However, his exuberance for the Yet his paintings capture these memories with hopefulness and joy
wonders of life around him and the freedom of expression with which expressed by the choice of warm palettes and lyrical compositions.
he depicted life soon put him at odds with the precepts of the Soviet Leon is emotionally motivated to paint the landscapes, birch trees and
Union. At age 40, he made the difficult decision to immigrate with his streams of the Ukrainian Plateau, which bring back the beautiful moments
family to the United States where he could express himself in his art as of awe from his youth when he wandered through the countryside and
he felt was appropriate. Leon’s artistic life was re-energized here in the was enraptured with the beauty surrounding him.
United States of America and a new form of art began to evolve; I like to Although born into the ravages of World War II, his paintings of villages

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