Alexandra Zotova: Good morning. Sergei Vladimirovich tell us, please, about your art career. How did it begin?
Sergei Chitaev: To be honest, an art is my life, I do it during the whole my life. Well, I was born in 1972 and then when I was 15 I studied in Ryazan art School 4 years and in 1991 I finished it with red diploma. My state exam’s work was “ A market in Ryazan”. I painted people, counters and that special atmosphere that was there that day.

Also, I finished Moscow State University of Culture and Art in 2001. But my personal exhibition was only in 2006. The theme of this exhibition was “Still-life, Oil”. I made illustration to 3 medicine books in 2006. It was connected with practitioner surgery (oncology). In 2007-2009 I made a list of Iconostasis in Nikol’skii Starocherneevskii monastery. And I took part in different exhibitions in Moscow, in Solotcha.

A.Z.: What do you think, is it necessary to have the initial art education for having a great result in future?
S.C.: Yes, of course it is necessary. A person should have the initial education (Children art school), middle (Art College) and higher (University or Academy of Art). It is like your first step, when you investigate bases.

A.Z.: How much time in a day do you spend for painting?
S.C.: Every day!! I try to spend every day in my week for doing it.

A.Z.: What do you think about your works? Do you like them? Which one is the best?
S.C.: I’m too critical to my works. I always reflect and doubt. Hmm, which one is the best?...Well, I guess that it is a list of Iconostasis in Nikol’skii Starocherneevskii monastery near Shazk.

A.Z.: Which technique do you prefer most of all in painting?
S.C.: To tell the truth I like Still-life, Portrait and Landscape.

A.Z.: This is a philosophic question: Why do people create?
S.C.: As for me, to create means to be alive. It is like drink a cup of coffee and tea in the morning.

A.Z.: What is a sense and an appointment in art for you?
S.C.: Art…I like it and it is my aim in life. I can’t imagine my life without it.

A.Z.: How do you estimate works? Just “ I like this one and I don’t like that one”?
S.C.: No, I always liked and still like something new, creative, something that can admire you and it gives an occasion for reflecting what you see. And I can understand works from classic to abstractionism.

A.Z.: Do you have a project of your dream?
S.C.: Well, I prefer to work hard and then different projects will arise.

A.Z.: What is important for you during the process of painting and what is less important?
S.C.: Concentration, purpose and the ability of right ending of every my work are important for me. I try not to pay attention to those things that are less important for me or disturb even different life difficulties.

A.Z.: Where do you find your inspiration? And how do you prefer to have a rest?
S.C.: Classical examples of painting, such painters as Serov, Korovin, Andriyaka..
I like active sport: bicycle, skis…

A.Z.: Which pieces of advice can you give for young painters?
S.C.: Work harder with God’s help!

A.Z.: Thank you!

That is how that interview ended. I hope you will learn something new for yourself about art-world in the city where we all live. Why did I make this interview ? I’d like to collect different opinions about one huge problem – ART. In this interview we saw a view point of an artist – aquarellist, in my next interview I will ask an artist-abstractionist. And you will see how bright and many-sided art is.