Interview by Jimon

1-Where do you call home currently?  A small provincial town, which is very far from me now.

2-Did you study art or is it all inherent?  I see my talent as an innate gift, my own treasure, not inherited from anyone. But, of course, I went to an art school. A few years later I went to an architecture course. And finally when it was my time to go to university, I chose graphic design (6 years of study, painting classes.)

3-How did you acquire your style?After graduating from university, I did not immediately take up the brush. The process of finding myself continued and it wasn’t all roses for me. I continued to work hard and listen to myself. Soon, I began to draw simplified images that vaguely resembled people. Anyway I wanted more pure color on the canvas, that`s why I began the process of complete reduction in details. At first, I gave up one eye, then a mouth from my works. Now my heroes either have both their eyes closed or sometimes they haven`t them at all. To be honest, I still keep going in search of my pure color. Now I am developing a new series of works. I am sure I will surprise the audience and, what is more important, I will surprise myself.

4-What is the origin of each of your paintings (imagination, inspiration….)?  I am inspired by people, but not as individuals, as an object (posture, movement, body lines).

5-What else interests you besides art?  Enjoying life: sports, music, theaters, travel, friends and good wine.

6-Who is your favorite artist?Egon Schiele

7-What advice would you give putative collectors?  Don’t buy up all the art you see. Choose two or three artists and collect their works.

8- What do you dream about?  That there would be more than 24 hours in one day

9-Do you listen to music while creating? If yes, what genre?  I work in complete silence.

10-Do you have a place/person/thing that you visit for inspiration?There are two of my favorite places: My studio , Hermitage In St. Petersburg

11-If you could have dinner with three artists living/dead who would be at your table?Egon Schiele, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and again Egon Schiele.

12-Name three things you can’t live without in your studio?  Сup of coffee, ruler, sunlight.

13-If you were asking the questions what question would you ask and please answer the question. Q:Looking back at your childhood can you pick out the age or time when you first really found what art was? A: I can’t say that back in my childhood I gave it much thought what art is. It was just  a normal state of things that  pencils and paper were growing on me. I have been drawing since I was knee-high, and this was a part  of my  growing up. I perceived the true nature of the world around by art rather than my family or society.

14-How would someone find you on Social media?  Instagram @artist.a.danilenko

15-If you could live in a museum anywhere in the world which would it be?  Hermitage (St. Petersburg ) or Pinacoteca Di Brera (Milan)

16- Please name the first thing that comes to your mind while reading the following: 

Art=fortune
Food=nothing
Sports=childhood
Politics=lies
Poor=free
God=purity
Rich=rate
Luxury=money
Sex=passion
Picasso=bull
Religion=doubt