"Immersion in the world of Natan"
The series of compositions "Movement" leaves a bright, emotional impression on the viewer. It's similar to the feeling at a rodeo, with all its excitement, passion, and unstoppable upward motion. Special attention should be paid to the artist's distinctive technique, which unifies real images with fantastic movement in the composition, showing her emotional experience, her unrestrained temperament, and the delicate chords of her soul. The bull is a frequent character on Natan's canvases. She considers it to be the personification of her personal being, in a way, her personal totem. In Natan's works, the bull often represents the power of life, the masculine, and passion. In each work from the series "Bulls," alongside the symbolic representation of real feelings, one finds deep mythological interpretations of perception, of man's temperament, and of animal sacrifice: the embodiment of power, hardness of soul and of masculine nature. In creating her vast series of works "Bulls," Natan emphasized her personal compassion for and complete immersion in the freedom of natural instincts, represented by both images of real occurrences as well as by abstract forms. "Bulls Running," "Bull," and "The Pegasus Bull" are all works that are closely tied to abstract notions, both conceptually and in the whimsical forms of their composition. True perception of these abstract notions disappears momentaneously, becomes blurred, and seems from the very beginning to have been nothing but the prevailing colors of the Earth, ocher mixed with the color of the savanna.
Natan's series "Parade of characters" holds a special place in her oeuvre. The series deals with perception and man's character, and how it is painted by the artist without embellishment, without age or social status, but naturally, through the inner "I." One senses her deep contemplation of life and her rejection of established norms regarding the way one should see the world. The artist skillfully plays with facial expressions, gestures, accessories, and color when creating her images. Natan feels and conveys character and mood with deft subtlety, for example in such works as "Emma's Eye," "The Pathfinder," and "Fakir."
In the series "Anna Karenina, Ballet," the artist is able to fuse together the plastic movement of the ballet with the tempestuous energy of the charging bulls quite maturely, despite her youth, levity, and fragile frame. Though rather insubstantial names, "Through," "Vision," and "Wake" quite aptly describe the deep meaning of the content of these works. In each of these works, one sees the artist's personal style, incredible color work, the reflection of feeling and inner beauty, elegance and fullness, charge and rhythm, lightness, purity, and the darkness of shadows.
Natalia Shevchenko's collection "Movement" is a journey through the artist's intimate world and fantasies, with all her unique self-expression. So much of the ambiguity and originality that exists in modern art can be associated with elements of cubism; by using simple models and specific compositions, such works convey to the viewer a certain understanding of the complexity and diversity of movement.
The exhibition was an unforgettable experience, and getting to know the work of Natan, seeing her natural giftedness, aroused the intimate world that exists in each of us.
Text: Galina Georgievna Karnauhova, Head of the Department for Study and Expositions IAK, Astrakhan Kremlin; Astrakhan State United Historical, Architectural Museum-Reserve.