Two Hunters by Timur D'Vatz

Two Hunters by Timur D'Vatz
Two Hunters by Timur D'Vatz

Out of the mists of the past, on a February morning in1993, a young man turns from crowded Piccadilly into the sheltered courtyard of the Royal Academy of Arts, stopping in the middle to look up at the daunting façade of the building. Timur D’Vatz is holding a portfolio of his drawings and a roll of paintings. An appointment with the Keeper of the RA Schools ,Professor Norman Adams, was agreed for 11am. Once inside, Timur is shown the way up the stairs into the private quarters and studio of the Keeper.  Memories play a selective game on one’s mind. Sometimes it’s just glimpses of textures and colours or reminders of scents and sounds –muted in the endlessness of time. However, the clear and lasting memory of Norman Adams is his welcoming smile and his kind eyes through the gold-rimmed spectacles.   Beyond tall double doors, the lofty studio space merged with clouds sweeping across a vast skylight. It was a classical spacious atelier with canvases on easels and around the walls. There was a table with open books and sketches. The interview lasted about an hour. Timur showed his works and told Norman Adams that he had recently arrived from Moscow and was interested in continuing his art studies in London. ‘You should bring your works for the entering committee to see. I would be happy to recommend you,’ said Norman.  Timur was the first Russian to be accepted and started his first year of the Post Graduation three-year course at the Royal Academy Schools in September 1993. He received the Sir James Walker and Jack Goldhill scholarships. The schools’ discreet entrance was at the back of the main building. A narrow timber-block pavement led to the centuries old studios, which were linked by a spacious corridor, crowded with antique statues. A couple of dark, church benches were placed against the walls. This was a favourite place for students to sit and talk during breaks. While studying, Timur began exhibiting in several well-established galleries, actively participating in the London art scene.  He won the Guinness prize for 'The Best First Time Exhibitor' at the Royal Academy of Arts' Summer Show and participated in the BP Portrait Award exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.  His first solo exhibition took place at the Cadogan Contemporary Gallery in 1993, where he is still represented. It was during this time he started exploring the subject of Celtic mythology and the theme of Arthurian legends. For him, mythology is the starting point for inner journey through outer experience.  In order to go forward we must also go back to our roots; the journey forward is always a return. Myth is a poetic interpretation of human knowledge.Some ancient legends carry the metaphor of the hunt where the hunt is the quest, the journey and the search for our- selves. This year Timur D’Vatz’s exhibition at the Cadogan Contemporary Gallery, which starts on the 1 st of December, consists of a retrospective selection of works commemorating the twenty-eight years of the artist and the gallery have worked together. The collection of paintings is a wide retrospective selection. Most of the paintings are based on Arthurian legends, mythology and spiritual meditations.  There are also studies of nature and oil sketches for a portrait of Archbishop of Canterbury, which Timur is currently working on.