Aleksei Shatunov(Estonian)

Norns / 2013 / Oil on canvas / 120cm×150cm

Appreciation:The three Norns, Urd, Verdandi and Skuld in the Norse mythology are female beings with great disparity in age who rule the destiny of gods and men.They separately take control of the past (senility), the present (maturity) and the future (youth). They nourish the tree of life with their wisdom and weave the thread of life into the net of destiny. Norns, an oil painting by the Estonian artist Aleksei Shatunov describes that three Norns are weaving the net of destiny out of thin thread of life for the new-born baby who is swaddled in a big leaf from the tree of life. The artist applied the academic realistic style in this oil painting, highlighting innocence of the young norn, tenacity of the middle-aged norn and majesty of the old norn (apair of scissors which is used to cut the thread of life is hung on her waist) and tranquility of the baby by means of different expression with obvious distinction in personality and strong contrast between light and shade. The gloomy primeval forests peculiar to Estonia in the background accentuate the solemn and mysterious atmosphere of the Norse mythology.

Aleksei Shatunov was born in 1981 in Tallinn of Estonia and now he is a painter. He has participated in the exhibitions in Russian Cultural Centre in Tallinn of Estonia, Pushkin-Mountings Art Museum of Russia, Haus Gallery of Tallin and so on.