Born in Yaroslavl
in 1959, Mikhail Priorov studied at the Art School from 1973 to 1977 and
graduated from Moscow Art College in 1982. He pursued his artistic
training at the famous Stroganoff Art University, graduating in 1987 when
he began to work at the Zagorsk Artistic Fund. That same year Mikhail
joined the International Federation of Artists. Since 1981 Priorov has
participated in numerous local, national and international exhibitions.
Solo exhibitions include ACTION, Moscow in 1998
; Moscow Artists on TV, also in 1998 ; Noise Club in
1997, as well as RT
Gallery for the Arts and the Winter Nights Festival. In 1996 he showed at
the Russian Division of Culture; in 1995 at Chaffee Center, Vermont, USA;
and in 1993 at Chasse Loup-Laubat 17, Paris. In 1987 he began combining painting with tapestry
design and mural work.
A considerable part of his work is devoted
to musical cycles, totaling thousands of pieces no two of which can be
called identical. No matter how many times the artist returns to the
chosen theme, he never fails to be innovative, conveying endless
compositional variations. Strong attachment to his national heritage and
traditional Russian icon painting greatly influence his work. In his vision, these things are not only
relics of, but a part of, the living present. Old and modern are
inseparable - the past entering and living in the present as its primal
element.
Having spent his childhood in Yaroslavl, an ancient Russian
town lying at the confluence of the Volga and the
Kotorosl rivers, the
contrasting hues of the picturesque town, the bustle of the port, the
fairs, the festivals were the source of unforgettable childhood impressions that lay the foundation for his love of
"the living past". Many years would pass, however, before these influences
surfaced in the artist's work.
Mikhail Priorov is an artist with a
broad range of interests. He is well-versed in music and poetry as well as
painting. He plays saxophone in a jazz-group and, in his work, often uses
musical and poetic imagery.
