Exhibition of painting of Alexander Chalovsky “The architect of the lock of beauty” – dedication to the great dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. This 

exposition – the second part of the Image — the Sign — the Symbol project. The first part of the project was called “To freedom! Nureyev’s 

method”.

Mikhail Baryshnikov’s image instantly sends us to sign concept of the ballet of the broadest sense of the word – from classical to modern 

modernist.

The artist Alexander Chalovsky is inspired in the way of “the genius of dance” Mikhail Baryshnikov: genius which – is “giving rise”, “creating” live 

and life-giving.

A series of the works presented at an exhibition as if turns back the clock because it returns us by the images created by the outstanding 

dancer at the peak of his career. Watching rise of the friend actor, Iosif Brodsky in 1976 writes the poem “to Mikhail

To Baryshnikov” in which I have offered a graceful formula: “The classical ballet is beauty lock”.

One of symbols of the ballet of the XX century, Mikhail Baryshnikov is the magnet attracting great creative persons: Mstislav Rostropovich, 

Galina Vishnevskaya, Alexander Galich, Iosif Brodsky, Annie Leibovitz, Oscar de la Renta, Julio Iglesias …

The personality is many-sided, Baryshnikov plays at cinema and creates magnificent solo performances. The most recent –

“Brodsky/Baryshnikov” where he reads verses of the close friend.

The aspiration of the artist Chalovsky to adjoin to image of the great dancer is explained by emotional influence of the personality and destiny 

of the actor.

Mikhail Baryshnikov – a symbol of the creative person, the Dance creating immortal art.

For the artist Alexander Chalovsky this project – a call. Call to own talent and skill. Whether it was possible to him adequately and to recreate 

convincingly not only Baryshnikov’s image, but also to transfer to the audience all attractive strength of the magic and impudent genius Tants –

to solve to the audience.

Natella Voyskunskaya

Art director of ASTI galler