Lucien Dulfan is a Soviet-born American artist, one of the central figures of Soviet unofficial art. Born in Frunze, Kyrgyzstan, barely escaping Odessa massacre during German and Romanian occupation of Odessa in Ukraine. He lived in Odessa from 1946 until he immigrated with his family to the United States in 1990 and since has lived in New York. Though he was considered a Nonconformist artist throughout his career in the USSR, in 1977 he was given the highly prestigious award of First Prize for painting by the USSR Ministry of Culture and the Union of Soviet Artists.
Lucien Dulfan’s paintings reflect the boundless energy, originality, and passion of the artist’s own personality. “My art is dramatic, bold and uncompromising: I paint the very interesting human story through the filters of my dreams and subconscious.”
The artist LIVES CONSTANTLY in “STRANGE TIME”' – regardless of war, plague, coronavirus… TIME is ALWAYS “STRANGE” for those who are looking deep into ONESELVES! EVERYDAY! EVERY HOUR! EVERY MINUTE .... is STRANGE! All people look closely at: life! Study! Wedding! Wealth! Fortune! Success! They live in ORDINARY time and wait for IMPROVEMENT OF TIME! Tomorrow will be better! But the artist, poet, writer, musician, composer ... constantly live in STRANGE TIME! They do not wait for this STRANGE TIME, they live in it! Every minute, living with MOTIVATION, with IDEA, with DREAM, with LOVE, with ANGER to injustice, to evil, to racial, national inequality! Without exhibitions, without sales, without collectors, without publications, without support. It is in this STRANGE TIME that real art is born and made. An example of this is my wonderful FRIEND, COLLEAGUE, the famous Iranian-Armenian American artist, Marcos Grigoryan; He was around twenty years older than me. He showed me an example of how to live, to love, to be friends. After we met, he told me: “I have been waiting for you for forty years. We will do exhibitions …” He did not live though... he was killed in a dear to his heart ARMENIA! Robbed … After his death he was also DEFINED as “FAMOUS ARTIST AFTER ARSHILE GORKY” After the STRANGE TIME – the coronavirus, everything will change! EVERYTHING! Life will change, it will become more modest, more prudent. Maybe the time will come more FRIENDLY, more TOLERABLE, more OVERNATIONAL? I don’t know, I would like to. Art will change. Art prices will change. There will be other theater, different music. But what is most important? For the first time in the world, for the first time ever, THE WORLD RECOGNIZED ITS FRAGILITY! Even two world wars did not hit absolutely the whole world! All five continents! Now totally the people of the world are talking at a distance of two meters! Wearing masks! There are no wars on all five continents, only one news, one interest: CORONAVIRUS! This terrible CROWN has covered puffed humanity! It – this mankind has realized its defenselessness, inferiority and powerlessness! This powerlessness can strengthen humanity. To create a more harmonious world, more convenient for CHANGED LIFE! More serious, human, mundane MOTIVATIONS of life will appear.
Lucien Dulfan North Miami Beach, USA. April 15, 2020
World War I Veteran. From the Homeless series (2020)
180 х 110 cm, mixed media on plywood
Violinist. From the Homeless series (2019)
180 х 110 cm, mixed media on plywood
Homeless Dream. From the Homeless series (2019)
180 х 110 cm, mixed media on plywood
Triptych. From the Homeless series (2018)
180 х 100 cm (each), mixed media on plywood
Night’s Sleep. From the Homeless series (2017)
180 х 320 cm (7 parts), mixed media on plywood