Vera Sapozknikova presents large, abstract, and vibrant oil paintings created during her time as Artist in Residence at the Carter Burden/Leonard Covello Center for On the Wall. Self-taught, her work is intuitive and full of energy and emotion. In her drive to paint, she has consistently challenged herself and continued to develop her style, evolving from representational to more abstract work. Through her artistic journey, she has adopted a signature palette steeped in rich crimson, orange, and blue. Her determination to paint results in unique and bold marks on the canvas, revealing Sapozhnikova’s optimistic approach to being a painter.
Vera Sapozhnikova, b. 1939, was raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. She holds an MS in mathematics, a Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics, and worked as an associate professor of mathematics in several universities in Russia until she emigrated to the United States in 1978, where she continued to work as a mathematician in computer science and telecommunications. As a child in Russia, she attended an art appreciation program at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, in which she was exposed to the masterpieces of a variety of periods. This exposure had an indelible effect on Sapozhnikova. After being immersed in the world of mathematics for most of her life, in 1998 she felt an insuppressible urge to paint, and has been making work ever since. Sapozhnikova began exhibiting her work in 2010, including a solo and group shows at Carter Burden Gallery (formerly Gallery 307), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Employee Group Art show.
