Steve Bogdanoff
Encyclopedia
Steve Bogdanoff is an American artist
who is internationally known for originating a technique for creating fresco
secco-style artworks. Bogdanoff is also recognized for his skill in creating self-produced limited-edition giclée
prints, and has the distinction of being selected out of all of the fine artists in the United States to represent a traditional artist who produces his own giclée prints in Harald Johnson's Mastering Digital Printing, Second Edition, which is considered the bible of digital printing. Bogdanoff's most notable print entitled "Vive la Nouvelle-Orléans" became a symbol for the strength and resiliency of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
destroyed much of the city, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale helped raise funds to re-build the Louisiana SPCA which was severely damaged by the storm. Artist gained notoriety for his series of Minoan
-influenced blue monkey frescoes. In addition to the monkeys, Bogdanoff’s subjects include marine life, birds, portraits and figures.
Artist owned and operated Bogdanoff Gallery in the historic French Quarter
section of New Orleans from 2002 through mid-2006. Artist relocated to Santa Fe
, NM in June 2006, where he works out of his studio supplying galleries with inventory and creating commissioned frescoes.
Once Bogdanoff prepares his plaster/lime “canvas”, he rubs in numerous thin acrylic
pigment washes with towels, brushes, and his palms and fingers, building up layers of the washes until he has a completed painting. He then proceeds to “vandalize” his work by distressing the paint and plaster through numerous steps to achieve an appearance of antiquity, which include cracking, breaking, sanding, sawing, chiseling, sculpting, pitting, and staining. After the breaking process, Bogdanoff is left with re-assembling numerous pieces of his canvas, fitting them all back together much like a jigsaw puzzle. There are no faux breaks or cracks in his work. The fresco is then mounted onto a customized precision-sized backing for reinforcement.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
who is internationally known for originating a technique for creating fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
secco-style artworks. Bogdanoff is also recognized for his skill in creating self-produced limited-edition giclée
Giclée
Giclée , is a neologism coined in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne for fine art digital prints made on ink-jet printers. The name originally applied to fine art prints created on IRIS printers in a process invented in the late 1980s but has since come to mean any high quality ink-jet print and is...
prints, and has the distinction of being selected out of all of the fine artists in the United States to represent a traditional artist who produces his own giclée prints in Harald Johnson's Mastering Digital Printing, Second Edition, which is considered the bible of digital printing. Bogdanoff's most notable print entitled "Vive la Nouvelle-Orléans" became a symbol for the strength and resiliency of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
destroyed much of the city, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale helped raise funds to re-build the Louisiana SPCA which was severely damaged by the storm. Artist gained notoriety for his series of Minoan
Minoan
Minoan may refer to the following:*The Minoan civilization**The Eteocretan language**The script known as Linear A**Minoan pottery*Minoa, name of several bronze-age settlements in the Aegean....
-influenced blue monkey frescoes. In addition to the monkeys, Bogdanoff’s subjects include marine life, birds, portraits and figures.
Artist owned and operated Bogdanoff Gallery in the historic French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
section of New Orleans from 2002 through mid-2006. Artist relocated to Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, NM in June 2006, where he works out of his studio supplying galleries with inventory and creating commissioned frescoes.
Technique
Best known for his fresco secco-style artworks, Bogdanoff shares his original technique freely in an instructional video on his website.Once Bogdanoff prepares his plaster/lime “canvas”, he rubs in numerous thin acrylic
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry...
pigment washes with towels, brushes, and his palms and fingers, building up layers of the washes until he has a completed painting. He then proceeds to “vandalize” his work by distressing the paint and plaster through numerous steps to achieve an appearance of antiquity, which include cracking, breaking, sanding, sawing, chiseling, sculpting, pitting, and staining. After the breaking process, Bogdanoff is left with re-assembling numerous pieces of his canvas, fitting them all back together much like a jigsaw puzzle. There are no faux breaks or cracks in his work. The fresco is then mounted onto a customized precision-sized backing for reinforcement.