A Metaphorical Painter

The image of Don Quixote charging towards a group of windmills, lance at the ready, for a jousting match is one that most of us are probably familiar with. Russian-born artist, Vladimir Kush, has reimagined this scene in his painting “Fauna in La Mancha.” In this painting, the windmills’ blades have been replaced with butterflies, and Don Quixote’s lance has been exchanged for a butterfly net. On his Facebook page, Kush encourages us to metaphorically follow in Don Quixote’s footsteps, saying in his description of the painting, “Let us follow [Don Quixote’s] noble example and stretch the net of our imaginations in search for beauty!”

Much of Kush’s art relies heavily on metaphor. He has released a book of his work entitled Metaphorical Journey as well as a dvd of music and images of his paintings entitled Metaphorical Voyage. On his Facebook page, Kush has uploaded images of many of his paintings and with each, he has included a description with explanations of the metaphors in his work. These descriptions are fascinating to read; they give insights into Kush’s work that may not be immediately apparent and allow one to truly appreciate the full complexity of his work.

Kush’s paintings are so much more than a collection of pretty images – each painting contains a miniature story told through metaphor and refined through the talent of a brilliant painter. His paintings are like visual poems, each containing an overlying image with layers of meaning and nuance waiting to be discovered.