Alexander Pavlovich Lobanov (russian: Алекса́ндр Па́влович Лоба́нов; 30 August 1924 – April, 2003) was a Russian outsider artist known particularly for his detailed

self-portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

s, noted for their frequent inclusion of

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

s and for their self-aggrandizing nature.

Early years

Born in Mologa in 1924, Lobanov contracted

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

before five years old and was left deaf and

mute Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak. Mute or the Mute may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart * ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...

. In 1937, his family was relocated from their home town of Mologa to make way for the construction of the

Rybinsk Reservoir Rybinsk Reservoir ( rus, Ры́бинское водохрани́лище, r=Rybinskoye vodokhranilishche, p=ˈrɨbʲɪnskəɪ vədəxrɐˈnʲilʲɪɕə), informally called the Rybinsk Sea, is a water reservoir (water), reservoir on the Volga Riv ...

, forcing him to abandon his studies at the school for the deaf he was attending. A very rebellious and aggressive child, and having lost his access to support and rehabilitation, he became increasingly volatile until his family had him confined to a mental asylum in the nearby city of Yaroslavl in 1945. During the first years of hospitalization, his violence and aggression remained until he became withdrawn and increasingly solitary.

Artistic works

Following this change in his behavior, Alexander was transferred to a less restrictive hospital in 1953. It was there that he was introduced to drawing by himself. For over fifty years he produced hundreds of works with very little variety in style or content. His tools were consistent, staying with ink, pencil, coloring pencils, and felt-tip pens throughout the years. His subject matter strayed little from his taste for detailed self-portraits, often with himself being portrayed similarly to

Russian revolutionary The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

icons, almost always carrying or surrounded by

rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

machine guns A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

, swords, and other various weapons. Hunting dogs and hunted animals, such as birds and deer, were often depicted with Lobanov being accompanied by groups of other hunters. Lobanov made frequent references to the psychiatric institution or staff surrounding him, including a portrait of himself as a young boy shooting a male nurse with a revolver, and a depiction of his institution with enormous rifles acting as support columns. In the 1970s, Lobanov took an intense interest in

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

. His photographic portraits were similar to his drawings as he would stage himself, creating his own environment and firearms from cardboard paper with ornaments and

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

symbols drawn onto the prints.

Later years

Over the years, Lobanov's drawings numbered in the hundreds, and Dr. Gavrilov helped organize showings of his work and others' works; first to local universities and psychiatrists, and then by the help of Dominique de Miscault in French museums and international galleries. In 2001 a short documentary, ''Alexandre Pavlovitch Lobanov'', was made by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

filmmaker Bruno Decharme. Lobanov died in April 2003 in an asylum near Yaroslavl.

External links and sources

Translated French article on his life and workArticle on Lobanov
*
Watch the "Alexandre Pavlovitch Lobanov" documentary on Bruno Decharme's websiteAllexander Lobanov in Boguemskaia-Turchin collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lobanov, Alexander 1924 births 2003 deaths People from Rybinsky District, Yaroslavl Oblast Outsider artists 20th-century Russian painters Russian male painters Deaf artists Russian deaf people Soviet artists 20th-century Russian male artists