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As a first-former, Sasha Satel was asked by his first teacher, who was surprised by the sound of his surname that was unusual even for Moscow, what his nationality was. Sasha’s veins ran with the blood of his French grandfather, who had settled in Russia before the October Revolution, but he blithely answered: ‘Uzbek.’ During the war, Sasha’s family had found themselves in the ancient Uzbek city of Samarkand, and it was there that Sasha first saw the light of day.
Having seen the boy’s drawings, his mother said: ‘You must be an artist,’ and took him to a special art school, but Sasha ran away from the entrance examination. Then he went to friends to hide, fearing his father’s wrath. Being professional artists themselves, his parents wanted to avoid unnecessary searches and fuss in finding a profession. Having accurately assessed their son’s talent, they tried to set him on the right road early on. It took Sasha himself quite a long time to realise fully that you cannot run away from your own fate. It came about of itself – painting was the only thing that genuinely interested him. He began to study, carefully guarding his independence in seeking out his own way. The first result of his persistent work came when, still as a young artist, he became one of the chosen few who were entrusted with important and expensive commissions on historical themes. He painted the monumental canvases at the Borodino Museum, and here we note one of life’s ironies – a man with French roots glorifying the conquest of his forebears with his art. Apart from the indisputable and enviable skills this work demanded, it also required diverse and extensive knowledge. But this was official service – in those days, artists in the country of Soviets were obliged to serve. For himself he painted other canvases which are very different from those which even today adorn this famous museum. He wanted to experiment, to seek new forms. This was the genesis of that style which its creator called romantic realism. The genius Marc Chagall commented quite favourably on the young Aleksandr Satel’s work. His pictures have commanded the attention of both the public and collectors.
According to many art critics, an artist should have a single identity. However, Aleksandr Satel is an artist of many faces. He doesn’t like to be bored, and cannot allow the public to be bored when they look at his canvases. It is for this reason that he uses a variety of techniques and styles. His ‘tapestry letter’ is striking with its combination of the inventiveness of the educated, mature master, and an unrestrained burst of emotion. One of the artist’s latest interests is pastels. In his attempt to achieve ‘a certain likeness to perfection’ Satel is going further, leaving works which force you to believe that life will not lose its colours, whatever might happen… there should be light.
