Famous Russian painter after meeting with Pope Francis: art has no borders

The painting that Nikas Safronov made of the Basilica of San José de Flores, in Buenos Aires, where, at age 17, the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio made the decision to enter the seminar, was decisive in the meeting that both held on Monday in The Santa Marta house.

According to the Russian artist, the meeting was managed directly by the Pontiff himself. “I knew that I had a picture of a few years ago related to Buenos Aires,” he says, referring to his work on the Argentine Church in which the Holy Father consecrated his life to God more than 70 years ago.

The creative process that promoted its realization is sober. In 2020, during a business trip to the Argentine capital, Safronov discovered the binding of the basilica with Pope Francis. Inspired by this, he made a sketch and took a picture. Then, once back in Moscow, he painted the work.

During the return trip, he thought that perhaps one day he would have the opportunity to meet the pontiff to give it to him. “And so it was exactly as it happened,” he says with a smile.

The painting remained at the International Space Station from March to the end of September 2022, giving more than 3,000 laps around the earth. Safronov explains that he has astronaut friends who, on other occasions, had already taken some of his works to space. “They do not take them framed, but simply rolled,” he clarifies.

When they told Pope Francis that the painting had been in space, “that inspired and motivated him even more,” says the artist.

In addition to this work, Safronov also portrayed the pontiff dressed in white, with a flock of pigeons flying on the bottom of the Vatican.

During the meeting, he gave him both paintings, although he considers that the first was the one that moved the Pope the most. “His eyes were moistened; He really felt it, ”he details.

Spirituality, key in your life

During the conversation, Safronov shared some spiritual experiences that have marked his life. “There are things that operate at a subtle level. We cannot understand them, but they exist, ”he says.

In this sense, he remembers an episode in which the wife of one of his best friends lost a small cross that carried around his neck while they were on an extensive beach.

“I pray to Nicolás the wonderful” – there is known in Russia to San Nicolás, one of the most venerated saints in the country – “and asked for help. I caught in the sand and found the cross, ”he recalls.

However, the woman came to think that he had hidden her to surprise her. “But it was not so. There are things that are difficult for us to explain. Spirituality, religion and miracles exist. Some of them are unexpected, divine … a providence, ”he says.

Born in 1956 in the Russian city of Uliánovsk, on the shores of the Volga River already 705 kilometers east of Moscow, Safronov grew within a humble family. At 16 he dreamed with the sea and ships, so he decided to move to Odessa, an important Puerto del Mar Negro, to enroll in the Naval School of Russia.

However, after a year he discovered that this was not his true vocation. He decided to move to Rostov del Don to study art at the Grekov School of Art and subsequently continued his formation at the Art Institute of Vilna, in the capital of Lithuania.

His creative career took off in 1978, when he organized his first individual exhibition in the Lithuanian city of Panevėžys.

A family with Catholic roots

Safronov is an orthodox Christian, but reveals that his mother, originally from Lithuania, was Catholic. “There was no Catholic Church in Uliánovsk, where my father took her from Sajalín, and ended up becoming orthodox Christianity,” he explains.

The Catholic roots in his family is deep. His grandfather and great -grandfather were priests. “Several generations of my family dedicated themselves to spreading Catholicism in Russia since 1668, curiously, from Italy,” he says.

Among his ancestors is also one of Simbirsk’s “spiritual founders”, a city that later became Uliánovsk, his birthplace.

“Spirituality has always been important to me, and my father wanted him to be a priest,” he recalls.

Pope Francis and his unity message

The Russian artist claims to know well “the sermons and speeches of the pontiff in which he advocates by unity.”

“During our meeting, he told me that through culture invisible bridges are created. That politics is political, but the connection between states and peoples occurs through art and culture, ”he says.

When visiting the Santa Marta house, the Pope’s residence in the Vatican, Safronov was surprised by its simplicity. “They are very modest apartments for someone so important,” he says.

For him, this simplicity is another sample that the pontiff “advocates peace in the world and unity through spirituality and culture.” “He said that without culture, there is no state,” he emphasizes.

It also reflects on how art transcends borders. “We, the Russians, we see Italian and American films. They see ours or other countries, ”he says. Without delving into the subject, he mentions that in today’s world there are attempts to politicize art, although he considers that “art should not be political.”

Safronov is known, in part, for its portraits of political figures such as Bill Clinton, Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Gorbachov. However, he says: “An artist is always out of politics. I have never been the artist of anyone, neither this president nor of that, nor of anyone. ”

His talent has also led him to portray celebrities such as Sophia Loren, Robert De Niro, Tina Turner, Elton John and boxer Mike Tyson. His works are found in prestigious museums and private collections around the world.

Awarded with numerous awards in his country, Safronov has also received international recognition. Since 2006, he has been a member of the Royal International Academy of Culture, Education and Arts of the United Nations. In addition, he has been distinguished with the gold medal of the American Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences and with decorations such as the International Order of San Constantino El Grande, the Order of San Estanislao and the Order of Santa Ana of Grade II.

Less known is his facet as a painter of religious theme. In the interview, he revealed that he financed the construction of a Catholic Church in honor of his mother in Ulanovsk. “Recently I sent an iconostasium that I painted myself. I also paint icons and make religious orders. We have created 38 great icons for temples, ”he says.

Finally, Safronov emphasizes that Pope Francis is passionate about Russian literature. “Know Tolstói and Dostoevski very well,” he says.

This has not been his first encounter with a Pope. In 1990, the artist remembers briefly met San Juan Pablo II when he participated in a charity event against dystrophy in Africa organized by the Vatican.

On that occasion, he donated several of his paintings to auction them, and what was raised was destined to help those in need in Africa.

Safronov closes the interview with a desire: “I hope my works allow others to see Russia from a different perspective. In times of division, we need to build bridges. ”

ANHELINA MARTSHEUSKAYAYA collaborated with this article by conducting the interview in Russian