Throughout his career, Russian impressionist-thinker Vladimir A. Shvartsman has always been an iconoclast of sorts; a pensive artiste whose art draws heavily from the pathos, the strange beauty, and philosophical weight of his life experiences.

At the turn of the twenty-first century, Shvartsman showcased his one-of-a-kind brilliance and released the prose-and-picture book The Colors of Truth, a widely-acclaimed work that has been praised as a "unique, engaging, biographically-oriented reading" by the Midwest Book Review.

Eight years later, Shvartsman brings forward another masterful work — this time, a coffee-table picture book that presents spellbinding showcase of the paintings featured in his widely successful art exhibit at Farmer’s Bank, Frankfort, Kentucky, on June 1–30, 2000.

Entitled Reflection of Life, this masterful collection whips up a poignant, kaleidoscopic mix of colors and emotions; an unforgettable mini-exhibit of Shvartsman’s thirty-six best, most personal creations.

Heavily influenced by the author’s most trying experiences, the artworks compiled in this book are the products of the pain, the sorrow, and the hurt that has fed and molded Shvartsman’s artistry through the years. “Various roads brought people to the art, and for most of us, it was a difficult voyage”, says the artist. “Only a very few blessed with a talent and a financial support professionals lived a live of an artist comfortably. That can be seeing through left behind paintings of well proportional figures and others realistic drawings. Others encourage and guided by parents they went through an art-schooling routings. Days-in and days-out practice turned them into self-pitying professionals. Only a few lived a live of a ‘true artist’.”

“There is an expression, ‘where is no pain, there is no gain’ and how appropriate it is in description of the artist”, adds Shvartsman. “Having a pain is unfortunate a small ingredient otherwise paint-dealers could work nearby dental clinics. The ability to comprehend and explain us the root of the pain as well as other emotions the way we are able to understand and share that experience has maybe the most important forte of the artist.”

Rounding up this collection is Shvartsman’s intimate, detailed annotation of each of the thirty-six works of art that are presented by this volume. Shvartsman’s thoughts, which take on the last few pages of the book, offers the audience a revealing peek of inside the works — and the real man behind a one-of-a-kind artistic genius.

You can order a copy of Reflection of Life at these online bookstores:

ISBN13 (TP) : 978-1-4363-0573-0
ISBN13 (HB) : 978-1-4363-0574-7

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