The Accursed Kings Series is a collection of oil paintings by Igor Shulman that shows kings and queens in moments of quiet strength, sadness, and reflection. These portraits tell stories about power, family, and the hidden emotions behind the crown. Explore this unique series and discover the untold tales of royalty.
About The Accursed Kings Series
When I started The Accursed Kings back in 2006, I wasn’t really sure where it would lead me. The idea came from somewhere deep inside — a fascination with the hidden side of royalty, the stories that don’t make it into history books. These paintings are about the weight of power, the loneliness that often comes with it, and the complicated relationships between kings, queens, and their heirs.
I wanted to show these figures not as glamorous or untouchable, but as people carrying heavy emotions — sadness, doubt, maybe even regret. The series is my way of imagining those unwritten tales, those moments behind the throne where everything feels uncertain. It’s a look at legacy, family, and the price of authority.
I started this project without really knowing where it would go. I like to think of these paintings as sketches of an imagined world — a place full of strange, unhappy kings and queens. I call it The Accursed Kings.
Explore the Paintings
This series includes six paintings, each telling its own story about different kings and queens. You’ll see moments of quiet struggle, unexpected companionship, and the bittersweet nature of power. From a mother and daughter queen caught in a fiery landscape, to a weary king dragging a small dog behind him, every painting invites you to pause and imagine the life behind the crown.
Each piece is unique but connected by the same mood — a mix of melancholy, strength, and mystery. I hope as you explore them, you find your own stories in their faces and settings.
Untitled (Mother and Daughter Queens) (2006) by Igor Shulman is a dramatic and surreal exploration of power, inheritance, and generational tension. The painting portrays two stylized female figures, both wearing crowns, standing against a fiery red and orange background. Their regal attire and solemn postures hint at their royal status, while their contrasting expressions suggest a more complex emotional narrative.
The taller queen, dressed in a long teal gown with a large Elizabethan-style ruffled collar, appears somber and dignified. She holds a small white object—perhaps a bird, cloth, or symbolic token—that adds ambiguity to her role. Her elongated features, pale complexion, and dark curls lend her a theatrical, almost caricature-like quality. Beside her, a younger queen in a pink gown with a similar white ruff and crown exudes a more resigned, melancholic air. Her posture mirrors the older figure but with softer edges, evoking a sense of wistful submission or quiet defiance.
The background is painted with bold, impasto strokes of intense crimson, orange, and hints of black, suggesting either a burning sky at sunset or an apocalyptic landscape. Dark, silhouetted trees rise starkly against the fiery glow, amplifying the tension and drama of the scene.
Shulman’s style combines surrealism with expressionistic brushwork, using exaggerated proportions, impasto textures, and bold colors to create a highly charged atmosphere. The painting’s mood is both theatrical and introspective, evoking themes of succession, rivalry, and the burdens of inherited power. The crowns symbolize authority, while the oppressive, fiery landscape mirrors the emotional weight of their relationship. Viewers are invited to interpret the dynamic as mother and daughter, ruler and heir, or two aspects of a single psyche in conflict.
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Subject: People and Portraits, Men, Women
Style: Expressive and Gestural, Surrealistic
Themes: Symbolic Figures, Royalty, Power and Fragility, King and Queen, Embrace, Birds in Flight, Fiery Landscape, Emotional Intimacy, Authority and Vulnerability, Symbolic Couple, Figurative Painting
Year: 2006
Untitled (King and Queen Embrace)
27.56 H x 27.56 W x 1.97″ x / 70 H x 70 W x 5 cm
In Untitled (King and Queen Embrace) by Igor Shulman, the royal couple is portrayed in a tense and intimate union. The main subjects—the king and queen—stand at the center, crowned and rigid, their elongated features emphasizing both dignity and unease. The king, robed in blue with a golden crown, clasps his queen’s waist with hands adorned by rings, his expression stern yet weary. The queen, dressed in a pink gown with a dramatic ruffled collar, mirrors his stiffness but carries a quiet vulnerability. Her downcast eyes and delicate earrings accentuate her apprehension.
Behind them, the setting radiates with fiery orange tones, textured and raw, suggesting a vast desolate landscape. A dark flock of birds sweeps across this glowing backdrop, adding urgency and motion, as though fleeing some unseen catastrophe. Their flight heightens the sense of instability, setting the couple in stark contrast to the surrounding chaos.
Shulman’s style is expressive and gestural, with elongated proportions that verge on the surreal. The brushwork remains visible, carrying a tactile immediacy that intensifies the atmosphere. The interplay of bold colors and dramatic composition reflects the artist’s figurative style, yet with undertones of psychological realism.
The mood is heavy with tension: affection and dependence intertwine with fear and fragility. The crown and regal attire symbolize authority, yet the embrace betrays desperation. The fiery background evokes turmoil, while the birds become emblems of loss and disarray. Together, these elements weave a narrative about the burden of power, the fragility of rule, and the human need for closeness when faced with overwhelming forces.
Keywords: original oil painting, artwork by Igor Shulman, figurative style, Untitled (King and Queen Embrace) by Igor Shulman.
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Subject: People and Portraits, Men, Animals and Birds
Style: Expressive and Gestural, Surrealistic
Themes: Symbolic Figures, Fallen King, Loss of Power, Human Frailty, Desert Landscape, Symbolic Animals, Fiery Sky, Authority and Decline, Melancholy, Figurative Painting, Expressionist Mood
Year: 2006
Untitled (Forlorn King with Dog)
27.56 H x 27.56 W x 1.97″ x / 70 H x 70 W x 5 cm
In Untitled (Forlorn King with Dog), Igor Shulman turns his gaze to the decline of power and the solitude that follows its loss. The main subject, an aged king, is presented in a crimson robe trimmed with fur, his golden crown resting askew on his weary head. His figure is hunched, his steps slow and burdened, embodying exhaustion and the emptiness of former glory. His face, touched by shadow, communicates sorrow and disillusionment. Behind him trails a small, pale dog, passive and subdued, a faint reminder of loyalty but also of insignificance. Walking just ahead, a small white animal—perhaps a lamb—moves with indifference, contrasting sharply with the king’s despair.
The setting is a barren, scorched landscape beneath a burning orange sky. The background’s rough texture, broken by streaks of darker red and orange, evokes falling embers or the remnants of decay. A lone, leafless tree stands in the distance, amplifying the sense of isolation. Shadows stretch long across the ground, casting the king’s solitude into sharp relief.
Shulman’s technique is bold and expressive, with thick brushstrokes and a palette dominated by fiery hues. The painting’s figurative style draws on expressionist traditions, prioritizing emotion over realism. The king’s diminished form becomes a vessel for universal feelings of decline and resignation.
The atmosphere is heavy with melancholy. The fiery sky suggests the end of an era, while the dog and barren landscape symbolize what remains when power fades. Themes of mortality, downfall, and the fleeting nature of authority resonate throughout, offering a poignant meditation on human vulnerability and the limits of control.
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Subject: People and Portraits, Women, Animals and Birds
Style: Expressive and Gestural, Surrealistic
Themes: Symbolic Figures, Music and Instruments, Caged Bird, Crown and Burden, Creative Confinement, Accordion Music, Figurative Expressionism, Symbolic Painting, Female Figure, Authority and Restraint, Melancholy Mood, Power and Limitation
Year: 2006
Untitled (Accordion Player with Caged Bird)
In Untitled (Accordion Player with Caged Bird), Igor Shulman presents a strikingly symbolic scene where creativity and confinement coexist in uneasy balance. The central figure, a crowned woman, sits upright with an accordion resting in her hands. Her face, elongated and solemn, carries a quiet melancholy. Dark beads frame her crown, adding weight to her regal bearing. Dressed in a deep teal gown with a wide, white ruffled collar, she projects dignity, though her expression suggests inner fatigue or resignation.
Beside her hangs a golden cage containing a dark, hunched bird. The cage glimmers against the fiery orange backdrop, its bars rigid against the bird’s fragile form. The juxtaposition of the woman’s poised music-making and the caged creature establishes the painting’s central tension: freedom curtailed, yet creativity still alive.
The background is stripped of detail, a bold expanse of blazing orange that contrasts sharply with the cooler tones of her dress and the metallic sheen of the cage. The surface is richly textured, with thick brushstrokes applied in layers, lending the painting a tactile, almost sculptural quality. Shulman’s expressive figurative style borders on the surreal, where proportions and colors carry symbolic weight rather than descriptive fidelity.
The mood is one of bittersweet resolve. The woman plays, her hands active yet her gaze withdrawn, as if her music is both a solace and a burden. The crown can be read as a symbol of imposed duty, while the accordion, often tied to festive melodies, here conveys introspection. The caged bird echoes her own sense of restriction, a metaphor for the way life and circumstance can confine even the creative spirit. Yet within this confinement, art endures, carrying both beauty and sorrow.
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Subject: People and Portraits, Men, Animals and Birds
Style: Expressive and Gestural, Surrealistic
Themes: Symbolic Figures, Royalty and Irony, King and Cat, Figurative Expressionism, Symbolic Companionship, Authority and Absurdity, Throne and Power, Purple Cat, Regal Portrait, Loneliness and Connection, Expressionist Oil Painting
Year: 2006
Untitled (King with Purple Cat)
In Untitled (King with Purple Cat), Igor Shulman combines regal imagery with a touch of irony, creating a work that questions the very nature of power and companionship. At the center sits a crowned king, his elongated face and solemn expression framed by a stiff white collar and heavy golden chain. His mustard-yellow robe adds warmth against the darker tones of the throne. Though his posture is formal, there is a subtle weariness in his gaze, as though the weight of authority has dulled its allure.
Cradled in his arms is a strikingly unusual figure—a large purple cat, complete with its own tiny crown. The animal’s presence is both tender and absurd. Its lavender fur contrasts sharply with the king’s attire and the fiery red background, drawing the eye immediately. The cat’s steady, almost challenging gaze brings an unexpected counterpoint to the king’s guarded solemnity, shifting the painting from solemn portraiture into a symbolic dialogue.
Behind them, the backdrop glows with rough, textured strokes of red, orange, and black, suggesting a stormy or even apocalyptic environment. The ornate throne anchors the figure in tradition and grandeur, while the chaotic background evokes instability, as though power exists only against the constant threat of dissolution.
Shulman’s style here is expressive and gestural, blending caricature-like exaggeration with carefully rendered detail. The impasto background contrasts with the smooth handling of the king’s robe, underscoring the tension between order and disorder.
The painting’s mood is layered: stately on one hand, faintly absurd on the other. Themes of loneliness, authority, and unlikely comfort come forward. The king, surrounded by chaos, finds solace not in subjects or advisors, but in the unlikely companionship of a crowned cat—an ironic yet deeply human reminder of the need for connection.
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Subject: People and Portraits, Men, Children
Style: Expressive and Gestural, Surrealistic
Themes: Kingship, Thrones, Succession, Power and Responsibility, Expressionist Portrait, Royal Figures, Father and Son, Legacy
Year: 2006
Untitled (Two Kings on Thrones)
27.56 H x 27.56 W x 1.97″ x / 70 H x 70 W x 5 cm
Untitled (Two Kings on Thrones) by Igor Shulman is an original oil painting that explores power, legacy, and the quiet weight of leadership. The main subjects are two kings seated on elaborate green thrones. The elder king wears a pink robe patterned with gold stars, trimmed with fur, and crowned with authority. His long face and stern, unsmiling expression carry an air of fatigue, as though centuries of rule have pressed into his posture. In contrast, the younger king in blue mirrors his elder’s formality but carries less certainty in his stance. His gaze is thoughtful, touched by apprehension, as if aware of the responsibilities that await him but not yet prepared to bear them fully.
The setting intensifies the tension: a fiery background of red and orange, applied with thick impasto strokes, surrounds the figures with heat and turbulence. This backdrop suggests a kingdom unsettled, perhaps threatened, and casts the kings in an atmosphere of solemnity and strain.
Shulman’s style blends figurative clarity with expressionist exaggeration. The defined outlines and textured surfaces heighten the emotional force, while the limited palette reinforces contrasts between stability and unrest. The crowns, orbs, and thrones act as symbols of dynastic continuity, authority, and the burdens of governance.
The mood is heavy yet reflective, offering viewers not only a scene of regal power but also a meditation on succession, duty, and the personal cost of rule. This figurative style artwork by Igor Shulman resonates as both a portrait of authority and a study of human vulnerability beneath the weight of tradition.
Style and Technique
My approach to these paintings is pretty straightforward but full of emotion. I work mostly with oil on canvas, using thick layers of paint to build texture and depth. The brushstrokes are bold and visible because I want you to feel the energy and rawness behind each piece.
The figures themselves are stylized — elongated faces, exaggerated features — to highlight their inner feelings rather than focus on perfect realism. The colors are often intense and sometimes contrasting, reflecting the tension and drama in their stories. It’s a mix of expressionism and a bit of surrealism, with a folk art vibe that keeps things personal and approachable.
Stories Behind the Paintings
Each painting in The Accursed Kings Series carries its own story—moments of quiet tension, unexpected companionship, or the bittersweet weight of power. For example, the painting of the king dragging a small dog reflects the loneliness and fading influence that can come with lost power. The crowned woman playing the accordion next to a caged bird explores the tension between creative freedom and confinement.
These stories aren’t spelled out in words but are meant to be felt and imagined. They invite you to connect with the emotions behind the crowns and see the human side of royalty.
How to Purchase or View the Series
These original oil paintings are signed and ready to be enjoyed, but they have all been sold and are part of a private collection. However, if you’re interested, I can create master copies inspired by the series.
When it comes to framing, I recommend working with local frame shops. They can provide the best quality and tailor the frame perfectly to your space and taste.
If you’d like to learn more about master copies or have any questions, feel free to reach out to me directly through the website. I’m always happy to chat with fellow art lovers.
FAQ
Are prints or copies of the paintings available?
Are prints or copies of the paintings available?
The original paintings are part of a private collection and have been sold, but master copies can be commissioned. Prints are also available as an option. Please contact me for details if you’re interested.
Can I commission a new painting in the style of The Accursed Kings?
Can I commission a new painting in the style of The Accursed Kings?
Yes! I welcome commissions inspired by this series or other ideas you might have. Feel free to reach out and we can discuss your vision.
How are the paintings framed?
How are the paintings framed?
I recommend ordering frames locally to ensure the best quality and a perfect fit for your space and taste.
What materials and techniques do you use?
What materials and techniques do you use?
These are oil paintings on canvas, created with thick, expressive brushstrokes that bring out texture and emotion.
Where can I see the paintings in person?
Where can I see the paintings in person?
The original paintings are currently in private collections. If you’re interested in viewing master copies or upcoming exhibitions, please get in touch.
Is there an option to purchase prints?
Is there an option to purchase prints?
Yes, prints are available as an option. Contact me to learn more about sizes, pricing, and shipping.
All Art Collections
Here you’ll find a variety of Igor Shulman’s art collections, each one showing a different side of his work. From chandeliers and dresses to still lifes and portraits, every collection has its own mood and story. Take a look and see which one catches your eye — these pieces capture moments and feelings in a way that’s both honest and personal.
What strikes me most is the loneliness behind authority. These portraits remind us that power often isolates, and that even kings and queens wrestle with doubts and regrets. It’s a humbling perspective on leadership.
@Oliver_Smith I completely agree — the loneliness behind authority is so palpable in this series. Igor Shulman himself describes The Accursed Kings as illustrations to unwritten tales, capturing the hidden emotions of royalty: power, loss, and the heavy burden they carry. It’s fascinating how he paints these figures not as glorified monarchs, but as deeply human, often unhappy individuals wrestling with their fate and responsibilities.
The impasto technique and expressive brushwork only add to that sense of quiet drama and foreboding, making you feel the weight of inheritance and rivalry pressing down on them. It really humbles you to realize that behind every crown is a complex human story filled with doubt and regret, just like any of us.
Have you noticed how the color contrasts — the cold blues and fiery reds — also seem to reflect this inner turmoil? It’s like each painting is a window into a soul struggling with the cost of power.
LenaM_Art
2 months ago
Love the mood here. Feels like these kings are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. So powerful.
ClaireDoodle
2 months ago
Does anyone else feel like these paintings capture moments just before some big decision or change? Like we’re seeing the calm before the storm.
@ClaireDoodle Yes! That’s exactly what I felt too. There’s this tension in their eyes, like something heavy is about to happen.
Mark_Red
2 months ago
I see these works as metaphors for the human condition — the masks we wear, the roles we play, and the unseen struggles beneath. The “accursed” part could symbolize the burdens we all carry, whether crowned or not.
Sofia_K
2 months ago
The sadness in these faces really hits home. It’s like they’re telling stories we don’t hear, but feel deep inside.
@Sofia_K Absolutely. There’s a universality in that sadness — it transcends time and status.
james.t
2 months ago
Power is often romanticized, but this series strips it down to its raw essence — responsibility, isolation, and the cost of legacy. It’s a reminder that behind every throne is a human soul.
AnnaLovesArt
2 months ago
Such a unique take on royalty. I love how these paintings don’t just show status, but vulnerability.
@snownica2019 From what I read, it’s a mix. The series is inspired by history but also by untold, imagined stories — unwritten tales, as Igor calls them.
misandric-misogynist
2 months ago
I’d love to see master copies of these paintings. Anyone know if prints are available?
@misandric-misogynist Yes, prints and master copies can be commissioned. You can contact Igor directly through this email [email protected] or give a call + (420) 730-162-369.
What strikes me most is the loneliness behind authority. These portraits remind us that power often isolates, and that even kings and queens wrestle with doubts and regrets. It’s a humbling perspective on leadership.
@Oliver_Smith I completely agree — the loneliness behind authority is so palpable in this series. Igor Shulman himself describes The Accursed Kings as illustrations to unwritten tales, capturing the hidden emotions of royalty: power, loss, and the heavy burden they carry. It’s fascinating how he paints these figures not as glorified monarchs, but as deeply human, often unhappy individuals wrestling with their fate and responsibilities.
The impasto technique and expressive brushwork only add to that sense of quiet drama and foreboding, making you feel the weight of inheritance and rivalry pressing down on them. It really humbles you to realize that behind every crown is a complex human story filled with doubt and regret, just like any of us.
Have you noticed how the color contrasts — the cold blues and fiery reds — also seem to reflect this inner turmoil? It’s like each painting is a window into a soul struggling with the cost of power.
Love the mood here. Feels like these kings are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. So powerful.
Does anyone else feel like these paintings capture moments just before some big decision or change? Like we’re seeing the calm before the storm.
@ClaireDoodle Yes! That’s exactly what I felt too. There’s this tension in their eyes, like something heavy is about to happen.
I see these works as metaphors for the human condition — the masks we wear, the roles we play, and the unseen struggles beneath. The “accursed” part could symbolize the burdens we all carry, whether crowned or not.
The sadness in these faces really hits home. It’s like they’re telling stories we don’t hear, but feel deep inside.
@Sofia_K Absolutely. There’s a universality in that sadness — it transcends time and status.
Power is often romanticized, but this series strips it down to its raw essence — responsibility, isolation, and the cost of legacy. It’s a reminder that behind every throne is a human soul.
Such a unique take on royalty. I love how these paintings don’t just show status, but vulnerability.
@AnnaLovesArt Exactly! It’s refreshing to see vulnerability instead of pomp and glory.
Does anyone know if Igor Shulman based these characters on real historical figures or are they purely imagined?
@snownica2019 From what I read, it’s a mix. The series is inspired by history but also by untold, imagined stories — unwritten tales, as Igor calls them.
I’d love to see master copies of these paintings. Anyone know if prints are available?
@misandric-misogynist Yes, prints and master copies can be commissioned. You can contact Igor directly through this email [email protected] or give a call + (420) 730-162-369.