Art Gallery, 2008 – Archive
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The 2008 archive showcases Igor Shulman’s original oils and watercolors in Realism, Impressionism, Expressionism, and Modern Figurative styles. Intimate portraits, expressive figures and refined compositions reveal the artist’s evolving mastery and artistic vision.
2008 Archive of Original Oil Paintings
Browse the 2008 collection of original paintings. These works highlight Shulman’s exploration of mood, gesture, and light, offering a glimpse into the artist’s creative process and the diversity of his artistic language that year.
Shop Available 2008 Oil Paintings
View available oil paintings in the catalogue
Monica Bellucci
27.56 H x 39.37 W x 1.97″ x / 70 H x 100 W x 5 cm
Monica Bellucci (2008) is a close-up profile portrait that captures a woman in a moment of quiet inner reflection. The composition centers entirely on her face and upper shoulder, allowing the viewer to focus on the emotional nuance of her expression. Her long, dark hair flows past her shoulders, rendered with soft, understated strokes that imply movement without defining every strand. Her warm skin tone, painted in earthy ochres and siennas, contrasts gently with the pale background, giving the portrait an intimate glow.
Her eyes are closed—or nearly closed—suggesting a meditative or introspective state. The expression she wears is serene yet tinged with subtle pensiveness, as though she is suspended between calm and contemplation. Large gold hoop earrings frame her profile, introducing a touch of elegance and visual rhythm. Her hand is raised lightly toward her neck, fingers gracefully splayed in a gesture that feels natural, tender, and inward-focused.
The minimalist background is an off-white or pale cream, with visible texture that adds depth and tactile presence. The roughness of the surface contrasts with the softness of the woman’s features, emphasizing the immediacy of the portrait. The lighting is gentle and diffused, enhancing the peaceful mood.
The overall atmosphere is intimate and still. There is no movement, no external narrative—just a quiet, emotionally charged moment. The limited palette and the subtle interplay of warm and cool tones create a calm, contemplative environment. The portrait evokes serenity, introspection, and the delicate beauty of a private inner world. Shulman’s signature is discreetly placed in the lower left corner, maintaining the painting’s refined, understated balance.
After Ball
35.43 H x 47.24 W x 1.97″ x / 90 H x 120 W x 5 cm
Master copy titled After Party II created in 2016 and Christine, 2010
In After Ball (2008), Igor Shulman captures a solitary woman in a moment of quiet reflection. She is dressed in a flowing white gown, its voluminous folds cascading softly around her, partially concealing a darker bodice with subtle lace details. Her reddish-brown hair is styled up, though partially obscured by shadow, and her head is bowed slightly, conveying introspection and a gentle vulnerability. The warm tones of her skin contrast with the muted, nearly monochromatic background, focusing the viewer’s attention on her form and emotional presence.
The background is abstract and minimal, composed of soft greys, muted browns, and hints of blue, allowing the figure to emerge from an indistinct space. Light falls gently across the woman, highlighting the delicate textures of her dress and the contours of her figure. Shadows are used subtly to create depth, enhancing the painting’s mood of quiet solitude.
Shulman employs an Impressionistic approach, blending realism in the figure with painterly, expressive brushstrokes in the dress and background. The brushwork remains visible yet soft, creating fluid transitions and an ethereal quality. The interplay of light and color draws the viewer into the internal world of the subject, emphasizing mood over detailed narrative.
The painting evokes introspection, serenity, and a touch of melancholy. Symbolically, the white gown suggests purity or surrender, while the bowed head and solitary pose emphasize reflection and emotional weight. After Ball invites viewers to witness a private, contemplative moment, highlighting the fragility and depth of human emotion. This original oil painting by Igor Shulman blends impressionistic sensitivity with figurative elegance.
Octobers
35.43 H x 47.24 W x 1.97″ x / 90 H x 120 W x 5 cm
Similar to Winter Morning, 2010
Octobers presents a solitary woman standing beside a simple horizontal railing, looking toward a flock of cranes flying across an open, snow-covered landscape. Her body occupies the right side of the composition, while the birds extend into the open space behind her, creating a strong visual connection between the human figure and the distant movement of the flock.
The woman wears a dark, short-sleeved dress with a modest neckline and a narrow belt. Her auburn hair is pulled back, leaving her face clearly visible in profile. One arm extends downward to the railing while the other reaches behind her neck. Her posture is relaxed but thoughtful, and her attention appears fixed on the cranes moving across the landscape.
The surrounding scene is deliberately restrained. A broad expanse of pale ground stretches toward a distant line of trees, with the snow and sky treated in soft whites and muted grey-brown tones. The cranes provide the principal sense of movement: several birds are captured in flight, their wings spread against the almost empty background. Their placement gives the otherwise still composition a feeling of transition and distance.
Shulman contrasts the precise treatment of the woman with a more suggestive approach to the landscape. The figure is rendered with careful attention to anatomy, clothing, facial features, and light, while the trees and distant environment are built from looser strokes and muted tonal passages. The cranes are recognizable but painterly, allowing their movement to remain part of the expressive quality of the scene.
The dark dress creates a strong contrast with the pale surroundings, immediately establishing the woman as the visual anchor of the painting. At the same time, her gaze toward the migrating birds opens the composition outward, connecting the intimate human figure with the larger landscape.
The cranes introduce ideas of migration, freedom, distance, and the passage of time. Their flight suggests movement from one place to another, while the woman's stillness creates a counterpoint between departure and observation. The title Octobers reinforces the seasonal character of the work without defining a specific narrative.
Rather than presenting a dramatic event, Shulman focuses on a quiet moment of observation. The painting brings together the human figure, the changing season, and the movement of nature in a restrained composition marked by solitude, stillness, and a subtle sense of longing.
Untitled (The Ballet: Quiet Preparation)
In this original oil painting by Igor Shulman, a young woman is seen from behind, her arms raised as she gathers her hair into a ponytail. The pose captures a quiet, private moment, the gentle arch of her back and the soft folds of her slip suggesting ease and natural grace. Warm tones illuminate her skin, emphasizing the subtle play of light across her shoulders and arms.
The background is kept deliberately ambiguous, composed of dark grays and muted browns rendered in expressive brushstrokes. This contrast draws the eye to the figure while creating a sense of intimacy and stillness within the space. The loose, painterly technique blurs the boundary between figure and environment, giving the composition a fluid, contemplative quality.
Shulman’s approach combines realism in the figure’s anatomy with impressionistic touches in the background, allowing light and shadow to define form while leaving room for atmospheric nuance. The brushwork is visible yet controlled, providing texture and movement without overwhelming the subject.
The mood is introspective and calm, a moment of preparation or self-reflection, emphasizing the private, unobserved aspects of daily life. The figure’s back-turned pose suggests both modesty and focus, inviting the viewer to consider the quiet dignity of this solitary gesture. The interplay of light, color, and subtle detail reflects themes of feminine presence, privacy, and the understated beauty of simple acts.
This artwork illustrates Shulman’s skill in balancing figurative realism with expressive brushwork, capturing a transient moment with thoughtfulness and sensitivity.
Untitled (Ballerina)
In this original oil painting by Igor Shulman, a ballerina is captured in a quiet moment of contemplation. Seen in profile, her dark hair is neatly tied into a bun, and her expression is pensive, reflecting the emotional weight of dedication and discipline. She holds a pointe shoe in her hands, a subtle reminder of the artistry and precision inherent to her craft. The white tutu contrasts with her warm skin tones, rendered in gentle oranges and browns, creating a soft interplay between figure and surrounding space.
The setting is minimal, with a largely white background that emphasizes the ballerina’s presence. Light is diffused, casting soft illumination across her form and enhancing the textures created by the artist’s expressive brushwork. The simplicity of the environment draws attention to both the physical elegance of the dancer and the quiet introspection of the moment.
Shulman’s style balances realism with impressionistic touches, capturing anatomical accuracy while allowing brushstrokes to convey emotion and movement. The painterly surface gives a tactile sense to the tutu and leotard, as well as subtle shifts in light and shadow. The mood is contemplative, intimate, and slightly melancholic, reflecting the solitude often accompanying artistic practice.
The painting explores themes of dedication, reflection, and the emotional nuances of creative life. The ballerina’s pose and the presence of her pointe shoes speak to the discipline and vulnerability of performance, offering a glimpse into the private interior world of an artist in preparation.
Dancing in the Fields
35.43 H x 47.24 W x 1.97″ x / 90 H x 120 W x 5 cm
Alternative title: Wind
Dancing in the Fields, also known as Wind, is an original oil painting by Igor Shulman that explores the relationship between the human figure and the natural landscape. A solitary woman stands in an open field, her long hair and flowing black dress carried by a strong current of wind. Rather than resisting the movement around her, she appears to yield to it, creating a composition defined by motion, balance, and openness.
The foreground is filled with textured golden grasses rendered through broad, energetic brushstrokes that suggest the constant movement of the field. Beyond them, a dark line of trees stretches across the horizon, separating the earth from a wide sky painted in muted gray and white tones. The restrained palette allows the dramatic silhouette of the woman to become the visual focus while reinforcing the atmosphere of an overcast day.
Expressive handling of paint gives the landscape a sense of rhythm without sacrificing recognizable form. The folds of the dress and the sweeping fabric echo the direction of the wind, linking the figure with the surrounding environment. Contrasts between dark clothing, pale sky, and warm earth create depth and strengthen the overall composition.
As a contemporary figurative painting, this artwork by Igor Shulman reflects themes of freedom, solitude, and the enduring connection between people and nature. The open landscape and the figure's receptive posture invite multiple interpretations while remaining grounded in direct observation. The painting captures a fleeting moment in which movement, weather, and human presence become inseparable within a single expressive scene.
Dances Final
39.37 H x 39.37 W x 1.97″ x / 100 H x 100 W x 5 cm
Alternative name - Dances
Dances Final is an expressive figurative painting by Igor Shulman, created in 2008. The composition presents a female dancer in a dramatic moment of movement, combining the physical discipline of ballet with a strong sense of theatrical tension.
The dancer occupies the lower half of the square composition, her body extended across the reflective floor. One leg stretches outward while the other bends beneath her, with both feet pointed in ballet slippers. Above her, another movement unfolds: her upper body rises into the darkness, arms lifted and hands brought together above her head. The unusual arrangement makes the figure appear almost divided between two moments of the same dance.
Shulman builds the painting around a powerful contrast between the dancer's illuminated skin and the predominantly dark environment. Deep blacks, charcoal greys and muted blue tones dominate the background, while warm highlights of orange and red catch the dancer's hair, arms and legs. The reflected light beneath her adds another layer to the composition, suggesting a polished stage floor after a performance.
The brushwork is broad and gestural. Rather than describing every detail literally, Shulman uses strong strokes and areas of concentrated light to establish the figure, movement and atmosphere. The dark background is particularly expressive, with diagonal strokes crossing behind the dancer and creating a sense of motion even in the surrounding space.
The painting has a dramatic, almost cinematic quality. Dances Final focuses on the body as an instrument of movement, capturing a moment of physical effort, concentration and suspension between gestures. The combination of darkness, reflected light and fragmented movement gives the work a distinctive stage-like atmosphere.
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Realism
39.4 x 39.4 in / 100 x 100 cm
Realism, Impressionism
39.4 x 39.4 in / 100 x 100 cm
Realism, Impressionism
31.5 x 31.5 in / 80 x 80 cm
Realism
35.4 x 47.2 in / 90 x 120 cm
Expressive Realism
Expressive Realism
Realism, Expressionism
39.4 x 39.4 in / 100 x 100 cm
Realism
27.56 x 27.56 in / 70 x 70 cm
Realism
39.4 x 39.4 in / 100 x 100 cm
Expressive Impressionism, Modern Figurative
39.37 x 39.37 in / 100 x 100 cm
Modern Figurative
47.24 x 35.43 in / 120 x 90 cm
Expressive Realism
39.4 x 39.4 in / 100 x 100 cm
Realism
27.56 x 39.37 in / 70 x 100 cm
47.24 x 35.43 in / 120 x 90 cm
A similar painting After Party #77. Nataly in Red OUT OF STOCK
Also, this painting is added to Erotic collection #2
39.37 W x 39.37 H in / 100 x 100 cm
A similar painting Nude #632 OUT OF STOCK
Also, watch a video review on a SUZANNA POSING painting from a very happy customer
27.56 W x 39.37 H in / 70 x 100 cm
46 W x 28.35 H in / 117 x 72 cm
Sold Lot #565 on Auction: mutualart.com
38.58 W x 38.98 H in / 98 x 99 cm
Lot #335 on Auction: mutualart.com
39.4 W x 39.4 H in / 100 x 100 cm
See also similar art – Charlotte IN STOCK
39.4 W x 39.4 H in / 100 x 100 cm
See a sketch for this project – By the Sea OUT OF STOCK
63 W x 47.24 H in / 160 x 120 cm
63 W x 47.24 H in / 160 x 120 cm
27.6 W x 39.4 H in / 70 x 100 cm
Some archived artworks may be available as prints upon request. Learn more.