Brush before business for Baku prodigy


Stanislav "Stass" Shpanin in front of several of his paintings. Reminder Publications submitted photo

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor

WESTFIELD -- Eighteen-year-old Stanislav "Stass" Shpanin has never questioned his life's pursuit.

He was taken to the Youth Creativity Center in his hometown of Baku, Azerbaijan, at the age of four and was asked to choose his passion of study: art or chess. Eight years later, Shpanin had already exhibited 10 solo shows around the world and was named the "Youngest Professional Artist in the World" in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Shpanin, now a resident of West Springfield, will exhibit a brand new collection of more than 25 oil paintings at the Westfield Athenaeum's Jasper Rand Art Museum, 6 Elm St., from May 2 through 30. He will attend the public artist's reception on May 2 from 5 to 8 p.m., proving that no exhibition is too small for his world-renowned work.

"Being an artist is not a profession, it is a form of life," Shpanin said during an interview with Reminder Publications.

He explained that his most recent work is classified as "Neosurrealism." Surrealism is an artistic movement that was founded in the 1920s in which artists such as Salvador Dali created forms based on the subconscious mind to form altered realities.

"I paint an imagined reality," Shpanin explained. "In my paintings I've started to use my new shapes to create a new reality -- some of the ideas in the paintings are realistic [however]."

Christopher Lindquist, director of the Athenaeum, described Shpanin as a "modest and soft-spoken" young man.

"What impressed me most about Stass' work is that he has a fully-formed artistic vision," he said. "He is so intelligent and has incredible artistic skill [which allows him to] express his vision."

Lindquist noted that Shpanin was "routinely selling work for $3,000 to $5,000 by the age of 12."

His works are also on display at the Museum of Contemporary Russian Art in New Jersey, the Museum of Energy and Honor in Hadera, Israel, the Museum of Honor of the World Maccabi Games in Jerusalem, Israel, and at the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan.

When asked how he's able to put a price on his work, Shpanin replied, "Art [is] one of the most stable markets in today's economy. A lot of banks purchase artworks with gold [and classify them] as the most stable investments.

"In most cases, prices for professional art go up, but not down," he continued. "When I work with the galleries, constantly the prices are going up, so it's hard to put a price tag on the work. I will have paintings for sale at the exhibit at the [Athenaeum], and the public [is] welcome to buy them."

Shpanin added that even though he had to learn some business tactics to market himself as a professional artist, he is above all, a man of the brush.

"Art [is] a business now for many," he said. "In order to be on the same page with others, I think artists have to be partially businesspeople now . I had been successful in the business part of my art and my paintings are constantly purchased by public and private collections. But first of all, [I] am not a businessman -- I am an artist. My main goal is to paint and bring my ideas, thoughts and inspirations to a canvas. I am really a happy person [because] I've found my passion in life."

Shpanin noted that he is an art major at the University of Hartford in Connecticut, and might pursue a minor in business as well.

He added that his goal is to continue to "enjoy painting" and to "bring people happiness" with his art.

Further details about Shpanin and his work can be found on his Web site, www.artstassworld.com.

For details about his exhibit and artist reception, call the Athenaeum at 562-0716.

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