Maria Nikulina
BIO
Born and raised in Saint Petersburg. Graduated with honours from the Glinka Art School, then continued studying academic drawing and painting at Art and Aesthetics Gymnasium No. 190.
A true love for painting awakened at the Stieglitz Academy, where colour became an independent force and a dramatic tool. There she learned to paint not only with a brush — but also with a broken chair leg.
In 2023 she enrolled at the University of Padua in a programme on Italian Medieval and Renaissance Art — an opportunity to immerse herself in the culture and language of a country that has long been a source of inspiration.
Artist Statement
My art changes over time: in childhood, painting was a way to escape reality — now it is a way to live through it.
Painting helps me endure pain with dignity and find beauty in the details.
My primary themes are portraiture and animalism, symbolism, and mystical realism. I use colour as an accent, as a strike — in many works a single dominant colour sets the mood of the entire piece.