Teleshov was born in 1928 in the small town of Klintsy in central Russia. At the age of six he was brought by his parents to the Russian Far East. After graduating from Vladivostok Art College in 1952, he continued his art education under the supervision of notable Moscow painters at the Academicheskaya Dacha. There he developed his unique painting style, which combines impressionistic technique with a realistic vision of nature.
Teleshov's works have been displayed in numerous exhibitions in Russia and abroad, and are featured in the permanent collections of museums in Russia, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, China, and other countries.
“For a creative artist, the most frightening experience is the moment he first touches a blank white canvas”.
“The natural environment is the source of an artist’s inspiration: I walk in the forest and collect every weathered thing that attracts me – whimsical roots, crooked branches, the skulls of animals bleached white with time. Nature is a wonderful teacher: look at the butterfly – the balance of small and large spots on its wings; if there is a yellow spot on one part, two or three smaller spots occur on back to complete the pattern. What perfect harmony!”
“Painting a landscape is not the same as making a photograph. When I am surrounded by nature I am happy, and this same delight is felt by the viewer who experiences my pictures. My mood is contagious!”
“Compared to the life of a human being, nature seems eternal, unchanging – the same oaks and birches and fir trees, the sky, the grass. What does change is the attitude of the artist, based on where he lives. When I am in the country for a long time my eyes assimilate the landscape and eventually I take it for granted and I forget what thrilled me when first I arrived. But, when I return to the city, memory starts its work; it recreates the fields, the birches, the meadows. And those recollections are extremely alive and brisk.”
“Visual perception is not enough: all your senses should be engaged. Mastery of form and color is only the beginning – I know that I can’t paint when my ears do not hear. I need sound: the stirrings of leaves, the singing of birds. If there is a lark singing above my head, my sketch will reflect this.”
“When I paint a child who lives in the country, I will look at his house, how he responds to his natural surroundings, how he picks up a flower. Only after this long observation do I begin the work on canvas.”
~ Anatoliy Teleshov
"The evolution of Teleshov’s art shows the process of climbing the steps of the decades in the direction of growing his skill and his reach to perfection. That was the way of returning to himself, the way of gaining an individual view of life that left a bright and memorable sign in the history of Russian painting."
~ Vitaliy Kandyba
