An evening almost ruined and miraculously saved
On our wedding anniversary, I took Mrs. Cooper to a cozy café. The weather was rainy that day but it couldn’t spoil our holiday. The dinner was delicious and we enjoyed our time. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a camera with us. However, I saw a street painter outside. He made a sketch of the café at once and gave me his telephone number. But when I decided to call the guy, I couldn’t find his note! I must have lost it somewhere! Upset Amelia was the last thing I wanted to see. That’s why I started to search for a proper canvas in the internet. And I found it! My wife was in the seventh heaven though she’s still unaware of the trick! Take a look at the famous café painting by this link.
A thrilling finding I’d like to share
So who is he, the man that made my wife smile? His name is Leonid Afremov. As a professor of Fine arts, I can tell you for sure – he’s a genius! If you visit his website, you’ll find all the necessary information about his career and artistic philosophy. When I received the painting, it came with a certificate signed by Leonid himself. Such a nice bonus!
Returning to the canvas, I’d like to point out some of its visible and hidden benefits:
- Firstly, the name of the café is the same as in our city! I couldn’t believe my luck!
- Amelia loves patches of light and dark blue in the corners of the canvas. She says the rain was knocking at the café door that night. She’s so romantic!
- The green above the café sign and outside the building adds a kind of refreshing effect to the picture. It reminds me of the vine-shrouded walls in our garden.
- Seems that the street lamp is on guard. Its lights twinkle in the windows of the café and on its signboard, they dance in the puddles on the road. And everything around this magical place drowns in warmth.
The canvas by Leonid Afremov kind of reminds me of the famous painting ‘Café terrace at night’ by Vincent van Gogh. Yes, he’s a world-known artist, but unfortunately his time of glory has passed. It’s time for new names! Mr. Afremov’s technique is surely very emotional and dynamic. His works are both realistic and surreal, exquisite and unsophisticated. You don’t have to sit for hours staring at the canvas and trying to understand what that red blot in the middle of the landscape means. But there is certainly a lot of depth in these exuberant, colorful images. I’d say his motto is ‘See, admire, keep admiring.’ And that’s exactly how I and Amelia try to live!
Daniel Cooper 