Historically seen, the period form 1979 to 1983 corresponds to the last years of Leonid Brezhnev’s rule and Yuri Andropov’s short interim rule – in retrospect, to the Soviet pre-perestroika period, sometimes called the period of stagnation. But regarding Kozlov’s art, these years demonstrate a fast evolution in terms of style, technique and subject matter the artist discussed in his search for “new ways of expression” (p. 4-03) and “the language of the future” (p. 4-40).

To Kozlov, it was an existential question, since, as he wrote, “I am certain that my peace of mind is dependent on how satisfied I am with my creative activity” (p.1-15). Accordingly, lack of productivity, even when due to force majeure, caused feelings of worry and even guilt:

Numerous entries relate to the works he was creating or planned to create, some just consisting of a title, while others were provided with a detailed description, for example “A brain, created by human hands. Polished surfaces consisting of folds of the brain that are perfectly round across their diameter. The diameter of the tubes is somewhat thicker than in a brain of the type created by nature.…” (p.1-03).

Because Kozlov’s early body of work is rather well documented more>>, many of the titles and some of the descriptions can be related to a specific painting, drawing, or monotype. Reproductions of these works are part of the notes to the diaries, including works with a more hypothetical relation to a text, as is the case with an entry from around September 1979, “The bus stop near the “L-d” [“Leningrad”] cinema. A view directly from the street to its end, all the way to the fence and the building behind it. A chimney. Autumn.” (p. 1-07). The “building behind” refers to the Tauride Garden Greenhouse, and there is actually a painting from 1981, displaying this very subject.

(E-E) Evgenij Kozlov Untitled (Tauride Garden, Greenhause) Oil on canvas, approx. 60 x 80 cm, 1981, E-E archive number E-E-181073 The Kozlov & Fobo Collection, Berlin

(E-E) Evgenij Kozlov
Untitled (Tauride Garden, Greenhause)
Oil on canvas, approx. 60 x 80 cm, 1981
E-E archive number E-E-181073
The Kozlov & Fobo Collection, Berlin

The Tauride Garden Greenhouse is one of a small number of landscape paintings. Kozlov’s art has always mostly been figurative, although frequently combined with abstract elements. The documentation of his works shows how each year brings forth a new figurative style: colourful and sculptural in 1980, sublime and meditative in 1981, vibrant and narrative in 1982 and semi-realistic in 1982/1983. Generally speaking, features of Russian art, especially of Russian folklore, give way to a more international style, especially after 1983, when Kozlov started integrating his own photography into his compositions, combining it with graffiti art. The tradition of the Soviet avant-garde nevertheless had an impact on his constructivist works from 1987 to 1990, a style he took up again in Berlin in 1995 with his large cycle “Miniatures in Paradise” more>>.

When assessing his own works, E-E judged them by the fact whether or not they speak the “language of the future”. His critical approach can be clearly seen when comparing two paintings from 1982, “House” and “Tuaregs” (later called “Noli Me Tangere”).

~~Is too much directed towards / used by artists of the (60s) - 75s~~



(E-E) Evgenij Kozlov Дом (прихожане в церкви) / House (Parishioners in Church). Oil on canvas, 89.5 x 102.5 cm, 1982 Original version E-E archival number E-E-187007		(E-E) Evgenij Kozlov Туареги / Tuaregs (Noli Me Tangere) Tempera, gouache, watercolour and collage on canvas, 93 x 106 cm, 1982 Final version E-E archival number E-E-182002 The Kozlov & Fobo Collection, Berlin

Last but not least, he also considered the role of the viewer. Selecting his works for a TEII group exhibition in 1983 (see chapter 3), he synthesised the positions of viewer and artist:

In his diaries, the artist defines his art only once – as “dukhovnyi realism” or spiritual realism, in an entry from January 1981 (p. 2-44). But this definition might just as well relate to how he has always perceived the spiritual world – as real. Put differently, the diaries are not giving an account of any particular stylistic evolution in the way I have described them above. But they do make us understand how Kozlov’s search for “new solutions in art” went along with a permanent inner discourse, as he was striving to gain awareness on an otherwise intuitive process following its own rules of creating images:

It certainly didn’t mean that he was painting without understanding the effect of colours and lines. He reflects on the interaction of white and black (black absorbs white and lies deeper in the plane than the white surface), or on space bounded by horizontal lines (it widens) or vertical lines (it lengthens) (p. 4-08-09). But it is not surprising that his interest extends to Freud’s psychology and the role of subconsciousness – feeling and intuition – which he applies to the creative process (p. 3-13-16). He comes to the conclusion that

This passage precedes the sentence quoted in the previous chapter, “I have achieved a state of performance where I'm completely free and absolutely audacious.” (p. 3-16). It also explains why Kozlov thinks that art cannot be taught.

The same interest in higher forms of consciousness led him to George Gurdjieff, a Russian mystic (1866 or 1877 – 1949). Unfortunately, a summary of his writings (p. 2-46) is no longer complete, since one of the pages has been torn off, but Gurdjieff’s name appears again in a list of writers on page 4-04-05.

Likewise, he is interested in classical philosophy. An entry in late 1982 displays Plato’s pyramidal representation of “being” on four levels, based on a writing by Moscow philosopher Valentin Ferdinandovich Asmus (1894–1975) (p. 3-48).

(E-E) Evgenij Kozlov, Diary III, pp 48-49 Page 48: Plato’s pyramidal representation of “being” on four levels, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies Special Collection, Harvard University

(E-E) Evgenij Kozlov, Diary III, pp 48-49
Page 48: Plato’s pyramidal representation of “being” on four levels,
Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies Special Collection, Harvard University

Ontological topics first appear in Diary I, where Kozlov discusses them without reference to any particular author. The discussion is rather comprehensive, starting on page seventeen and continuing up to page thirty-four. Kozlov argues in a dialectical way of thesis and antithesis:

~~does or does not exist~~

Particular attention is given to two questions. The first is the relation between nothing and everything (pp.1-17-34):

The second question concerns matter and non-matter (p. 1-27-34):

It is interesting that Kozlov argues from a materialistic point of view which considers non-matter (“thought”) as nothing more than a product of matter (“brain”). It is a concept he completely revised later, as he is now regarding thought as being superordinate to matter. In 2020, he created a crayon drawing on cardboard carrying the following text “Everything in this world but thought is material (Even the soul possesses weight and volume)”.

But in 1980, he nevertheless didn’t question the existence of non-matter as such. Rather, he insisted on the fact that the properties of non-matter need to be measured properly:

In order to speak about that which is not material, you need to take as your benchmark units of measurement that differ from those customarily used for measuring that which is material. […] The phenomenon of that which is not material being generated by that which is material / thought – brain / has not yet been studied by man.

Concerning eternity and infinity:

The discussion leads him back to art, more exactly, to the nature of a work of art:

The entry is dated 18 March 1980. On the next day, 19 March, he gives himself an account of his situation as an artist:

His inner discourse about art was indeed a permanent one, no matter what other activities he was pursuing.