At one time or another, most of us have stood before a great painting in museum. Perhaps we have admired the painting, or wondered about the artist who created it, or thought about how we felt as we observed it. Few of us would have the intellectual curiosity, artistic skill, and, most importantly, the courage to attempt to re-create and thus reinterpret that painting, especially if the masterpiece happened to be one of Leonardo da Vinci's. But Nikolai Oskolkov is one of those daring few.

A senior Bachelor of Fine Arts candidate in the Department of Art, Nikolai Oskolkov began his study of da Vinci's art in spring 2004 when he took a painting materials and processes course with Professor David Voros. Soon after, he joined Professor Voros and other students for a study trip to Italy, where he experienced firsthand the works of Renaissance and Baroque artists. That trip provided the inspiration for Nikolai's current research project---a re-creation of da Vinci's Madonna of the Rocks. In this project, Nikolai seeks not simply to copy da Vinci's work, but to understand it as the artist himself may have, employing the same materials, applying the same techniques, and encountering the same questions, choices, and artistic problems.

Two faculty members in the Department of Art have been special sources of inspiration in Nikolai's development as an artist and scholar. Besides Professor David Voros, who has given him a "most valuable introduction to the diverse world of painting," Professor Deanna Leamon has helped Nikolai develop an artist's perspective and insight into human anatomy. As Nikolai looks forward to graduation in a few months, he reflects on his own experiences as a student, and offers some advice to other undergraduates: "Try to make this period in your life more significant to yourself . . . by developing an open mind, by gaining an ability to change your own opinions and regard the outlooks of others, by having a certain degree of independence, and, perhaps, by regarding yourself with good humor and humility in what you do." Nikolai stands as an example of what a liberal education can do for a young person who seeks both wisdom and knowledge.

The son of Konstantin Oskolkov, a professor in our Department of Mathematics, and the late Vera V. Melnikova, Nikolai plans to wait a year or two after graduation before pursuing graduate study in art. In the interim, he'll continue working at City Art Gallery, helping both established and emerging artists to exhibit their work, while creating his own. In the future, we may find Nikolai teaching art at the university level, creating commissioned works for private or public collections, or, perhaps, working as an independent artist with exhibits in fine galleries and museums worldwide. Whatever path he chooses, Nikolai will make art, responding to his own creative impulse and using the skills, perspectives, and contexts he has learned here in the College of Arts and Sciences.

For his creative accomplishments and his commitment to intellectual excellence, the College of Arts and Sciences is proud to name Nikolai Oskolkov as our student of the month.

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