There must be a good degree of wisdom in the saying that the new is a well forgotten old.

Those who think that abstract expressionism has outlived itself should think again.

Unlike figurative painting, abstract expressionist artists are focusing on the emotional component rather than on accurate depiction of the reality. Consequently, abstract expressionist paintings are usually emotionally intense. Abstract expressionism has reached its peak in post World War II America and is widely associated with the household names like Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, Adolph Gottlieb and Jackson Pollock.

Jackson Pollock is also frequently associated with action painting, - the term used by some art critics as a synonym of abstract expressionism. Action painting is a style in which paint is spontaneously dribbled or splashed onto the canvas, rather than being carefully applied.

Ravioli painting by Alexander Borissov has evolved as a new painting technique based on the old tradition of action painting.

“Take one freshly boiled ravioli, dip it in household emulsion and ferociously launch with a catapult on a thickly primed and numbered canvas”, - says Alex – “and you will get a painting derived from a unique combination of the intention and chance.”

Alex’s ravioli painting is a true celebration of life in its most active and vivid form. “It is always so exciting to see ravioli splashing onto the canvas. It hits the thickly primed surface like a meteorite hitting the Earth. At times it creates a crater and sends particles of paint onto neighbouring canvases, resulting in a unique and intriguing pattern.”

So, why ravioli?

They happened to have a relatively hard middle and soft periphery - the best combination of qualities required to produce the most exquisite artistic effect, when catapulted on a canvas.

… And why the canvases are numbered?

To enable easy referencing - how else would you refer to a particular ravioli painting - but not just. In our daily life we are surrounded by numbers - telephone numbers, pin codes, car number plates - to name a few. Numbers mean different things to different people. Some people follow numerological principles and build their business appointments around "lucky" days, others frequently refer to horoscopes.

The numbers on Alex’s ravioli paintings mostly serve artistic purpose. They are executed in a delightful combination of texture and colour which is most aesthetically pleasing.

There is one other facet to it: “after all, I am an accountant”, - Alex comments.