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Rudolf Kosow Art

German, Kazakhstani, b. 1972

Like images from a dream, Rudolf Kosow’s Surrealist figurative and still-life paintings and drawings conjure into reality otherworldly and absurdist scenes.

Kosow was born in 1972 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. From 1994 to 2000, he studied painting at the city’s State Academy of Fine Arts.

Now based in Germany, he divides his time between Stuttgart and the town of Laichingen. He creates oil paintings based on three subjects: humans, animals and landscapes. He invites the viewer to interpret each work’s enigmatic message. For instance, in Contact, an astronaut is seemingly unaware of a colossal cat’s peering eye. In Missing Pieces, Kosow depicts a couple considering the whereabouts of slices taken from a giant Black Forest cake.

Kosow also explores the nature of human relationships in his portraits, such as Couple and Discord. Capture features a large-scale image of a sleeping girl juxtaposed with a miniature soldier standing guard. 

“I try to paint things as realistically and as close as possible to enhance the real impression,” Kosow says in his artist’s statement. Although the imagery in his paintings and figurative drawings can be strange and somewhat unsettling, Kosow’s unique interplay of light and shadow creates a sense of “calm, harmony and peace.” 

Kosow has exhibited across Germany and France. His works are sought by collectors of 21st-century Surrealist art.

On 1stDibs, find a range of Rudolf Kosow’s paintings, drawings and more.

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Artist: Rudolf Kosow
It's just like that (fly blue sky vintage men americana surrealist oil painting)
It's just like that (fly blue sky vintage men americana surrealist oil painting)

It's just like that (fly blue sky vintage men americana surrealist oil painting)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

Superbe original painting on canvas depicting an oversized fly as an enigma in a clear bue sky above a perplexed group of men. keywords; americana, surrealism, fly, vintage, oil painting, men figurative painting...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Suspicious Mr. J (grey monochrome vintage portrait Botany nostalgia man hat)

Suspicious Mr. J (grey monochrome vintage portrait Botany nostalgia man hat)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic...

Category

2010s Jugendstil Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Couple (oil painting flesh tones vintage couple sleeping beauty nostalgia)
Couple (oil painting flesh tones vintage couple sleeping beauty nostalgia)

Couple (oil painting flesh tones vintage couple sleeping beauty nostalgia)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

The significant size difference plays with the perception of the viewer, perhaps confused, one asks oneself the question, if what is shown much larger, is also much more important .....

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Irreversibility (vintage old car wreck nostalgia light blue auto oil painting)
Irreversibility (vintage old car wreck nostalgia light blue auto oil painting)

Irreversibility (vintage old car wreck nostalgia light blue auto oil painting)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

keywords; surrealism, car portrait, car accident, oil painting, representation painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary realist painting, dreams, symbolic composition, tonalist, grey, monochrome, nostalgic, vintage, early century, illustration, car, automobile, old car wreck...

Category

2010s American Realist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Relic 2.18 (vintage car old rusty truck wreck nostalgia monochrome oil painting)

Relic 2.18 (vintage car old rusty truck wreck nostalgia monochrome oil painting)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

keywords; brown, earth tones, surrealism, car portrait, car accident, oil painting, representation painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary realist painting, dreams, symbolic composition, tonalist, grey, monochrome, nostalgic, vintage, early century, illustration, car, automobile, old car wreck...

Category

2010s American Realist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mr. Cheerful (monochrome portrait vintage old man beard Hat Botanic nostalgia)

Mr. Cheerful (monochrome portrait vintage old man beard Hat Botanic nostalgia)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

Mr. Cheerful by Rudolf Kosow presents a figure whose warm smile and rugged features exude an air of quiet confidence, yet the surreal detail of branches sprouting from his hat adds a...

Category

2010s Realist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mr. L (oil painting monochrome vintage old man beard portrait nostalgia flower)

Mr. L (oil painting monochrome vintage old man beard portrait nostalgia flower)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mr. L (oil painting monochrome vintage old man beard portrait nostalgia, hat)

Mr. L (oil painting monochrome vintage old man beard portrait nostalgia, hat)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic...

Category

2010s Realist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Malua Rosea Multiplex (drawing paper monochrome Botany girl braids monochrome)

Malua Rosea Multiplex (drawing paper monochrome Botany girl braids monochrome)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic...

Category

2010s Realist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Color Pencil, Paper

Creative Rush (girl drawing blue sky figurative oil painting brown tonnes)
Creative Rush (girl drawing blue sky figurative oil painting brown tonnes)

Creative Rush (girl drawing blue sky figurative oil painting brown tonnes)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

Creative Rush by Rudolf Kosow is a captivating oil painting that captures the intimate and imaginative world of a child in the act of creation. The artwork depicts a young girl kneel...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Wonderers (coyote, ukulele, man, nature, animal portrait, surrealist painting)
Wonderers (coyote, ukulele, man, nature, animal portrait, surrealist painting)

Wonderers (coyote, ukulele, man, nature, animal portrait, surrealist painting)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

"Wanderers" by Rudolf Kosow is an evocative painting that captures the kindred spirit of the traveler and the wild. A coyote, poised and attentive, gazes upward, its fur rendered with fine, delicate brushstrokes that give it a soft, ethereal quality against the blue canvas. The wolf's eyes, alight with a sense of knowing, seem to look beyond the confines of the canvas, into a distance only it can see. Below, a human figure with a ukulele, lost in the music, embodies the essence of a wanderer, his song rising to mingle with the untamed essence of the wolf. Both figures, though disparate in their nature, share a moment of connection through their mutual embrace of freedom and exploration. Kosow's "Wanderers" speaks to the universal call of the wild that resonates within us all, a call to seek, to explore, and to express. It's a celebration of the souls that roam with a song in their heart, finding harmony with the wilderness around them. This piece invites us to reflect on our inner wanderer and the paths we tread, both in the physical world and in the vast landscapes of our imagination. keywords; painting on canvas, surrealist painting, animal vs human, americana, nature, man, man vs nature, surrealism, giant animal...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Moody (black dog, hat man, green vintage suit, animal, surrealist oil painting)
Moody (black dog, hat man, green vintage suit, animal, surrealist oil painting)

Moody (black dog, hat man, green vintage suit, animal, surrealist oil painting)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

In "Moody," the painter Rudolf Kosow presents a composition that captivates with its emotional depth and surreal creativity. The subject, a soulful canine with eyes that gleam with a...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

United and Fate Challenge I (Surrealist Oil Painting on Canvas monochrome, hair)
United and Fate Challenge I (Surrealist Oil Painting on Canvas monochrome, hair)

United and Fate Challenge I (Surrealist Oil Painting on Canvas monochrome, hair)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

Mental closeness connects two dissimilar beings, despite great differences. keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Busy  (vintage ladies woman lingerie 3D oil painting paper branches surrealist)
Busy  (vintage ladies woman lingerie 3D oil painting paper branches surrealist)

Busy (vintage ladies woman lingerie 3D oil painting paper branches surrealist)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

Busy is a tridimensional original painting on paper on branches depicting tailor ladies working taking body measurements along a path in a dark night. keywords; vintage tailor ladi...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Driftwood, Oil, Laid Paper

Fate Challenge I (lady climber wildcat brown earth tones yellow ochre mauve
Fate Challenge I (lady climber wildcat brown earth tones yellow ochre mauve

Fate Challenge I (lady climber wildcat brown earth tones yellow ochre mauve

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

In "Fate challenge II“ a mountaineer is eagerly climbing a steep rock ledge because she has seen something from a distance that she could not explain and is planning to find out. Alt...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Used and Needless (painting vintage old American tractor wreck nostalgia farm
Used and Needless (painting vintage old American tractor wreck nostalgia farm

Used and Needless (painting vintage old American tractor wreck nostalgia farm

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary realist painting, dreams, symbolic composition, dream, men , portrait, earth tones, tonalist, grey, monochrome, nostalgic, vintage, early century, illustration, brown, car, automobile, tractor, old car wreck...

Category

2010s American Realist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Good the Bad and Ugly (oil painting monochrome man cowboy western hat)

The Good the Bad and Ugly (oil painting monochrome man cowboy western hat)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abutilon  Auicennae (drawing paper botany nostalgic lady chignon hair bun plants

Abutilon Auicennae (drawing paper botany nostalgic lady chignon hair bun plants

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

keywords; surrealism, portrait, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic composition, dream, flesh tones, portrait, earth tones, tonalist, nostalgia, early 20th century, naturalist, illustration, grey art, young woman, hair, hair bun...

Category

2010s Jugendstil Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Color Pencil, Paper

Unforgotten  (oil painting monochrome vintage couple hat portrait earth tones

Unforgotten (oil painting monochrome vintage couple hat portrait earth tones

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

Unforgotten by Rudolf Kosow is a poignant meditation on memory and loss, where the textured, monochromatic surface evokes the passage of time. The downward gaze of the male figure, w...

Category

2010s Tonalist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Stramonia (oil painting monochrome vintage woman hat portrait earth tones)

Stramonia (oil painting monochrome vintage woman hat portrait earth tones)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

Stramonia by Rudolf Kosow is an monochrome oil painting that evokes a dreamlike interplay between figure and flora, where the blurred contours of the subject dissolve into the organi...

Category

2010s Tonalist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mr. D (monochrome vintage man portrait nostalgia yellow ochre flowers botany)

Mr. D (monochrome vintage man portrait nostalgia yellow ochre flowers botany)

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

Desperate Mr. D presents a hauntingly intimate portrait of a man whose weathered face and piercing gaze convey a sense of hardship and resilience. The monochromatic rendering of his ...

Category

2010s Symbolist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Last Leaves (young girl yellow shirt fall leave portrait figurative oil painting
Last Leaves (young girl yellow shirt fall leave portrait figurative oil painting

Last Leaves (young girl yellow shirt fall leave portrait figurative oil painting

By Rudolf Kosow

Located in Quebec, Quebec

Rudolf Kosow’s Last Leaves is a hauntingly poetic oil painting that blends contemporary figurative painting with surrealism and symbolic composition. A young girl, her face rendered ...

Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Rudolf Kosow art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Rudolf Kosow art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, orange, purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Rudolf Kosow in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the Surrealist style. Not every interior allows for large Rudolf Kosow art, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Valton Tyler, Henry David Potwin, and Joseph Broghammer. Rudolf Kosow art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $503 and tops out at $10,000, while the average work can sell for $4,863.

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