Konchalovsky

Memory and Glory - Soviet Art of the Great Patriotic War

Alexander Morozov

Article: 
ON THE 65th ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY DAY
Magazine issue: 
#1 2010 (26)

The experience of the Great Patriotic War found a crucial place in the heritage of Sovietera art. As a theme that continues to stir strong feelings in Russian society to this day, its existential conflux of tragedy and triumph on a personal level overlapped with official interest in the subject, considered a crucial one for cultivating patriotism and political stability in Soviet society. Accordingly, warthemed art combined deeply personal motivations with levels of opportunistic ambition, something that determines both its variety and quality.

Memory and Glory - Soviet Art of the Great Patriotic War (#26)

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR FOUND A CRUCIAL PLACE IN THE HERITAGE OF SOVIET-ERA ART. AS A THEME THAT CONTINUES TO STIR STRONG FEELINGS IN RUSSIAN SOCIETY TO THIS DAY, ITS EXISTENTIAL CONFLUX OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH ON A PERSONAL LEVEL OVERLAPPED WITH OFFICIAL INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT, CONSIDERED A CRUCIAL ONE FOR CULTIVATING PATRIOTISM AND POLITICAL STABILITY IN SOVIET SOCIETY. ACCORDINGLY, WAR-THEMED ART COMBINED DEEPLY PERSONAL MOTIVATIONS WITH LEVELS OF OPPORTUNISTIC AMBITION, SOMETHING THAT DETERMINES BOTH ITS VARIETY AND QUALITY.

Creative Discoveries of the Russian Artist-travelers

Margarita Krylova

Article: 
HERITAGE
Magazine issue: 
#2 2010 (27)

The late 18th century saw the appearance in Russia of the “artist-traveler” - artists who accompanied official delegations to new lands, or visited Europe on Academy fellowships, or traveled independently, always recording their impressions of their journeys. Drawing was the most direct form in which to do so: their sketches from nature - the first step towards final, finished compositions - were created using different media (pencil, quill, watercolour or pastel), and preserved intact the freshness of the artistic perception of nature, architectural landmarks, and people. An exhibition of graphic artwork from the Tretyakov Gallery collection, held from June 2009 through January 2010, featured more than 350 pieces from the late 18 th to the early 20th century (up until the 1930s), created by artists during their travels across the Russian empire and the world.

Creative Discoveries of the Russian Artist-travelers

“The East, Nationality and the West”

Irina Vakar, Tatiana Levina, Tatiana Mikhienko

Article: 
KNAVE OF DIAMONDS
Magazine issue: 
Special issue. KNAVE OF DIAMONDS

This phrase happened to be the title of a fruitful debate held in 1913. Short though it was, it represented one of the most acute problems in early avant-garde art. Painters, poets and art critics - those who created new Russian art and those who were against it - paid written attention to the subject in those days. It was not the first time that the Russian innovators faced the problem of self-identification. It had been a concern for a few years already, but before it had been expressed in the stylistics and choice of themes of their pictures only, rather than in the theoretical conclusions or statements. The complexity of the situation stemmed from the fact that the young artists traced their artistic roots back both to the French painting tradition and to the national, popular folk culture which they believed to have originated in the East. This combination allowed different trends to exist simultaneously in their painting: the primitive co-existed with Postimpressionism and Fauvism, “quotations” from Henri Matisse could be found next to the “lubok” (popular woodblock prints), while “quotations” from Paul Cezanne could be seen alongside the devices of shop-sign painting. Natalia Goncharova, one of the most notable figures of the movement, insisted that “it is necessary to blend the 'alien' art with the native one”. But what was to be considered “alien” or pure Russian at that point? Some of the works of the members of the “Knave of Diamonds” group of the end of the 1900s and through the 1910s can be interpreted as part of their dialogue with the French painters, as well as their reflection on their own roots.

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This phrase happened to be the title of a fruitful debate held in 1913. Short though it was, it represented one of the most acute problems in early avant-garde art. Painters, poets and art critics - those who created new Russian art and those who were against it - paid written attention to the subject in those days.

On the 70th Anniversary of the Great Victory

Article: 
EVENTS
Magazine issue: 
#2 2015 (47)

THE GLORIOUS VICTORY OF THE SOVIET PEOPLE IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR (1941-1945) CROWNS THE TRAGIC AND HEROIC EPIC OF WORLD WAR II, THE BLOODIEST CONFLICT IN HUMAN HISTORY. THIS VICTORY BECAME AN EVERLASTING SYMBOL OF THE STRUGGLE AGAINST FASCISM, WHICH UNITED PEOPLES OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, RACES AND NATIONS, CHAMPIONS OF EVERY POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL SYSTEM, FROM EUROPE AND ASIA TO NORTH AMERICA AND AFRICA. CELEBRATING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT VICTORY, WE RECALL THE MOST MEMORABLE EVENTS OF THE DRAMATIC AND GLORIOUS HISTORY OF OUR HOMELAND, THE EXPLOITS OF OUR ANCESTORS FROM THE TIMES OF ALEXANDER NEVSKY AND DMITRY DONSKOY, PRINCE DMITRY POZHARSKY AND KUZMA MININ, ALEXANDER SUVOROV AND MIKHAIL KUTUZOV, FYODOR USHAKOV AND PAVEL NAKHIMOV, MIKHAIL SKOBELEV AND ALEXEI BRUSILOV... THEIR FEATS REFLECT THE HISTORY OF OUR NATION'S SPIRIT - A HISTORY IN WHICH NOTHING IS LOST, NOTHING VANISHES WITHOUT TRACE, BUT WHERE EVERYTHING IS PASSED DOWN FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER AS A CONSTANT ETHICAL REMINDER OF FAITH AND COURAGE, PATRIOTIC LOVE AND SACRIFICE FOR SAKE OF THE FUTURE.

47_01.jpg

THE GLORIOUS VICTORY OF THE SOVIET PEOPLE IN THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR (1941-1945) CROWNS THE TRAGIC AND HEROIC EPIC OF WORLD WAR II, THE BLOODIEST CONFLICT IN HUMAN HISTORY. THIS VICTORY BECAME AN EVERLASTING SYMBOL OF THE STRUGGLE AGAINST FASCISM, WHICH UNITED PEOPLES OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, RACES AND NATIONS, CHAMPIONS OF EVERY POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL SYSTEM, FROM EUROPE AND ASIA TO NORTH AMERICA AND AFRICA.

Memory and Glory-Soviet Art of the Great Patriotic War

Alexander Morozov

Article: 
ON THE 65th ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY DAY
Magazine issue: 
#3 2013 (40)

The experience of the Great Patriotic War found a crucial place in the heritage of Sovietera art. As a theme that continues to stir strong feelings in Russian society to this day, its existential conflux of tragedy and triumph on a personal level overlapped with official interest in the subject, considered a crucial one for cultivating patriotism and political stability in Soviet society. Accordingly, warthemed art combined deeply personal motivations with levels of opportunistic ambition, something that determines both its variety and quality.

2013_3_art_11_th.jpg

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR FOUND A CRUCIAL PLACE IN THE HERITAGE OF SOVIET-ERA ART. AS A THEME THAT CONTINUES TO STIR STRONG FEELINGS IN RUSSIAN SOCIETY TO THIS DAY, ITS EXISTENTIAL CONFLUX OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH ON A PERSONAL LEVEL OVERLAPPED WITH OFFICIAL INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT, CONSIDERED A CRUCIAL ONE FOR CULTIVATING PATRIOTISM AND POLITICAL STABILITY IN SOVIET SOCIETY. ACCORDINGLY, WAR-THEMED ART COMBINED DEEPLY PERSONAL MOTIVATIONS WITH LEVELS OF OPPORTUNISTIC AMBITION, SOMETHING THAT DETERMINES BOTH ITS VARIETY AND QUALITY.

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