Irina Leytes
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Irina Leytes
A Journey to the Land of Colour
#2 2021 (71)
In the spring and summer of 2021, the Tretyakov Gallery is set to host an exhibition of work by the colourful and original artist Tatiana Mavrina (1900-1996).
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Irina Leytes, Yekaterina Arkhipova
“Why look for another like her? Moscow stands unmatched...” THE CITY AND THE PEOPLE. MOSCOW IN 20TH CENTURY GRAPHIC ARTS
#2 2018 (59)
“Why look for another like her? Moscow stands unmatched...’’ These words, chosen for the title of a memoir by the 19th century architect Vladimir Bakarev, remain a fitting expression of the Russian capital's enduring appeal.1 Today, drastic changes in the way the city looks leave some excited, others outraged, but no one indifferent. Moscow has always attracted both painters and graphic artists, who have chosen the city as their subject.
EXCLUSIVE PUBLICATIONS
Irina Leytes, Yekaterina Arkhipova
The Housing Question*. Interior Scenes in Soviet Graphic Art from the 1920s to the 1980s
#2 2017 (55)
Depictions of everyday life - showing people engaged with their usual activities, in their accustomed home surroundings - have long been common in world art. In 20th century Russia, however, attitudes towards domestic life - byt, in the general Russian word - and indeed towards the concept of the home itself, underwent dramatic shifts. In the past, the home had been seen as a safe, contained space, offering its inhabitants comfort, warmth and a sense of safety. However, following the cataclysmic upheavals of the early 20th century, the radical ideology that took over in Soviet Russia sought to portray the comforts of home as pernicious for those who belonged to the new social order: this “counter-force” governed everything from home furnishings to Mayakovsky’s otherwise blameless canaries.
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Irina Leytes
A Many-sided Genre: The Nude in Russian Graphic Art in the 20th Century
#1 2015 (46)
THE CURRENT EXHIBITION IN THE LAVRUSHINSKY GRAPHIC ARTS HALL REPRESENTS THE SECOND PART OF THE MAJOR PROJECT TITLED "MAGIC OF THE HUMAN BODY". IT TELLS THE STORY OF A MOST POETIC CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF RUSSIAN GRAPHIC ARTS AT THE END OF THE 19TH AND BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURIES, THAT OF DRAWING THE NUDE HUMAN FORM. GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE ART OF DRAWING, COMPARED TO PAINTING AND SCULPTURE, IS BY NATURE MORE CAPABLE OF QUICKLY AND FORCEFULLY TRANSFORMING AN INHERENTLY NEUTRAL MOTIF INTO AN ARTISTIC IMAGE THAT EXPRESSES CERTAIN IMPORTANT NOTIONS AND CONCEPTS. THE NUDE GENRE IS NO EXCEPTION, SO IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT EVERY WELL-KNOWN RUSSIAN ARTIST OF THE 20TH CENTURY TRIED HIS OR HER HAND AT IT. THIS EXHIBITION BRINGS TOGETHER THOSE FIGURES WHO MADE THE NUDE DRAWING INTO A SEPARATE GENRE OF THE VISUAL ARTS, AND AN IMPORTANT THEME IN THEIR WORK.