Avant-garde and socialist realism
Avant-gardism, developed in the literature by Vladimir Mayakovsky and Velimir Khlebnikov, since the 1910s has also spread powerfully in Russian painting. Back in the 1910s avant-gardism in Russia was fond…

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Artist Konstantin Andreevich Somov, Soviet painting
Konstantin Somov is one of the representatives of Russian symbolism. The development of the artist's style was largely influenced by his studies at the Paris-based Colorassi studio (1897–1899); it was…

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Old English painting, English artists of the 17th - early 20th century
Collectors of antique painting conservative in their passions. The greatest interest are the Italian Renaissance masters, the old Dutch and German painters, the French Impressionists and some others. At the…

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About art emigration from Russia to the West (1920-1950s)
The problem of including the artistic heritage of Russian emigration in the concept of the development of Russian art of the 20th century in our days does not cease to…

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knowingly shameless

10 fun facts about paintings by famous artists

Pablo Picasso painted one of his famous portraits in less than 5 minutes
One of his acquaintances, Pablo Picasso, while examining his new works, sincerely told the artist: “Sorry, but I can’t understand it. Such things simply do not exist. ” To which Picasso retorted: “You don’t understand Chinese either. But he still exists. ” However, Picasso did not understand many. Once he suggested to the Russian writer Ehrenburg, his good friend, to write his portrait. He happily agreed, but did not have time to sit in a chair to pose, as the artist said that everything was ready. Continue reading

What pictures of Russian classics were banned from showing

We are accustomed to associate censorship bans with forbidden books or films. But even in such a seemingly harmless genre of art as painting, artists could go against the ideological attitudes of power, because of which certain paintings were not accepted for display at public exhibitions. Several such stories happened in the Russian Empire, and they are connected not with some little-known artists, but with generally recognized masters of the brush.
One of the most famous Wanderers, Ilya Repin, by the 1880s, was an artist with great experience. Pavel Tretyakov bought his paintings, cultural figures posed for him – such as the writer Turgenev and the composer Musorgsky. In addition to portraits and a social theme (for example, “Barge Haulers on the Volga”), Repin was always interested in historical subjects. Continue reading

“Great castration”: As covered up the shame in paintings and sculptures at different times

The history of art knows many examples when, at a change in cultural epochs, works created by predecessors begin to be perceived not quite rightly. Probably the most significant in this case is an example of the appearance of fig leaves on antique statues. For the sake of moral preservation in the Middle Ages, thousands of ancient masterpieces were subjected to “great castration.” Interestingly, this tradition today takes on a “second wind”.
The subject of nude in art often becomes a stumbling block and is still a heated debate – does the artist have the right to reveal his model, is this really an artistic device or just a way to get unhealthy attention? Continue reading

Pissing pug, Lucifer and other ambiguous sculptures that caused a lot of controversy
Any art form is controversial, and statues are no exception. Considering that they are made, as a rule, in honor of famous people, objects or events, all people simply cannot…

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Russian avant-garde, Russian artist Kandinsky, Vasily Vasilyevich
Kandinsky became the creator of abstract art in its pure form, its theorist and creator. In his early works, which strongly influenced the French and German influence, and undoubtedly in…

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