Russian Art & Paris

“Russian Art & Paris” Art Show. Winter’13 (Part 1)

In the winter Art Show ’13 journal of the Russian Art & Paris, which will be published in two parts – the 1st and the 15th of February, we offer our readers a number of modern artists whose work deserves serious attention. The first part presents four contemporary artists. Peter Chekantzev, Associate Professor of the painting of the Moscow City Pedagogical University, is a artist of large scale and creative range. Anatoly Lukash, a Saint Petersburg artist, is one of the most interesting artists of contemporary landscape painting. Vladimir Paroshin is a well-known and very popular Moscow artist whose artwork is concentrated in themes of urban landscape. Aleksandr Pavlovets, a magnificent Dnepropetrovsk artist, has been successfully working in a wide range of genres. All of these excellent painters – mature masters, are now at the peak of their artistic and professional career.

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ARTIST PETR CHEKANTZEV, (MOSKOW)

The creative work of artist Petr Chekantzev, multifaceted and multipolar, always exciting the viewer with the dramatic effect of sensations and with the temperament of its characteristics, is surprisingly frank. Frankness in art, is a extremely risky quality. Something objectively significant, of value to the viewer, must be created in the space of the canvas. A new meaning, a new world outlook, new emotions must be revealed to the viewer and understood by him. Understanding artwork is no easier than creating it. Comprehension of art, is a movement along the road, on which the artist is already walking towards you. Frankness implies that most of this difficult and sophisticated long road, the artist takes upon himself.
• A distinctive feature of the creative work of Petr Chekantzev is the amazing sense of time. Time – our days – in the works of this artist is real and tangible. It really is these days, and their recognizability by the audience is evidence of not just the authenticity and accuracy of the observations, but also the accuracy of the sensations. The artist sees the world in detail, letting his temperament to burst forth in color and tonal structures, but carefully preserving the authenticity of the human existence.
• The tuning fork of human presence is clearly heard in many artistic compositions of Petr Chekantzev. Let’s focus on a small-scale landscape “Silent Autumn”. At first glance, the human figure in the lower part is no more than an entourage – a small detail with the purpose of slightly enlightening the beautiful autumn landscape. Analysis of tonal range, however, tells a different story. Tonal accents “lead” the viewer in a circle along the coast, locking onto the female silhouette. This is the center of meaning and plot of the composition. The landscape begins to take on a portrait characteristic – to record the state of the human soul, her complicated condition. Here all is in dissonance – a soft color of a far shore and explosive rhythms in the foreground, the bright autumn sky and the black depth of the lake. This is the reality in which a person believes.
• The compositional structure “with a window” is traditionally difficult for painting. Well known are the problems faced by the artist in such compositions. Well known are also the possible solutions. In the composition “Raining”, the natural type of light – “contre” is developed to its maximum. Painting is approaching graphic art, thus depriving the artist to work with its main component – color. Maximally constricted space confirms the realized austerity of the artistic decision of this scene. Raining, the state where there is nothing but the rain. No space, no color, only cold gray light from the window. A small and very mundane plot grows to a large scale theme – “Friend! There is rain outside my window, worries and blessings are on the heart …” (M. Tsvetaeva).
• It is difficult to single out a genre that could be called the major one among the works of Petr Chekantzev. Working in a wide range of topics, the artist is interesting and nontrivial in the choice of scenes, if such a choice is indeed the case. Looking at many of the works, there is a feeling that this plot has chosen for itself the artist Petr Chekantzev. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text: “Silent Autumn” Oil on canvas. (45 x 65 cm)

“The self-portrait” Oil on Canvas. (80 x 60 cm)

“Raining” Oil on Canvas. (90 x 70 cm)

“Vasily Lyubimov” Oil on Canvas. (100 x 75 cm)

* * *

ARTIST ANATOLY LUKASH, (SAINT PETERSBURG)

In Russian art there are few artists, whose work is full of joyful intonations. There are even fewer such artists in the genre of Russian landscape which is clearly dominated by the sound of a minor chord. Why is that? Is it in the real character of Russian nature or the stereotype self-focus of the artist on the same range of emotions, on the same note? Against this traditional art background, Anatoly Lukash is a rare and happy exception. A wide emotional range of his artworks is vary from a sad elegy to lively humor, all in open-air painting compositions. This, you may agree, is not common. Open-air artwork presents specific requirements for the artist, including inartificial psychological requirements. An empirically-inclined personality and confidence in the accuracy of his own feelings are a must. The nature of open-air art contains the sketch-like style of the painting, that improvisational ease, naturalness of the image, which is so highly regarded in the visual art. (Before us appears a very long line of artists whose creativity is built on “completeness” entirely. But as soon as this completeness is mentally removed, nothing remains from those fine art works.)
• A small landscape, with an unusual for paintings name – “Summer – is a little life.” In this title is the subtle irony of a Southerner who knows the seasonal rhythm of life in the coastal cities. Their festive carnival mood is fleeting, and most part of the year they are deserted and almost empty. But for those who are now sitting on the veranda, summer really is a whole life. Impressionism is obvious for this painting-sketch, but no less obvious is its psychology – that combination of qualities that transforms a natural sketch into a real work of fine art. Yes, each artist sees the world in his own way, and no one argues with this, but for real fine art, only one individual “vision” is not enough, we must also understand what to look for. The plot in artwork is a rather neutral category – it can be anything. Artists prefer a more specific term – a motive. Figuratively speaking, it is an artistic melody emerging from the color, rhythm, light, the artist’s own emotions, and God knows from what else. It is impossible to think up this tiny picturesque melody, it can only be seen and heard from the real life, and attempted to be built on the canvas. In this wonderful, and highly sophisticated landscape composition “Summer – is a little life” by contemporary painter Anatoly Lukash, all of this happened.
• Looking through the artist’s painting works, noting their common qualities – high luminosity, compositional freshness, ease of execution, one should pay attention to an interesting detail. A. Lukash uses the word “etude” in the names of many of his artworks, which by their formal features – size, compositional complexity, and detail richness, does not refer to sketches, in the classical sense of the word. Furthermore, all artworks with this name can be considered in the most successful of his paintings. Apparently, the word etude, in this case, should be understood as a separate form of artwork with one, distinguished, intonation. This feature of the etude – concentration on the essential, has always attracted artists, but direct competition between the easel painting and painting-sketch forms has not yet arose. Few ventured to use the painting-sketch form outside of small, traditionally-sized sketch. Further development of this artistic form in the works of A. Lucash evokes an unconditional and very serious interest.
• The spirituality and lyricism of painting landscapes by Anatoly Lukash, their almost musical sounding – are the most noticeable and probably the most important features of his creative work. A detailed discussion of this on the pages of our joural is still ahead. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text: “Summer – is a little life” Oil on canvas. (70 x 80 cm)

“View of St.Andrew’s Church” Oil on Canvas. (80 x 90 cm)

“Saint Petersburg. Beams of the Coming Sun” Oil on Canvas. (60 x 70 cm)

“Around the Sacred Source” Oil on Canvas. (70 x 80 cm)

* * *

ARTIST VLADIMIR PAROSHIN, (MOSCOW)

It is enough to glance at the titles of paintings by artist Vladimir Paroshin to make it clear – before us is a very Moscow artist. A Moscow artist not only in painting, but first of all, in his personal qualities, which are surprisingly in tune with the atmosphere of old Moscow and the Moscow landscape. Devotion to this city, love for it, formed (fortunately? or not?) the artistic dialectic of the painter. A rather complicated, and sometimes contradictory, – à la paroshin – dialectic relationship of real plot-space and surreal metaphysical painting. In this dialectic, as well as in classical tragedy, the death of the main character is inevitable. Possibly from here stems the internal drama and theatrical likeness of many, at first glance quiet and cozy, scenes by artist Vladimir Paroshin.
• In Russia, it followed from the times of writer Nikolai Gogol, that outside yards and alleys were more interesting to artists than parade entrances. The life of the little man, a man from the street, that street itself – are the main subjects of Russian paintings of the nineteenth century. The interest in these subjects has not completely disappeared, what vanished was the urban environment that nourished it. That space of cohabitation, in which intertwined the destinies of people, and the fate of things, and an old tree outside the window was part of the human biography. In the tradition of Russian realism is the love for characters of that story, which calls the artist to the canvas. Connection with these traditions in the works of Vladimir Paroshin is obvious. In these same traditions the artist builds the relationship between his works and the viewer: artwork maximally revealed for empathy. However, the traditions in the art of Vladimir Paroshin are viewed precisely as traditions. Obviously, he does not have direct predecessors in Russian painting.
• The main compositional tool of the artist is the close-up view. Limited space creates the visual effect of stage portal – a closed, isolated from the world, action, revealed only in the direction of the viewer. This greatly enhances the emotional impulse placed by the author into the image. The accent of the emotional component of the composition, the hallmark of artworks by Vladimir Paroshin, leaves its mark on the style of his works as well. Asceticism of the artistic methods and the laconic, almost graphical art language are the main features of the style of the artist. A mystical carousel of trees and houses around the empty colonnades of a rotunda (“Rotunda”), a tipping dark horizon in the “Prelude”, a dream coming alive in the very emotional composition “The County” – demonstrate the range of artistic possibilities of the style of Vladimir Paroshin.
• The aesthetics of any artist is by definition secondary, it is the result of his world view, his culture, and even his character. It is made up of many, sometimes insignificant, details. But in general, the aesthetics of the artist is his self-portrait. It may not always be very clear, but it is always uncompromisingly honest. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text: “Rotunda” Oil on canvas. (80 x 110 cm)

“The House at the Sea” Oil on Canvas. (73 x 120 cm)

“The House of A. Tarkovsky” Oil on Canvas. (72 x 90 cm)

“The Apple Tree” Oil on Canvas. (75 x 60 cm)

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ARTIST ALEKSANDR PAVLOVETS, (DNEPROPETROVSK)

To give a definition of artistic taste is not easy. It’s not so much for the lack of a tuning fork as in their abundance. Every single historical epoch had its tuning fork, and sometimes more than one. Our time is not an exception – there are plenty of tuning forks, and the loudest one is not necessarily the most accurate. The tuning fork of the artistic taste of contemporary painter Aleksandr Pavlovets sounds restrained, sometimes very quiet, but it is worth listening to. In the soft music of his works, there are very many precise notes.
• In delineating the space of the artistic images of Aleksandr Pavlovets, in finding a designation for this space, the simple word “harmony” seems natural, but not sufficient. An aura of tranquility in still life is replaced by an aura of tense silence in the portraits of women. An aura of coloristic hues interweaves with an aura of light and shadow. Compositional structures are distinct and laconic. The motions of live characters are almost always completed. The openness of female images is deceptive, their lips are tightly sealed. Harmony of rest? The harmony of silence? Yes, probably, but still something more.
• How can the mystery of Danae capture the contemporary artist, a mature man of the twenty-first century? The charm of an ancient myth? But it has been retold a thousand times and implemented in hundreds of paintings. Interest in ancient Greek history? But the painting “Danae” by Aleksandr Pavlovets is devoid of any historical attributes, his Danae is timeless. Perhaps most importantly, it is the presence of the mystery itself, a mystery of the divine in the earth. The compositional decision of the artist is temperamental and sudden, the main character of the painting is made to be not Danae, but Zeus. No, it’s not just about the shimmering of verticals and gold color scheme (Zeus came to Danae in the form of a shower of gold). We look upon Danae through the eyes of Zeus, on canvas is his emotional order, his invisible presence. He is located at the point from which the viewer sees Danae. The sharply-modern interpretation of the plot is psychologically daring, and no less daring is the painting itself, almost fresco-like by its nature. The composition arranges the image, and the image revealing the meaning. Impeccable graphic slenderness of a sophisticated foreshortening of the female figure, is the only classical element of this artwork. Everything else is art of our time.
• The painting of Aleksandr Pavlovets is a complex and unhurried artistic search within a relatively small aesthetic field. At the same time, the problems disclosed in such search are exceptionally relevant. As an example – the light and shadow is a base of construction of still-life by this artist, but simultaneously, his a decisive rejection of light and shadow in the figurative compositions leaves an open question – why? It is obvious that the basis of this difference is the different nature of the material world and the spiritual world. However, is this difference sufficient to create two separate painting aesthetics in a single artistic space? To answer this question is not easy and it is almost impossible to answer theoretically. Of value is only answer received on the canvas. The significance of an answer to this and similar questions will be confirmed (or not confirmed) in the works of other artists. The mechanism of artistic search in the visual arts functions slowly, but it has been working without any serious glitches and errors for centuries and no other mechanism is available for artists today. The distance traversed by Aleksandr Pavlovets along this road is considerable and the result is dozens of excellent fine art works. All of those are before the eyes of viewers. However, the road remains the same, with questions which, besides the artist himself, no one can answer. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text: “Autumn” Oil on canvas. (60 x 75 cm)

“Danae” Oil on Canvas. (65 x 110 cm)

“Joker” Oil on Canvas. (90 x 80 cm)

“Naina” Oil on Canvas. (70 x 50 cm)

2013: 02/01
CATEGORY: ART SHOW
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Artists and Art Lovers. Part 2

ARTISTS AND ART LOVERS (2)

The modern viewer is a man not spoiled with opportunities to see good contemporary art. A large, representative exhibition with selections based on creative criteria is very scarce. A gap has occurred between what the viewer sees in museum collections and that which he is shown in contemporary art galleries. The two have nothing in common. This gap disorients and frustrates the viewer. The man begins to shun today’s art, who knows what is going on there … The artist, in turn, can not exist in isolation from the viewer. The loss of competent and demanding viewers starts the process of an involuntary and spontaneous reorientation towards the tastes of the crowd. A chain reaction, so to speak – a symbiosis of degradation.
• The situation with the painting exhibitions is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, the positions of commercial players – art dealers, galleries, auctions – are very strong. Many of them are objectively interested in the erosion of professionally high standards. Primarily due to the fact that there are more traders-sellers in today’s art world than artists of a professional class, and many more traders-sellers than buyers of serious artworks. There is not enough good artists and wealthy clientele, so they have to deal with what they have. This niche has been filled with an avalanche of amateur pop art. Sellers try to convince the viewer that this is genuine contemporary art. Today success is on their side.
• The viewer appears to be the more vulnerable party in this situation. In contrast to the artist, the viewer has no presence in the face of artistic and professional organizations. Being a passive participant in the artistic process, the viewer is not able to influence the turn of events. How can he be helped to survive? How he be helped to avoid becoming a consumer of the products of anti-culture? Obviously, another actor must appear from behind the scenes, the most enigmatic and mysterious person in the art world – the art critic.
• The critic is never seen by anyone. This man appears on exhibitions incognito and leaves incognito. Critics are loved no more than a policeman of traffic services. They have the same function – competently and impartially investigate the situation and make their verdict public. What happens afterwards: a sigh of relief from some or a penalty for others – is not a matter of the critic’s concern. The artist does not need the critic. The artist is quite comfortable in the art community. They have common interests and shared champagne. The critic is needed by the viewer. Someone needs to lay down the road markings, the particular solid dividing strip, which would indicate clearly and unequivocally: art ends here, and ahead – the ditch.
• Can the critic be wrong? Yes, of course. Could all the critics be wrong? Certainly. Human history is a history of massive errors and global acts of stupidity. Nevertheless, the weight of yesterday’s mistakes is not a reason to deny criticism the right to comment today. Silence is worse. The human community and the world of arts exist by different laws. Tolerance is a great concept, but for it there is no entrance into the field of fine art. Professional art is always cruel to those who create it. It is cruel to its losers, and to its favorites. The critic does not add to the cruelty, he adds clarity. And those who risked to enter the territory of art, must be ready for a meeting with all stakeholders, including critics. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

Attention: Our next publication – “Art Show Winter ’13″ – will be online on February 1th.

2013: 01/15
CATEGORY: JOURNAL
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Editorial: 2013

ARTISTS AND ART LOVERS

Who and when was the first to call attention to the ability of paintings to enter a dialogue with the audience, we will never know, like we will never know the real name of the inventor of the wheel or compass. And pity, since the name of the first art critic is no less important for the history of human culture than the inventor of gunpowder. Meanwhile, it is this feature of visual artwork – its openness towards the viewer, that determined the fate of visual art in the human world. In order for the image to speak, it needs someone soul. A conversation about modern painting is impossible without a conversation about the contemporary viewer. Critics carefully avoid this issue, but artists cannot afford such a luxury. The artist sees the audience at each exhibition, the viewer is there, he stands next to the painting here and now. Who is this man and why did he come here? Apparently, in order to see contemporary art, he needs this art. If so, then the viewer is an inseparable part of the artwork’s space.
• In the central streets of Paris, New York, London or Moscow, there are many well-equipped showrooms with signs that have the word “Gallery”. This is false. A gallery is a place where art meets with the audience. A place where a product meets the buyer is named differently – a shop. The contemporary gallery business does not need an audience. Going into any of the galleries, the first thing that catches your eye is the empty exhibition halls. The audience is not there. In most galleries there is a lack of artwork as well. To call work of art that which hangs on the walls is not possible, even with a rich imagination. A person who has visited the halls of major museums, will not buy any of this. Meanwhile, the person visiting museums does not attempt such a task – to certainly buy. Communicating with visual art is a completely self – sufficient process. And the natural question arises: where you can see modern professional artwork, specifically work of art, and not its surrogate?
• This question is a leitmotif through numerous emails that comes to our journal’s postbox. This question is asked by the audience and it cannot be ignored – too far has the process of degradation of artistic culture gone. The journal “Russian Art & Paris” does not yet have its own showroom. Such a hall will certainly appear, but this won’t happen overnight. Today, we are focused on creating an informational field in which the audience can meet with those artists whose work is noted with features of a genuine artistic search. We constantly provide virtual pages of our journal to masters working in various directions, styles and genres. What unites all of them is the presence of real talent and true professionalism. As to how much interest it arouses in our readers from different countries and continents, you can witness by opening the statistical table of views posted below. In the coming year we will continue our exhibition activities. Artists, whose work will be presented at European exhibitions, you will be able to see in our quarterly column – “Art Show”. We will expand our creative cooperation with art historians and art critics, whose professional interests include contemporary issues. ©

Dear readers, we thank you for your daily presence, for your letters and your comments. We sincerely wish you and your family success and happiness in 2013! Happy New Year!

2013: 01/01
CATEGORY: JOURNAL
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Salon “Art en Capital” 2012, (Paris). Continuing

ARTISTS AND ARTWORKS

The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais (English: Great Palace) exhibition hall was opened in 1900 by two major art exhibitions: Centennale, a retrospective exhibition of French art of the 19th century, and Décennale, devoted to the work of artists of the last decade. Artworks by Rodin, Ingres, Delacroix, Courbet, impressionists: Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Degas and others began the exhibition history of the vast domed hall Grand Palais. Probably, few thought back then that under this glass dome, would pass the entirety of world painting of the 20th century. These walls have seen Cezanne and Picasso, here the voices of Chagall and Modigliani were heard, here sounded their painting… The aura of the place, its energy is enormous. This room must be seen not on exhibition opening day, but the day before, when artworks are being hanged, when it is vast and empty. Rows of paintings along the walls in the twilight of standby lighting, they will come to life tomorrow, but so far they are silent. In the silence, there are only the steps of workers hanging paintings, the Paris night sky overhead, and someone’s shadows.
• The Salon “Art en Capital” 2012 exhibition again demonstrated a high degree of selectivity by the jury in choosing the artworks. The exposition, composed from works of a professional class, free from the amateurism of contemporary art shows, is impressive, equally whole and strong. The large presence of artists from around the world not only gives this art-show a formal international status, but also advances it into one of the most important annual gatherings of world visual art. As evidence of the fast growing influence of the Salon “Art en Capital” in the world – a significant presence in the exhibition this year of artists from Japan and Russia, countries with traditionally high artistic culture. In addition to the multi-ethnic nature of this art exhibition, the stylistic aspects also attracted much attention. The exposure, free from pop-art junk, did not seem too diverse in style. To speak of a formation of a grand style is premature, but strong centrifugal tendencies were no longer felt. Perhaps the world fashion for stylistically shocking artworks is coming to an end, which would be a great boon to contemporary visual art.
• The exhibition again showed some old ills as well. First of all, is the obviously long-drawn-out crisis of the figurative genre. A nontrivial, with good artistic taste, figurative composition remains a rarity. The embrace of Munch and Klimt was surprisingly strong and firmly holds modern masters within the artistic achievements of the middle of last century. Perhaps a cruel joke was played by years of attempts to solve the problem of the present by stylistic frills, ignoring the search for new meanings. The section on graphics and especially sculpture seemed, in this respect, preferable. There arose the feeling that outside the window is the 21 century. Surrounded by artistic canvases, our time and our life today looked through with difficulty. The irony is that this hall became famous by the ultra-modern scenes of Monet, Degas, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, that exploded the once dietary academicism. Perhaps it may be time to recall these traditions?
• Among the artworks of the presented Russian artists, stood out the painting of artists from the older generation – Givi Siproshvili and Eugene Yali. Refined, with subtle humor, the plot portrait of a Georgian peasant (“One more for the road”) and the cosmic space in an unusual perspective of the Russian steppe landscape (“Steppe”) appeared excellent at the Paris art exhibition. The great success of St. Petersburg artist Anastasia Vostrezova – the Silver Medal for the classic plot “La Bayadere”, was a joyous occasion for all Russian participants. The Moscow-like warm “Coffeemania” of Alena Philippi-Kargalskoy attracted much attention. Interesting were the artistic metaphors of Rinat Sharafutdinova and Andrei Shustov, and the impressionism of Aleksandr Fayvisovich. Russian artists in Paris is also a tradition, one long-forgotten, but not yet gone. ©

Artworks by Russian artists presented at the exhibition can be viewed in journal’s section “EXHIBITIONS”. For a photo report of a few days in Paris, see the section “PHOTO ESSAY”.

ARTWORKS

The bronze artwork by Melanie Quentin (France)

“Rue de Paris” by Agnes Guillon (France)

“Le reflux” by Daniel Bergez (France)

“Cote d’albatre VI” by Emmanuel Lemardele (France)

Impressive dynamic composition by Francine Toulemonde (France)

“Pause pigeons” by Eric Peaudecerf (France)

“La nuit” by Gelis (France)

“Ascese” by Louise Girardin (France)

“Femme enceinte” by Benjamin Georgeaud (France)

“Nouvel an – Maiko de Gion” by Takayuki Uno (Japan)

“Nu masculin n1” by Marie-Jeanne Buffetrille (France)

“Le crepuscule de l’ete” by Keiko Yoda (Japan)

“Faucon en vol” by Madeleine Van Der Knoop (Belgium)

To be named.

“Fruits au pichet vert” by Bernard Londinsky (France)

“Dedans dehors” by Richard Gautier (France)

“Torse” by Albert Avetisyan (France)

“Aigle royal” by Bernadette Planchenault (France)

“Pudeur exquise” by Jack Brisset (France)

“Intimite IV” by Veronique Laurent Denieuil (France)

The Graphic Art section.

The Sculpture section.

2012: 12/15
CATEGORY: ARTISTS
JOURNAL
NEWS
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Salon “Art en Capital” 2012, (Paris)

THE EXHIBITION OF THE SALON “ART EN CAPITAL” 2012 IS OPENED.

When the 1900 Universal Exhibition was over, the Grand Palais, as intended, was to fulfill its vocation as the fine art venue that the French capital had previously lacked, the Louvre having become too small. Throughout the twentieth century, the Grand Palais hosted dozens of official or independent salons, establishing it is a major player in the history of Western art.
• The Grand Palais opened its doors for the Universal Exhibition with the Centennale, where the impressionists again scored a resounding success. As from the following year, true to its vocation as a fine arts venue, the Grand Palais was to host a number of other salons. First off was the Salon des Artistes Français, whose academism was dismissed by the avant-garde as pompous, followed by the Salon d’Automne, where the younger generation of painters were able to roll out their own manifesto. Finally came the Salon des Indépendants where Cubism made its first appearance spearheaded by a then unknown Spanish artist: Picasso.
• At the turn of the century, the Salon was the place where any budding artist had to expose to obtain recognition. The oldest of these institutions was the Salon des Artistes Français (1881), successor to the Salon de Peinture inaugurated by Colbert in 1667. However its unswerving academism led to the inception of the breakaway Salon des Indépendants founded by Paul Signac in 1884, where artists rejected by the more venerable show could find refuge. It was here that artists like Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso and Mondrian came to the forefront.
• To distinguish itself from these spring shows, Rodin, Carrière, Jourdain and other artists created the Salon d’automne in 1903. It was in 1905 that the notorious scandal of the “cage aux Fauves” (the wild beast cage) erupted. The centre of the storm was Room VII. The strident colours used in the paintings of Matisse, Derain and Vlaminck were all the more shocking as they flanked two unequivocally traditional busts by Albert Marquet. Though Fauvism had its supporters, French President, Émile Loubet, was not one of their number. Warned of the presence of many “unacceptable” works, he refused categorically to inaugurate the art show.
• Today, salons still have their historic home at the Grand Palais — Artistes Français, Artistes Indépendants, Nationale des Beaux Arts, Comparaisons, Dessin et Peinture à l’eau — are united as part of the “Art en Capital” event. The exhibition of 2012 year was open on November 27th, with 14 000 art lovers attended the Opening Day. More than six hundred modern artists: Americans, Australians, Austrians, Belgians, Brazilians, Bulgarians, Canadians, Chinese, Cypriots, Colombians, Croats, Danish, English, Finlands, Greece, Hungarians, Israelis, Italians, Japans, Koreans, Lebanese, Luxembourgers, Norwegians, New Zelandians, Netherlanders, Polish, Romanians, Russian, Spanish, Saudis, Swisses, Taiwanese, Turks and other continue the great art tradition of Signac, Seurat, Pissaro, Manet, Van Gogh, Utrillo, Cézanne, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Chagall, Vlaminck, Giacometti, Modigliani…

Paris. Champs-Élysées at night.

Champs-Élysées. The light decoration.

The light decoration.

The evening before the grand opening. Everything is ready.

The afternoon of November 27th. The vernissage.

The vernissage. Doors are opened.

The vernissage. First spectators.

14 000 art lovers attended the Opening Day.

More than 600 artists participated in this exhibition.

Some discussion.

The art viewers.

Viewers and artworks.

Inside the exhibition halls.

Talk about art.

Street of artworks.

Good, old the Grand Palace.

The artistic town.

View from above.

… and music

Untill midnight…

* * *

IT WAS IN 1912…

In 1900, the most important event in the French-Russian artistic relationship was the Paris International Exhibition, where Russia enjoyed an unprecedented place of prominence.
Between 1906 and 1917, a whole host of artists and personalities linked Russia to Europe. Thanks to the inspirational work of Sergei Diaghilev, Europe discovered dance, music and the audacious paintings from Russia. The retrospective fall show that he organized in 1906, which encompassed 750 paintings representing Russian art from the 15th to the 20th century, exhibited the work of young painters such as Mikhail Larionov, Natalia Goncharova, Alexei Jawlensky, Pavel Kuznetsov and Léon Bakst.
It was in 1912 that Chagall’s work was exhibited at the Autumn Salon, and Yakov Tugendhold, a writer for the modernist publication St. Petersburg Apollon, praised the young Chagall, saying his works are filled with “rich fire colours like the Russian countryside images, expressed to the grotesque, fantastic, to the limits of the irrational. Chagall senses the imperceptible but terrible mystique of life. Those are the images of Vitebsk – a sullen, dull province, a modest hair salon, a lovers’ rendezvous a bit awkward under a misty moon and street sweepers, a dusty illusion of life on the streets of small villages. Chagall creates beautiful legends by capturing glimpses of the simple and common life.” It is thus not surprising that, in 1913, the Autumn Salon welcomed “Russian Popular Art in the image, the toy and the spice bread, an exhibition organized by Miss Nathalie Ehrenbourg.” These objects came mainly from the collections of members of the art world (Ivan Bilibine, Sergei Soudieikine, Nikolai Roerich, Sergei Tchekhonine), but also from the collections of avant-garde artists such as Koulbine, Exter and primarily Larionov. The catalogue cover for this exhibit was written by Tugendhold himself, reaffirming that “the contemporary cult of the primitive is different from the one of the romantic era and the orientalism era…. This archaic art, strong, expressive, forever young, brings hope of renewal, ‘rejuvenation’ to use Paul Gauguin’s word.

By Jean-Claude Marcardé.

GUESTS FROM THE EXHIBITION 1912 HAVE BEEN ARRIVED.

Guests from the exhibition 1912 have been arrived (1).

Guests from the exhibition 1912 have been arrived (2).

Guests from the exhibition 1912 have been arrived (3).

Guests from the exhibition 1912 have been arrived (4).

Guests from the exhibition 1912 have been arrived (5).

Guests from the exhibition 1912 have been arrived (6).

Guests from the exhibition 1912 have been arrived (7).

Guests from the exhibition 1912 have been arrived (8).

Guests from the exhibition 1912 have been arrived (9).

The complete reportage about the exhibition of the Salon “Art en Capital” will be published in December 15th.

2012: 12/01
CATEGORY: ARTISTS
JOURNAL
NEWS
4 comments

Art Shopping in the “Carrousel du Louvre’, (Paris)

“CARROUSEL DU LOUVRE”: 300 ARTISTS AND GALLERIES.

In the middle of October, Paris once again gathered artists, collectors and art-gallery owners from all countries and nationalities. Grand Palais, Place Vendome, Esplanade des Invalides, Tuileries Gardens – all are recent exhibition spaces of the International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC), with which in the “Carrousel du Louvre” a grand art-shopping took place for the ninth time. More than three hundred artists and gallerists representing them offered to sell their artworks: paintings, sculptures and graphic works of all directions and genres. The cost of the exhibition space is quite high (the basic price is 700 euros for the wall 200 x 150 cm), but the prestige of the brand “Louvre”, according to the participants, justifies these costs. Within two days the huge underground shopping mall “Carrousel du Louvre”, famous for its impressive glass pyramid – dome located in front of Louvre museum (it was opened in October 1993), was visited by more than ten thousand customers, art lovers, and the merely curious public.
• The exhibition this year was dominated by paintings for the more traditional purchasers: not too rich, not too sophisticated, aiming to decorate their own homes and not worried about creating a prestigious painting collection. The basic price range was one to two thousand euro, as it emphasized the level of the exhibited artworks: without very serious accomplishments and without large claims.
• Art objects were also exhibited, although nothing special or new: hypertrophied sneakers and puzzles, symbols of modern banalities and facelessness, variations of the same “Coca – Cola” by one of the fathers of pop art Andy Warhol, who in the last century proclaimed mass art as a simple way to make money. If we assume that visual art is an illustration of the aesthetics of the public consciousness, it seems that today this is the aesthetic of decorations on one hand and the aesthetics of ugliness on the other. And quite often at the heart of this obvious amateurism is the smearing of paints with a sole primitive purpose – to create a spot of color for the interior, without thoughts and feelings. “I am shocked that contemporary art does not allow young people to learn. Today art schools teach the concept, but very few can teach good art technique. It amazes me that while people started drawing almost thirty thousand years ago, this skill has been practically lost over the last century,” – according to the modern French sculptor Mauro Corda.
• However, Paris – it is always Paris and art-shopping for collectors is always akin to hunting, full of excitement and opportunity. The chance to find something real.

by Elena Bazan, journalist

Painting. Contemporary style.

This lady is not very impressed.

There is always a chance to find something real.

The Japanese style has no time limit.

In a thousand years archaeologist will see our culture like this.

Inside an exhibition hall.

Photo essay by photographer Vladimir Bazan.

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2012: 11/20
CATEGORY: JOURNAL
NEWS
1 comment

“Russian Art & Paris” Art Show. Autumn’12

In the fall ArtShow of the Russian Art & Paris journal, we present to our readers artists of two major areas of fine art – drawing and painting. In the graphics section, the journal will continue the talk from an earlier exposition of ArtShow about the complex and elitist art of etching. This time you can get acquainted with the work of two artists: classic of etching, an exhibitor of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Vitaly Gubarev and young, talented Saint Petersburg graphic artist Leonid Stroganov. What unites these quite different artists is the excellent sense of style and understanding of the nature and specificity of the etching plate – its possibilities and its limits.

The paintings section is presented today also by two modern artists. One is the professor at Krasnoyarsk State Institute of Fine Art, Victor Rogachev, and the other a lecturer of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, Olga Melnik-Malakhova. The innovative character of the artistic quests by these painters, the genuine freshness and non-triviality of their view on the world, and the stylistic integrity of their artworks deserve the attention of all who are interested in the world of contemporary art.

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ARTIST VITALY GUBAREV, (PROTVINO)

The artist Vitaly Gubarev has long been known. A great graphic artist, a master of etching, a fine lyricist – epithets which no one disputes, and yet, speaking about the art of this master is not so easy. The thematic range of this artist is reserved and even austere. The number of plots in his works is not too large. Add to that the natural asceticism of the techniques in etching, and it begs the question – what is the focus of the art of V.Gubarev? In what art-field does he lead his creative exploration? Let’s try to understand.
• We have before us two landscapes – “Blooming meadow” and “Cornfield”. The most close-up view and a wide panorama. Space on these sheets is strictly structured and is emphasized with several apparent tonal accents. This space, decorative and almost flat in the first case, and expanded to maximum depth in the second case, is the main character in the works. However, space can never be empty, it is always filled with something. Here we come to the most important – to the fringe beyond which art begins. A description of the space in etchings of Vitaly Gubarev is not difficult to give at first sight of these sheets – living. Living space filled with the breath of wind and the smell of grass, is vibrant and changeable. How, by what means, does the artist create this effect?
• Pay attention to the filigree tone design, clearly visible in the composition “Cornfield”. In addition to the major tonal accents, the development of light spots of the second row literally leads the gaze of viewers through the waves of the shifting field. This is not just a tonal richness, but also an extremely difficult tonal arrangement illustrating the meaning of the work – the endless movement of living eared fields. No less interesting is the compositional solution of the foreground in etching “Blooming meadow”. The vibration of the warm afternoon air, the movement of grass, the nearly palpable smell of summer – all of this is in the construction of complex, sibling tonal rhythms of this magnificent sheet.
• The stylistic horizon of V. Gubareva is quite wide – from the classical form of “Memories” or “Winter way” to the emotionally explosive “Above the vanity”. Today, the artist is clearly on top of his skill and actively working, so we should not rush with generalizing characteristics of works by this master. Viewers first and foremost need works of art, and not grades, of the fine artist Vitaly Gubarev. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text: “Comfield” Etching. (29 x 42 cm)

“Blooming meadow” Etching. (30 x 37 cm)

“Winter way” Etching. (21 x 26 cm)

“Above the vanity” Etching. (24 x 25 cm)

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ARTIST OLGA MELNIK-MALAKHOVA, (MINSK)

The art of the painting novella – a genre which is very rare and almost inaccessible for most modern artists. It is difficult to even establish the boundaries of the genre, to give it a precise definition. Some subtle feature of talent transforms the artwork, which is in all respects traditional, into a painting short story, a picturesque novella, acquiring the scale of an event. And it’s not only about the self-sufficiency of the plot, but apparently in the author’s self-sufficiency, in revealing the plot. The artist is, first and foremost, a man who has something to say.
• A distinctive feature of the figurative artworks by artist Olga Melnik-Malakhova is undoubtedly, their openness to the viewer. Look how easily they enter into a dialogue with the audience: the charming short story “Duel” or the homely warm painting “Blanket”. The capacity for dialogue as a essential quality of figurative genre painting, is priceless. In the composition “Dream on the grass” the dialogue sounds muffled. You can see the presence of a dream itself, painted in the bright colors of wonderful childhood. No less obvious are coloristic accomplishments of this beautiful work. Extremely bold, distinctly contemporary paintings, with live recognizable characters of heroes. All that transforms the image into a work of fine art.
• Excellent drawing technique, without which it is impossible to work in the field of figurative painting, is fully realized in the portrait works of Melnik-Malakhova. “Anastasia”, performed in a soft, classical manner, as well as the excellent painting sketch “Alice” – are examples of the high artistic culture of the author, of that very “school”, the lack of which has become the utmost misfortune of modern art. The creative journey of Olga Melnik-Malakhova, an artist generously gifted and promising, is in the very beginning. What exactly is to be seen by viewers of O.Melnik-Malakhova is not known by anybody today, but we will hope that we will be able to see much. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text: “Nude” Sanguine on paper. (80 x 120 cm)

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“Duel” Tempera on Gesso. (38 x 38; 38 x 38 cm)

“Dream on the grass” Acrylic on Canvas. (50 x 50 cm)

“Anastasia” Oil on Canvas. (50 x 60 cm)

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ARTIST VICTOR ROGACHEV, (KRASNOYARSK)

A viewer, who sees the work of artist Victor Rogachev for the first time, will be slightly puzzled. At what should attention be directed first? What is most important here? How does this artist differ from other contemporary artists? Where is the key to understanding this painting? Upon thinking, we must recognize that this key has been hidden from us by the artist. Let’s try to enter without a key…
• Space. A place where the artist deploys his compositional ideas, is one of the most important components of the painting. The space of Victor Rogachev is complex and unexpected, and perhaps the most intriguing feature in the works of this master. In his most interesting spatial constructions, the artist achieves an amazing effect – the effect of a metaphor. “Still life with ceramic figurine”, where everything are the foreground, where the familiar three-dimensional model of the world begins to fall apart immediately, as soon as the glance crosses the boundaries of group of objects that forming its own creation. The color scheme of this composition is just excellent. It is the little metaphor of existence in the infinite cosmos of life. Modern art of still life, shaped largely by the efforts of Cezanne, is an analytical genre. Victor Rogachev takes full advantage of this analytical capacity in the search for new compositional possibilities, and new imaginative spatial structures, each time extracting new meaning from objects that are quite traditional.
• The style of the artwork. An artist’s own style is not just individuality. To this same aspect of creativity, belongs the creation of a harmonious unity of all the components of an image. The individual artistic style of V. Rogachev, with a notable presence of solutions and techniques from traditional graphic art, is well thought out and meaningful. Exceptionally effective and very interesting is the line drawing in the landscape painting “Autumn. Cottages”. In the gorgeous landscape composition “Silver Fall”, a fine and wonderfully elegant color design, with the most generalized planes, creates a qualitatively new state and a metaphysics of color context arises. The image of autumn arises, along with its metaphor. This metaphor is strong and deep. The painting space of this landscape is concise and tense, and emphasizes the stylistic excellence of the work, where there are no extra details, not a single extra emphasis. And finally, the color scheme, which is restrained and austere even in compositions with contrasting color rhythms, should also be attributed to the “signature” style of the artist.
• The creative works of the artist Victor Rogachev are clearly intelligent, and in many aspects, innovative, no doubt deserves serious attention from viewers and art critics. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text: “Midday heat” Pencil on paper. (43 x 61 cm)

“Gifts of Autumn” Oil on Canvas. (80 x 80 cm)

“Still life with ceramic figurine” Oil on Canvas. (70 x 70 cm)

“Silver of fall” Oil on Canvas. (60 x 80 cm)

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ARTIST LEONID STROGANOV, (SAINT PETERSBURG)

The modern Saint Petersburg graphic artist Leonid Stroganov debuted in art with an impressive series of etchings “King Lear”. The sophisticated viewer will immediately feel a dissonance because a series of etchings requires quite serious creative experience and of course, maturity is needed for Shakespeare… All right! And yet… The talent of Leonid Stroganov is bright and obvious. Few artists of this age have an established style and a distinct artistic vision. Even rarer is the wholeness and strong inner conviction of his own truth. These are imperative qualities without which many talents have faded.
• The bas-relief style of Leonid Stroganov etchings, their intense drama, is realized in full effect in the William Shakespeare series. No less interesting is the dynamism of compositional solutions, the amazing artistic unity of tonal and rhythmic rows. Tonal accents impeccably build the dialogue of gestures in the etching “King Lear – 1”. The complex range of emotions in the sheet of “King Lear – 10” comes from the black and white rhythm of the composition. The determination and non-triviality of the compositional structures of each sheet is very enticing. Determination, without which it is impossible to create a new artistic image or, by the description of philosopher Berdyaev a “creation of the nonexistant”.
• A series of urban landscapes of St. Petersburg – the city, roadway of which have seen each and every Russian artists, is a difficult task for a master of any rank. For a series, it is insufficient just combination of scenes. It is very essential to have a new quality – the Saint Petersburg of Leonid Stroganov. And on the etching plates of this artist, such a city arises. This is not quite an ordinary St. Petersburg. Dostoevsky is not seen on its bridges, but perhaps Bulgakov may appear just around the corner. This city is still tragic at night, but a little provincial in the light of day. This is a different St. Petersburg. A St. Petersburg through the eyes of an artist from a new generation. This city can be liked by not everyone, but it already exists, because there exists a new and intriguing artist – Leonid Stroganov. ©

by Russian Art & Paris

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Picture in the text: “King Lear – 1” Etching. (20 x 20 cm)

“Fontanka. Bridge” Etching. (11 x 15 cm)

“Demidov lane” Etching. (12 x 13 cm)

“Krukov Canal” Etching. (16 x 19 cm)

2012: 11/04
CATEGORY: ART SHOW
ARTISTS
JOURNAL
4 comments

Art World News: Sandy floods New York art galleries.

New York (CNN) — Dumpster-lined streets and sidewalks strewn with

destroyed art hint at the damage Hurricane Sandy wreaked on New York’s most important art district last week; but as electricity slowly returns and flood waters recede, the impact of the “super storm” is still uncertain in downtown Chelsea neighborhood.

“Chelsea is the center of America for contemporary art, ” Zach Feuer, owner of Zach Feuer gallery, told CNN. “This is a big cultural loss.” The destruction has left the contemporary and modern art world reeling, and as the recovery effort continues the massive creative and monetary toll is rising fast. “I would not be surprised if, when it’s all said and done, the damage that is done to our art world will be in the hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in unrecoverable work,” gallery owner Leo Koenig said.
What caused so much damage?

When the surge from Hurricane Sandy pushed water levels to record highs on Monday night, flooding from the Hudson River quickly filled basements and street level facilities that are used primarily for art storage and exhibitions in Chelsea. In many cases, precautionary sandbags and sealants were washed away easily, and even works that were elevated high on the wall were soaked by morning.
As the storm subsided, gallery owners and managers returned early on Tuesday, but much of the permanent damage had already been done.
Gallery owner Derek Eller returned to his building but couldn’t operate his electric gate because of the power outage. From a back window he was able to see boxes on the ground floor that had floated up when flooding in his 1,800-square-foot basement nearly reached the ceiling.
“It’s a disaster, pieces are lost forever,” Eller said after emerging from his still-soaked basement. “We have been saving works over the past three days.”
Koenig sealed the bottom of the entrance to his space in preparation for the hurricane. “My common sense told me that if there was a foot and a half of water standing on 23rd Street, the world was about to end,” he said. But when Koenig opened his doors the following day, water trapped in the gallery all night by the sealant came gushing out onto the sidewalk.
While many returned to find their collections in ruins, some witnessed the wreckage as it unfolded.
“The surge came in and broke through the door, and knocked me down,” Silas Seandel, a sculptor who lives above his studio, told CNN. “[It] threw me and thousands of pounds of steel, and bronze, and sheets, all the way to the back door.”
Remarkably, Seandel was able to return to higher ground and wait out the storm.
From Eller’s basement to those barely affected, galleries and conservators seem to agree that the priority right now is recovering as much work as possible and keeping it dry.
“The conservators were here immediately, there are trucks leaving with art constantly to get repaired,” said Feuer, who estimates millions of dollars in damage to his gallery alone. “The mold is kind of our biggest race, so there’s a speed issue.”
Other galleries have had to perform restorations on their own, reaching out to artists and conservators for insight during this crucial time. Marisa Newman, co-owner of Newman Popiashvili Gallery, gathered as much work as she could and raced uptown to her parents’ home on Tuesday, knowing they still had power.
“I used their apartment for art triage,” Newman recounted, “I brought as much there and we just cracked open all the frames, got everything out so they would just dry.” Newman is now using the space above her gallery to hold and restore other works.
To further assist this process, the Museum of Modern Art and conservators from the American Institute for Conservation Collections Emergency Response Team, are offering official guidelines and “a free public presentation on recovering wet art and cultural materials,” according to an official release from MoMA.
Despite the chaos, this generally competitive community has worked tirelessly to come together and ease the blow that Sandy has dealt, providing each other with generators, food and everything in between.
“This kind of event brings back the human factor to it,” said Emilio Steinberger, senior director at the gallery Haunch of Venison. “These are artists, these are dealers, people put their heart and soul into the art world and they’re moving to save it, and put things back together.”
This sentiment seems to be echoing through the galleries of the damaged neighborhood and many have been adamant that Chelsea’s art culture will not only recover, but maintain its prestigious position within the art world.
Seandel, who has worked and held exhibits in the same studio since 1978, has already insisted that he will repair and refinish all damaged works. “I’m 75 years old, but I feel I’ve still got a lot of life in me, my work is still in demand all over the world,” Seandel said.
“The thing about the New York gallery community is that it’s an industry full of extremely intelligent, extremely capable people,” gallery owner Cristin Tierney said. “So, I really believe that as dire as things are now, we’re going to bounce back.”

By Logan Burruss, CNN

November 4, 2012

2012: 11/04
CATEGORY: NEWS
1 comment

Editorial: “We the People…”

Hurricane Sandy has passed and the journal Russian Art & Paris is back on the web. Our next publication – “ArtShow Autumn ’12” – will be online on Sunday, November 4th. Once again, we deeply apologize for the inconvenience. The reason for the delay is before you.

Aleksandr Fayvisovich,
The “Russian Art & Paris” publisher,
Staten Island, New York.
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“WE THE PEOPLE…”

No comment.

2012: 11/02
CATEGORY: NEWS
2 comments

Editorial: Hurricane Sandy.

ATTENTION RUSSIAN ART & PARIS READERS:

Due to the possibility of high impact by Hurricane Sandy on the New York City, the journal’s November 1st publication may be delayed. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
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