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November Issue 2005
Walls Fine Art Gallery in Wilmington, NC, Offers Works by Russian Masterworks
Walls Fine Art Gallery
in Wilmington, NC, opens its new show entitled, Gifted Seers
- Russian Masterworks, on Nov. 4 with a Gallery Talk by John
Wurdeman, father of the only American ever to graduate from the
Surikov Institute of Art in Moscow. The exhibit will be on view
through Nov. 19, 2005.
Wurdeman will be discussing his personal conversations with the
exhibiting artists and their families. The show consists of works
created by the country's finest artists during both the Soviet
era and post-Communism. Vern Grosvenor Swanson, author of Soviet
Impressionism, said, "Socialist Realism suppressed the
diversity of contemporary artistic movements. But, within itself,
it was more diverse and had more possibilities than any of them".
Walls Gallery owner David Leadman explains, "These artists were chosen by the State at a young age to be artists. They were not influenced by what the market demanded as so many other artists are. There was no market, so they simply painted from the heart." That means the decision of what to paint was never a marketing issue for these artists; it was an issue of artistic choice. These are not portrait painters nor still-life nor landscape painters; they are painters. The government that produced its country's suppression, by the same mechanism, freed its artists to produce some of the world's finest art. And they did.
Nancy Marshall, director at Walls Gallery is similarly excited about the new show. "Having admired the Russian work for so long, it's a great treat for me to have it here in the gallery. Imagine, these artists are represented in museums throughout the former Soviet Union. These painters are so respected by their peers and the Russian people. They have worked hard to express the Russian soul, and it's an opportunity for us to see their beloved country through their eyes."
The show consists of works by numerous artists including Vyacheslav Nikolaivic Zabalin, Nicolai Sergeyev and Mikhail Kugach - masters all. When Kugach saw which paintings were to be included in this show, he concurred with the choices made, saying that this was the best of the best.
With this two week show, Walls Fine Art Gallery presents an opportunity to students, collectors, curators and the general public to view a collection - and a culture - of which they might have never known.
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 910/343-1703 or at (www.wallsgallery.com).
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