Feature Articles
 For more information about this article or gallery, please call the gallery phone number listed in the last line of the article, "For more info..."



May Issue 2004

Elder Art Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Presents Works by Russian Artists

Elder Art Gallery in Charlotte, NC, is proud to present a select group of Russian paintings by artists from the Veronezh School in the former Soviet Union. Artists such as Vasily Komalov and Tatiana Konovalova have earned the title of Honored People's Artist in their native country and are now gaining recognition in the west. The Russians Are Coming will be on view May 5 through June 30, 2004.

The paintings within The Russians Are Coming exhibit were purchased directly from the artists or from their surviving family which serves to provide for the recognition and financial rewards that they deserve. Art collectors have recognized the importance of this genre and have been purchasing these works since they began trickling into the United States in the 1990's.

When the Bolshevik Revolution erupted in the early 1900's, the borders of Russia were closed to the outside world for over 70 years. The international art market had little knowledge of or exposure to the artistic trends developing during that time. It wasn't until Perestroika reopened these borders that the western world was exposed to these talented Russian artists.

Soviet Realism (also known as Propaganda Art) portrays art commissioned by the Soviet Regime glorifying the benefits of communism and the ordinary Russian worker. Russian Impressionism took this one step further and abstracted their political environment and hardships; the impressionists found inspiration and strength in the power of nature and the human spirit, unlike their French counterparts who chose to depict the lives and entertainment of the leisure class. Leisure was something the Russians did not have.

The Soviet Government was determined to produce an artistic legacy, but until only recently it was hidden from view from the rest of the world. The artists showcased by Elder Art Gallery were rigorously trained for 6-10 years and only after completing an advanced academic degree were they able to become members of the Union of Russian Artists. They were given a stipend, supplies, a studio and commissions as well as access to an 'Academician Dacha' in the Veronezh region. They dedicated their lives as artists to training and their art. Since their only patrons were the Soviet government and their only venues organized exhibitions, they were never faced with market influences. They were able to paint beautiful works which captured the essence of soviet life without worrying what would 'sell' to the general public. However, many of their paintings were kept hidden from the government since they were not approved subject matter.

The Soviet people lived through incredible hardships during the 70 years of communist rule, which were only compounded by the German invasion of WWII and the collectivization by Krouchev. Families were torn apart in order to build frontier settlements, yet the artists portray none of this horror. Instead we see a stoic, robust people immortalized forever in oil tender, worn, contemplative and most of all, heroic.

For more information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/370-6337, or on the web at (www.elderart.com).


[ | May'04 | Feature Articles | Gallery Listings | Home | ]

Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2004 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.