RUSSIAN ART'S MASTERPIECES HIDDEN BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN
One of the most remarkable
cultural identities of the mid-20th century is Russian
Impressionism and classic Russian Art of the Soviet era. This unique style of painting
sprung up in the 1940's and continued to be popular among
Russia's leading artists well into the 1960's.
Because the artists were trained
to paint from life and were plein air virtuosos, this
body of Russian artwork provides extraordinary glimpses of life behind the
Iron Curtain. The charming and intimate visual scenarios
included young children practicing their piano lessons,
fishermen reaping the riches of the sea, vacationers swimming at
the beach, and singers and actors practicing their craft.
Unfortunately,
although the paintings were often created in secret and
certainly didn't reflect any political dictate, sometimes Russian art of the era
fell victim to the anti-Soviet fervor that swept the nation
during the totalitarian empire's collapse. Created during the
Soviet regime by leading Russian artists, these "innocent
bystanders" were tainted with the same totalitarian label that
damned government-approved works. Amid the chaos of the Soviet
break-up, the harmless Impressionistic paintings became likely
candidates for a box of matches and a can of gasoline.
Thanks to the
dedication and diligence of Elena's father, the historically
important works managed to survive such a dire fate. "The
preservation of these paintings by Elena Kohn's father, who for
a time was a director of the Russian Artists Union, is a
miracle," stresses Anthony Lacy Gully, Ph.D., Herberger College
of Fine Arts, Arizona State University. "His decision to
protect the collection by sending the threatened paintings to
his daughter in Arizona has afforded America the opportunity to
see and study a unique side of Russian art"
Original Russian Art Painted by artists
whose creations hang in St. Petersburg's famed Hermitage Museum,
the Kohn Collection encompasses 200 works by more than 150
artists from this period Praised by such national publications
as "Southwest Art" and "Art of the West", the paintings have
been exhibited at museums in both the South and the West.
To accompany an
upcoming exhibit of the Kohn Collection in Scottsdale at Arizona's West Valley
Art Museum, Elena has written a book entitled "The Hidden World
of Russian Impressionism: The Soviet Era 1940-1960".
Incorporating more than 100 images in color as well as black and
white, the tabletop book promises to be an important addition to
Russian artworks involving the Russian Impressionists. Much of the
material was drawn from documentation created by Elena's father,
who curated the paintings back in Russia. Since the author was
among the last students educated under the Soviet regime,
invaluable insights regarding this truly unique education system
is another highlight of the book.
"The brightly-colored
canvasses of the Kohn Collection provide a glimpse of peasant
and middle-class life not regimented by the political ambitions
of the Soviet Politburo, nor the Romantic narratives so common
to early modern Russian painting. such as the works of the
'Wanderers'," points out Gully. "Indeed, the wide range of
works in the Kohn Collection is a dramatic expression of
Tolstoy's admonition that true painting is the expression of the
personal experiences of the artist.
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