KROPIVNITSKY Lev Evgenievich

August 27, 1922 (Tyumen) — May 26, 1994 (Moscow)

Painter, graphic artist

Lev Kropivnitsky was born to a family of the artists E. L. Kropivnitsky and O. A. Potapova. Firstly he studied painting and drawing under the guidance of his parents. In 1939 Kropivnitsky entered Moscow Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts (MIPiDI). In 1941–1944 he served in the army; because of severe wound, he was removed from active service as an invalid, and he returned to Moscow. Since 1945 Kropivnitsky continued studying at the Institute (under A. Deineka), but in 1946 he was arrested on a charge of belonging to anti-Soviet terrorist organization (he endured punishment together with B. Sveshnikov). He served nine-year term in the prison camps of Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) and Kazakhstan. Kropivnitsky was discharged in 1954 without departure from Balkhash city, where he worked as an artist and stage director in local house of culture; he also headed studio of arts.

After rehabilitation in 1956, Kropivnitsky returned to Moscow. Since late 1950s he worked at the Combine of decorative and applied arts. There he created posters, and exhibitional design for different exhibitions and museums (the State Literature Museum and the Alexander Pushkin Museum in Moscow, the Leo Tolstoy Museum-Estate at Yasnaya Polyana, the T. G. Shevchenko Museum in Kiev, the A. N. Ostrovsky Museum in Shchelykov and others). Kropivnitsky was involved in book graphics and art criticism; more than 10 articles by the artist were published in the Decorative Art magazine.

In late 1950s — early 1960s Kropivnitsky began to paint in abstract impressionism manner. “Non-figurative painting gave me opportunity to be closer to the reality, to explain the essences of things, to comprehend everything important that we can’t perceive with our five senses. I realized that our modernity was the whole set of dramatic accomplishments, psychological tension and intellectual oversaturation. I tried and am trying now, on the basis of what we have lived through and experienced, to create a painting form, suitable to the spirit of our times and the psychology of our century.” (Lev Kropivnitsky, 1965).

The painter participated in many exhibitions: since 1960s he organized his personal exhibitions, so called apartment exhibitions; and took part in the group exhibitions in Moscow (club Druzhba (“Friendship”), 1967).

1967 — the exhibition of painting and graphic art from the collection of A. Glezer (Tbilisi);
1970 — the exhibition Nuove correnti a Mosca (Museo Belle Arti, Lugano, Switzerland);
1974 — the exhibition Progressive Strömungen in Moskau 1957–1970 (Museum Bochum, Bochum, Federal Republic of Germany);
1976 — Exposition au Musee russe en Exil (Mongeron, France);
1979 — the exhibition Progressive Strömungen in Moskau 1957–1970 (Museum Bochum, Bochum, Federal Republic of Germany).

Kropivnitsky took part in many other exhibitions.

In 1988 the personal exhibition of the artist was held in Kostroma Regional Museum of Fine Arts, later in Tyumen Regional Museum of Fine Arts, and in the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow.