In the Engineers' Castle of the Russian Museum opened the exhibition "Bed in Russian art XVIII - XX centuries". Exhibition of pastels - a rarity. In the museum's collections of works in this technique are scarce. In the Russian Museum collections are stored about five hundred works in pastels, relating to the XVIII - XX centuries. Today, there are a significant part (about 135 works) for the first 110 years of existence, the museum shows the viewer. The exhibition presents the work of J. Barda, Barda AK, A. Orlov , A. Venetsianov , S. Zaryanko , VP Olenin, Konstantin Makovsky , Levitan , Valentin Serov , A. Benoit , B. Kustodiev , K. , M. Dobuzhinsky , Pasternak , L. Bakst , Z. Serebryakova , P. Chelishchev , Kaplan , etc.

• ALEXANDER OREL . Bashkir. 1808
  Paper, pastel. 51,5 x 38,5

In our country bed appeared in the first half of XVIII century, brought by foreign artists. Throughout the XVIII century creators of the works in this technique have been masters of the so-called Revelation - foreign painters who worked in Russia. They performed almost exclusively portraits to order. Distribution among Russian artists pastels received later. Rather, the manufacture, often executed in one session, pastel portrait was widespread, was one of the most favorite types of custom images, performing in some way feature photography. As an outstanding master of pastel-known Swede Vigilius Eriksen, creator of the original iconographic type ( "Portrait of Empress Catherine II in front of the mirror"), Frenchman Jean Sansua by a portrait of Grand Duke Paul Petrovich, the German Jacob Orth, author of a rare profile image Elizabeth Alekseyevna. The most famous and productive master pastel portrait of Russia in the last third of the XVIII century, was a native of Switzerland Johann Barda, who wrote a specially primed canvas, paper and parchment, a small oval or octagonal portraits. Bardoux moved to St. Petersburg in 1784 and performed pastel portraits of Catherine II and her favorite AD Lansky. The earliest in the pastel collection of the Russian Museum is the ethnographic etyudnaya sketch of the German artist Jana Cassel Young motorbike, made in 1735.

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era of prosperity pastel portrait in Russia occur in the first third of the XIX century. This is, apparently, with the rise of estate culture, from which entered the fashion familial portrait gallery. Leading artist this time - Karl-Wilhelm (Karl Ivanovich), Barda, a native of Berlin, famous primarily as the author of pastel portraits. Since 1806 Bardoux Jr. lived in Moscow, where he performed many portraits of family members of the Moscow nobility. Two of the best works of Barda on display at the exhibition: the quality and safety are real rarities. On one of them - "Portrait of a Young Man (1811) - captures the famous Russian poet Pushkin's circle EA Baratynskij in childhood.

Along with other graphic and pictorial techniques, pastels used Alexander Osipovich Orlovsky, who studied in Europe, painter, draftsman, printmaker and lithographer, winner of the "quick pencil" (in the words of Pushkin). The first decades of creative ways to actively working with pastels and Alexei Venetsianov. In 1807 Venetsianov entered the civil service, and in his spare time went to the Hermitage and copied pastel pencils picture of Luca Giordano, and Bartolome Esteban Murillo. Later Venetsianov brought the two genres of peasant portraits in pastel Empress Elizabeth Alexeevna, for which he received a diamond ring, and in 1823, gave "a picture in the rural home as pastel colors" Alexander I. Apparently, this was one of the masterpieces of the famous painter, now belonging to the Russian Museum, - "Purification of beet».

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From 1840 to Russia from Europe comes to skill daguerreotype, and in the end of 1840 there is a way to replicate photographic images. Impressive innovation at the time pushed to the art market watercolor, miniature and pastel portrait, so in Russia in 1840-60's bed is very rare use. The middle of the XIX century marked by single works in pastels, sponsored by Sergey Zaryanko, Natalya Makukhin ( "Portrait of the Artist Kovrigina"), Peter A. Olenin ( "Portrait of Ivan Andreevich Krylov»), Pavel Petrovich Sokolov , Johann-Adolf Timm. Used bed and Konstantin Makovsky (The Bacchae. "1860).

In the 1890's pastel technique in Russia in fact is experiencing a rebirth, and twenty years between 1890 and 1910 mi-mi completely be called the "golden age" of this kind of art. Almost all pastels Isaac Levitan refer to 1890 years. Before Levitan to this technique is not addressed at all, but later - after 1894 - only in individual cases. In the Russian Museum collections - three pastel masters: "Gloomy Day" (1895) "Valley" (1890) and one of the peaks of creativity Levitan - "Meadow near the forest" (1898). Bed occupied a special place in the work of Valentin Serov ( "Portrait of Princess Musin-Pushkin, 1895). In "Portrait of Elena Pavlovna Olive" (1909) one of pastels was not enough, and with it the artist used watercolor and gouache. In the pastel works of Boris Kustodiev ( "In the box", "wisteria blossoms, 1912) - interlocking trends of the domestic art of the late XIX and XX centuries, interest in theater, the scenes the world (" Dancer in the cabaret, "1904;" Circus ", 1905; "In the box", 1912), the presence of mild nostalgia for the national past ( "Kids in costume", 1909). Plastic opportunities pastels allow the artist Leonid Pasternak convey the atmosphere of the house of Leo Tolstoy (Leo Tolstoy with his family in Yasnaya ", 1902).

• Isaac Levitan Valley. Autumn. 1896
  Paper, pastel. 52 x 67

Bed is a favorite technique of the members of the artistic association "World of Art" - Alexandre Benois , Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev, Konstantin Andreevich Somov, Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky, Osipovich Leonid Pasternak and others. This technique proved to be even more in demand than the less its adherents practiced academic or late Peredvizhnichestvo. Artists expanding genre repertoire pastels. For example, Alexander Benois increasingly dominated by pastel landscapes, at Sergei Malyutina - lyrical portraits, Leon Bakst - furnishing portraits, images of children and a poster (poster for the Children's Bazaar, 1899), in Alexander Golovin - thumbnails stage scenery.

To Zenaida Serebrya ( "Portrait of the son of Alexander, 1921) bed to the end remained a favorite technique. In the manner of non finito ( «unfinished") created portraits of children, with finely elaborated face and barely target clothing, as well as - "the ballet series, where the figure identified only vague contours. "Moroccan Series" (1928, 1932) is entirely done in pastels.

recently became the property of the Russian Museum pastel landscapes Pavel Fedorovich Chelishchev ( "River in the autumn"). They are all created, apparently, in the late 1910's - early 1920's, possibly in the early years of emigration. Presented at the exhibition of pastel sketches Anatoly Kaplan felt biblical simplicity, truth and eternal lyrical element ( "A man and a cow," 1974; "Pink Sunset" and "Jealousy", two - 1977).

Alexander Baturin , and "Moments of Eternity» Vladimir Yankylevsky (cycle "space experiences", 1988), and in pictures-modules Elia Belutin , and in the works Peter Dick .

Source: mkrf.ru