Nikolay Shestopalov. Paintings and drawings of the pupil of Repin, the Russian Museum
ARTinvestment.RU   09 июня 2016

Joint exhibition of the state Russian Museum and gallery "vellum" will take place at the Stroganov Palace on June 23 — on 5 September 2016

the State Russian Museum
23 Jun — on 5 September 2016
Stroganov Palace
St-Петербург, Nevsky prospect, 17

for the First time after a long break, will be presented the works of the Russian painter Nikolai Ivanovich Shestopalova (1875-1954).

the Exposition includes about 70 works from the collection of the project initiator of the gallery "vellum" and from the Russian Museum funds. The viewer will find here the images of-воспоминания about the past of Russia and its pre-revolutionary life, sketches of provincial estates and interiors of the nineteenth century, illustrations from the life of A. S. Pushkin, M. Y. Lermontov, as well as romantic watercolor images of Old Crimea and Krasnaya Polyana.

Nikolay Shestopalov has gained fame and recognition in 1900-20-е years. Before the revolution, participated in exhibitions Association "World of art" and actively worked in the field of satirical graphics. After the revolution, in 1920-е years he turned to historical-революционному genre and he exposed his works at all exhibitions of the Association of artists of revolutionary Russia (AHRR) since its inception.

Official art history strictly determined Nicholas Shestopalovu place in the history of Soviet art, calling it a well-known Illustrator, author of sketches for the Soviet pre-war postcards, glorifying heroic work. Art historians seemed to have forgotten about the artist's training in Munich, about his participation in the exhibitions "World of art", in Russian art of the second decade of the twentieth century. To fill the gaps in the history of Russian art and "back in circulation" the name of the Russian artist of the first half of the twentieth century is called exhibition of paintings and graphics Nikolai Shestopalova in the Russian Museum.

In the life and work of Nicholas Shestopalova was clearly a way of development of Russian art from the late XIX to mid-XX century. A peasant boy from Church-приходской school behind deals in St. Petersburg, courses at the Academy of arts of I. Repin, in the Studio Mate and I. L. Dmitriev-Кавказского, gets skills of academic drawing, graphics and painting. Together with M. cotter closed up his hand, E. Lansere, D. Kardovsky and S. Chekhonin he founded the magazine "the Spectator" (1905). The reaction that followed the 1905 revolution, forcing him to leave Russia; he studied in Germany (Munich), Italy and France. In Munich formed a visual language Shestopalova-художника, which incorporates traditionally Russian-реалистическую manner, and German expressionist art.

Back in 1907 in Saint-Петербург, the artist participates in exhibitions "World of art" group and the "New Association of artists" (NOH), communicates with the Russian symbolists and Impressionists, uses their favorite topics, while remaining committed to academic painting traditions. In this atmosphere born typical "Shestopalova" images of a bygone Russia. And even landscapes of the twentieth Shestopalova-тридцатых years not so much reflect the harsh Soviet reality as recreate the pre-revolutionary way. The artist throughout the creative journey is constantly drawn to the pictures of the Russian province. These are the "Family in an interior (1910-е), "Sunny porch" (1920-е), "Uglich. The house of Tsarevich Dmitry" (1929), "path in the woods" (1930), "On the Volga" (1933), "chembar. The gazebo in the garden Belinsky" (1936), "Vasilsursk" (1939), etc.

As a member AHRR since its founding in 1922), Shestopalov regularly takes part in exhibitions and, in contrast, does not engage in social activities. Writes a lot, and leaves in an artistic expedition to the Aral sea, the Urals, the Dnieper.

Shestopalova Painting of the mid-twentieth century, thematically returns to the legacy of the "world of art" — colleagues and companions of his youth; is the provincial estates, ruined churches and monasteries, written "-ахровски" pasty, almost illusory. Writes about this art Love Agafonov, Director of the gallery "vellum": "the Crimea, Krasnaya Polyana, silver types Central Asia — is the subjects of his paintings, written in the first years of Soviet power. It attracts the interior rooms of the nineteenth century, provincial towns square — life of a bygone era..."

Preserved elegant, romantic watercolours depicting fountains, Tatar Saclay and streets of Old Crimea, as if descended from the pages of Pushkin's "Bakhchisarai fountain". Shestopalov says is "Italian" Crimea — landscapes of Alupka, Simeiz. Admiring the silhouette of the heroine in the lumen wall ("pike", 1915), like Briullov Italian midday". As lovingly written landscapes of the Caucasus (Krasnaya Polyana", 1921).

the Exhibition acquaints visitors with interesting artist who has come a long creative path from academic art, symbolism to create paintings on themes of Russian revolutionary movements and modern history. And was undeservedly forgotten, like many artists who, for one reason or another did not become the flagships of Soviet art, but remained faithful to the fine ideals of the past. The authors of the exhibition hope that the name and creative legacy of the original Russian and Soviet artist Nikolai Shestopalova will take a worthy place in the history of Russian art.

Nikolai Shestopalov — involved in more than 80 exhibitions, his works are in the collections of the State Russian Museum, the Central Museum of the red army, the State Museum of revolution of USSR and other Museum collections. In the framework of the exhibition will be published the first catalogue of the artist's works.

Source: press-релиз of the exhibition