A large exhibition of Constantine Somov St.-Петербурге
ARTinvestment.RU   30 марта 2017

For the first time in 50 years, Russia has carried out such a large-scale exhibition, an outstanding representative of the Association "World of art": the exhibition of the St. Petersburg school of more than 80 works of Luba from museums and private collections

the Picture
24 Mar — may 14 2017
St.-Петербург, Fontanka river embankment, 24

the Representative of the artistic Association "World of art", the decadent and the dandy, Som all his life was dissatisfied with himself, honed talent and looking for perfection. Like many of the "world of art", the artist often turned to the images of the past, creating exquisite paintings from the XVIII century. His fate is quite typical for Russian immigrants 1920-х years, but unlike many Soms have managed and far from their homeland to seek success and to prove the cogency of his unique talents.

Konstantin Andreevich Somov (1869-1939) was born into the family of a famous figure of the Museum, curator of the Hermitage A. I. Somov and from childhood was surrounded by art. Already in the Karl May gymnasium he met and became friendly with Alexander Benois, Walter Nouvel and Dmitry Filosofov, and later with Sergei Diaghilev participated in the creation of the society and the magazine "World of art". He studied under Ilya Repin at the Academy of fine arts and at the Academie colarossi in Paris.

Somov wrote many portraits of his contemporaries: Mikhail Kuzmin, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, widely known and still a matter of desperate disputes his portrait of Alexander Blok. He was engaged not only in painting and graphics, he created exquisite porcelain compositions, highly regarded his work as book illustrations. One of the most famous works of the Luba became erotic illustrations to courtly book "Book of the Marquise".

the First solo exhibition of Somov were held in St. Petersburg in 1903. Even then, the artist was extremely popular in Germany, where he also held two exhibitions and published his work. In 1923 Konstantin Somov went to America as Commissioner of the "Russian exhibition" and more to Russia did not return. From 1925 he lived in France, where he created a number of provocative works glorifying the beauty of the young body.

Recent retrospective exhibitions of the artist passed in 1969-1971 and was timed to 100-летию from the day of his birth. Since then, Russia solo exhibitions was carried out.

the Current exhibition in the Cathedral includes works from the collection of the State Russian Museum, St-Петербургского State Museum of theater and musical art Museum-квартиры Brodsky, Anna Akhmatova Museum at the fountain house, as well as several dozen private collections in Europe, St-Петербурга and Moscow.

Opens an exhibition of unique photographic, where Luba can be seen by the student, and while working in St. Petersburg, with Sergei Rachmaninoff at the exhibition of Russian art in new-Йорке, and even in the costume of Aladdin — he is known, loved masquerades.

"the photo archive provided to us by the heirs of the artist, perhaps the most important in the exhibition. All works Somov that you see here, one way or another were known in different times were shown, and photographs are exhibited for the first time" — says the curator of the exhibition ChristineBerezovskaya.

the Next room is devoted to talent Luba-пейзажиста: "Oranienbaum Park", "the monkey Garden", "Grove on the beach" — all this work of the early period, but already it is clear: the artist does not like anyone. Yes, arrays of greens illusory and three-dimensional, but they look very different than, for example, the impressionist Monet.

"Work Somova, of course, for scrutiny, for thoughtful contemplation. But, when you watch, pay attention to the date. He wrote during the revolution, post-revolutionary chaos, and what occupied his thoughts? Take the same Kustodiev (they were friends) — even he is walking proletariat! This look at Luba. You will not find. He perceived art as pure matter, which should not respond to such things," — emphasizes art critic Dmitry Severyukhin.

From the portrait series draws attention to his graphic sketch of the Block. Russian Museum, incidentally, is also provided for the exhibition one picture — "Naked young man", which the artist wrote with athlete Snezhkovskogo. In the last room you can see some delicate porcelain figurines on the theme of masquerade, and even the very "Rainbow" — this picture ten years ago, broke all records at the auction of Russian art at Christie's in London, when it was sold for $ 7.33 million.

"Konstantin Somov, one of the most expensive artists on the Russian art market, and this despite the fact that he all his life was dissatisfied with their work. His letters abound with phrases like: “again, wrote some-то stuff”, “probably, I'll never be an artist”. In the permanent collections of museums his works are little because they need to show how time in the chamber galleries. Next to "the Ninth wave" or "Last days of Pompeii", we simply will not notice", — says Dmitry Severyukhin.

the exhibition is accompanied By a richly illustrated catalogue with a number of scientific articles by leading specialists in the field of Russian art of the early twentieth century.

Sources: kgallery.ru, rg.ru, artinvestment.ru