accessible to the masses
Scandalous “Jack of Diamonds”: How daring Russian artists from hooligans and provocateurs turned into avant-garde classics
At the beginning of the last century, this community of rebellious artists was almost the most scandalous in our country. No wonder, after all, the shocking creative group “The Jack of Diamonds” challenged painters and academics. Everything was provocative in this “grouping” – its very name, the first exhibition and, of course, the pictures that were painted by young artists. Continue reading
From the life of Parisians: Pictures of the French realist Firment-Girard, who admired Repin and Kramskoy
France has always been a center of art and culture. Therefore, innovative artists at all times sought to Paris in search of fame and recognition. One of them, Francois-Marie Firmen-Girard, is a terrific realist, a virtuoso of painting and a subtle psychologist who, during his lifetime, conquered the hearts of not only the public, but also well-known fellow artists. Ivan Kramskoy himself and Ilya Repin were shocked by the talent of the Frenchman and spoke with admiration about his work. Continue reading
Seven Betrayals of Ivan Mazepa: Brilliant Strategist or Cunning Adventurer?
Reviews of this historical figure to this day resemble a swing with a large amplitude – from plus to minus and vice versa. Disputes do not subside both in the scientific community and at the level of public understanding of the role of Ivan Stepanovich Mazepa in the history of Russia and Ukraine. One thing can be stated unequivocally – it was an extraordinary person, in front of the bright colors of which artistic fiction of works about Mazepa Ryleev, Pushkin, Byron and Hugo fade. Continue reading
