Life of Russian hinterland through the eyes of artists of the second half of the twentieth century

On July 4, an exhibition dedicated to realism in Soviet art opened in the Russian Museum. The paintings that made up the core of the exhibition were provided from private collections and reveal the perception of post-war artists.

It is quite difficult to compare these works with the Wanderers who laid the foundations of Russian realism - almost a half-century gap in the artistic tradition has done its job. On the one hand, having deprived many of his work of a strong connection with the classic pre-revolutionary academic drawing, on the other, having instilled a greater understanding and acceptance of the peculiarities of life in the Russian countryside. The obliterated border between the townspeople and the land workers allowed the artists to act not as detached observers and critics, but as brothers in misfortune. Perhaps that is why the works submitted for viewing cause a feeling of nagging longing and deep empathy. The artist, on the other hand, is not so much a critic of the era as a friend, whose heart is full of love for his native people, his native land.

This love for the Russian village, for the land that has not yet forgotten the horrors of war, for people who have realized their mission and have not been able to find their place in life, radiate from the paintings of the classics of the Soviet period of painting - Nikolai Andronov, Sergei Gerasimov, Alexei Gritsay, Victor Ivanov, Natalia Egorshina, Helium Korzhev, Yuri Kugach, Valentin Sidorov, Ivan Sorokin, Vladimir Stozharov, Sergey and Alexey Tkachev, Peter Ossovsky and others.

Representing typical scenes from the everyday life of the Russian hinterland, artists reflect on the fates of individuals and the whole nation, about tragedy, which is full of life and inner joy that opposes any evil.

Eve Istr