Alexander Rodionov. Mahmud Usmanov. "Life conquers"

To the 100th anniversary of the artists.

The State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan continues the cycle of exhibitions representing artists-anniversaries of 2018. On November 29, an exhibition of works by two prominent representatives of the fine arts of Tatarstan of the twentieth century, Alexander Mironovich Rodionov and Mahmud Usmanovich Usmanov, opens in the Khazine National Art Gallery, whose work is closely connected with the development of the artistic life of our republic. Participants of the Great Patriotic War, awarded orders and medals, folk artists of the TASSR, honored artists of the RSFSR A. M. Rodionov and M. U. Usmanov, whose main idea is to love their native land and the indissoluble connection with it. Adherents of the realistic method of reflecting reality, each of the artists went his own, individual creative path.

The main directions in the work of Alexander Rodionov were landscape, portrait, political posters. However, the main creative efforts were concentrated on the plot-thematic genre. The theme of war sounds surprisingly subtly, lyrically and dramatically in the artist’s works. “Life conquers”, “At halt”, “Bread” - the image of the war is not given through the intensity and tragedy of the battle, but through the moments of silence, when the guns fall silent and the nightingales suddenly become audible, peaceful smells of a blossoming apple tree, ripening bread, sun-heated earth are felt. In the work of Alexander Rodionov there are a lot of lyrical and industrial landscapes: “Autumn time”, “On Kama”, “Morning of Camges” and others. The nature of the region at the time of autumn leaf fall or winter frost, summer twilight or March blue shadows in the snow finds its lively, emotional embodiment in the works of the artist.

The leading genre in the painting of Mahmud Usmanov was the industrial landscape. The artist’s painting “Morning of the Tatarstan Oil Workers” is one of the first works on the work of the republic’s black gold miners. But the heroic-romantic industrial landscape is not the only role of M. Usmanov. With great love and enthusiasm, the artist painted lyrical and urban landscapes. Moreover, his landscapes are recognizable. It seems that you wandered through these fields, sat on the banks of these rivers or small lakes, looked at the sunsets. Its landscapes are characterized by variable scales of intermediate states of nature, season or time of day. Mahmud Usmanov also lovingly and enthusiastically portrayed the modern city, large houses, noisy streets. A favorite theme of his city landscapes is Kazan, its historical monuments and new buildings. It is in the landscapes that Mahmud Usmanov most fully expresses his relationship with the outside world. His landscapes are clean, filled with silence and dignity. The artist’s work is an island of beauty and subtle observations.

The fine art of Tatarstan of the Soviet period was a vivid, noticeable phenomenon not only in the culture of the republic, but also in the culture of the Russian Federation. The works of artists Alexander Mironovich Rodionov and Makhmud Usmanovich Usmanov, presented at the anniversary exhibition opening on November 29 at Khazine, are indisputable evidence of the high level of the 20th century art school of Tatarstan.