Naive art of Lydia Olshanetskaya (1899 - 1975)

Naive art is the work of artists who do not have a professional education, but who are constantly engaged in painting. Naive art is not as primitive as it might seem at first glance. These works are distinguished by the unusual art form, fantasy compositions, coloristic richness. Each naive artist has his own circle of themes, his own style, his work is always original and unique. They feel a way to display reality through the prism of the personality of the author. Such artists include Lidia Vladimirovna Olshanetskaya (1899 - 1975), the author of the works presented at the exhibition.

Lidia Vladimirovna Olshanetskaya, nee Berg, was born to Moscow in 1899 in a noble family. In the early 1900s, the Berg family moved to Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). Here Lydia Berg graduated from high school with a gold medal. The First World War began, and her father went to the front, where he died in 1916. In the difficult years of the Civil War, Lydia and her mother returned to Moscow. In the early 1920s, Lidia Vladimirovna married the architect I. L. Olshanetsky (1886 - 1955). She devoted herself to family and children. The life of Lydia Vladimirovna fell on a difficult time - the years of war, devastation, needs. Only at 70 years old did Lydia Vladimirovna enter art. This was largely facilitated by her daughter, L.I. Olshanetskaya (1924 - 1979), a professional artist who, with her example, inspired her mother to work. Lidia Vladimirovna began to independently write small tempera paintings on paper or cardboard. According to the recollections of the grandchildren, Lidia Vladimirovna painted her paintings from morning till night, embodying her image of the world in them. No matter how dramatic and hard the life lived, her art is filled with the joy of life. Creativity L.V. Olshanetskaya was recognized: her works are included in the World Encyclopedia of Naive Art, published in 1984 in Belgrade. Although she did not live to see this happy day, she still remained in the history of fine art with her work.

The exhibition features more than thirty graphic works by L.V. Olshanetsoy. These are still lifes, interiors, landscapes, funny scenes, thematic paintings. Among the presented works still lifes dominate - the artist’s favorite genre. All works are performed by tempera on paper or cardboard. In the freshness of the perception of nature, the poetry of its interpretation, the colorfulness of its embodiment, the author’s artistic individuality is manifested. The poetic feeling invested by the author in each work cannot leave the viewer indifferent.

The exhibition will run from August 08 to September 08, 2019 at the address: st. Lenin, 104 (exhibition hall). The museum is open from 10.00 to 18.00, on Saturday from 11.00 to 19.00. Monday is the day off. Contact phone: 56 28 30, 56 38 20.