Exhibition of one painting "Sergei Maximilianovich Steinberg" Leningrad. Washing"

On August 13, the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts (103 Lenina st.) Will host the next exhibition of one painting “Sergei Maximilianovich Steinberg“ Leningrad. Washing ”, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the birth of the poet Joseph Alexandrovich Brodsky.

“Leningrad shapes your life, your consciousness to the extent that the visual aspects of life can influence us <…> It is a huge cultural conglomerate, but without bad taste, without a mess. An amazing sense of proportion, classic facades breathe peace. And all this affects you, makes you strive for order in life, even though you realize that you are doomed. Such a noble attitude towards chaos, resulting in either stoicism or snobbery. "
I. A. Brodsky

Joseph Brodsky lived in Leningrad for 32 years. This city formed his aesthetic views, here he was born, grew up, here he realized himself as a person and as a poet. In 1995, I. Brodsky was awarded the title of an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg.

At the mention of the name of the famous poet, images of St. Petersburg streets with their fullness of mythical images, with their close connection with Russian literature involuntarily pop up in the head. It is known that one of Joseph Alexandrovich’s favorite places was Venice (I.A. Brodsky was buried in Venice), and who knows, maybe this love was associated with longing for his native city. An exhibition of one work of the artist Sergei Maximilianovich Steinberg (1911-1960) “Leningrad. Washing "(1952). This is one of the sheets of a whole series of landscapes depicting "Venice of the North", and it is noteworthy that these works reflect the images of Leningrad at the time when Joseph Brodsky lived there.

The strong hand of the graphic artist is felt in lithography, while he does not overload the work with details, while maintaining the lightness of the drawing and creating quivering transitions of gray-ocher tones. Perhaps the viewer does not immediately recognize the depicted place, because the author does not add specifics to the name, however, walking along the embankment of the Moika River, we will soon find that this lithograph shows a view of the Blue Bridge and, most likely, Steinberg painted it, standing on the Lantern Bridge… A small bend of the river is perfectly visible from there, and the silhouettes of houses on the right and left banks are immediately recognized. It is also possible that the artist made a preparatory drawing from several angles to create a more integral image, from which it seems as if he "pushes" the Mariinsky Palace a little closer to the bridge, and the Moika River becomes somewhat wider than it really is.On the left, in the background, behind the branches of trees, the building of the Institute of Plant Industry named after NI Vavilov "hides", in the third plan we notice the silhouettes of snow-covered roofs and the dome of the Kazan Cathedral visible in the distance. If we go a little forward and look to the left around the corner of the house, we will see an equestrian monument to Nicholas II, and behind it there is a beautiful view of St. Isaac’s Cathedral.

Now let’s imagine that our path lies in the opposite direction from the plot depicted in the lithograph. Walking along the embankment of the Moika River from the Lantern Bridge to the Kisses Bridge, we will find ourselves on Glinka Street. Turning left and reaching the intersection with Rimsky-Korsakov Avenue, on the right we will see house number 15, in which the illustrator Marianna Basmanova lived and still lives - better known as M. B. These initials Joseph Brodsky put in front of several dozen poems. She was the first lover of the famous poet. In 1967, they had a son, but already in 1968 they broke up. However, Brodsky continued to devote poetry to her, and they corresponded. Many other notable places of St. Petersburg are associated with the poet’s name. Among them is Muruzi’s house at 24 Liteiny Avenue, where Joseph Alexandrovich lived from 1955 to 1972.At the Gorky Palace of Culture, for the first time, he participated in the "tournament of poets", where the poem "Jewish cemetery" read by him became the cause of a scandal. On Vosstaniya Street, 38, in the Dzerzhinsky District Court in 1964, a case was heard on Brodsky’s charges of parasitism, and as a result he was sentenced to five years of forced labor in a remote area, of which he served only one and a half, thanks to the fact that many writers and cultural figures. In 1972 Brodsky left the USSR. When already in the 90s he was invited to visit Russia, he spoke about his return to his homeland in the following words: "The best part of me is already there - my poetry."In 1964, in the Dzerzhinsky District Court, a case was heard on Brodsky’s charges of parasitism, and as a result he was sentenced to five years of forced labor in a remote area, of which he left only one and a half, thanks to the fact that many writers and cultural figures stood up for him. In 1972 Brodsky left the USSR. When already in the 90s he was invited to visit Russia, he spoke about his return to his homeland in the following words: "The best part of me is already there - my poetry."In 1964, in the Dzerzhinsky District Court, a case was heard on Brodsky’s charges of parasitism, and as a result he was sentenced to five years of forced labor in a remote area, of which he left only one and a half, thanks to the fact that many writers and cultural figures stood up for him. In 1972 Brodsky left the USSR. When already in the 90s he was invited to visit Russia, he spoke about his return to his homeland in the following words: "The best part of me is already there - my poetry."he spoke about his return to his homeland in the following words: "The best part of me is already there - my poetry."he spoke about his return to his homeland in the following words: "The best part of me is already there - my poetry."

“And for me, Peter is both palaces and canals. But, of course, my childhood predisposed me to a keen perception of the industrial landscape. I remember the feeling of this vast space, open, filled with some not very significant, but still protruding structures… "" This mixture of industry and culture seems to me quite remarkable - Marty’s plant, Pryazhka, the embankment of the Red Fleet… ".
I. A. Brodsky

The exhibition will run until September 13.