среда, 03 ноября 2010

18:40

Gary Wood - Иисус и небеса

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13:23

Nineteenth-Century Russian Art: "Ideological Realism"

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Peredvizhniki (Itinerants or Wanderers).	Peredvizhniki (Itinerants or Wanderers). From the mid-eighteenth century, the Russian school of painting and sculpture had been controlled by the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. In the relatively liberal atmosphere of Alexander II's "Great Reforms," there was growing discontent among some artists with the traditionally conservative attitude of the Academy of Arts. In 1863, a group of students at the Academy rebelled at the proposed topic for the annual Gold Medal painting competition: "The Entrance of Odin into Valhalla." They felt that this mythological fantasy was too remote from the real life of Russia that, they believed, demanded their artistic attention. Thirteen painters and one sculptor resigned from the Academy. Soon after they withdrew from the Academy, these "Thirteen Contestants" formed an Artists' Cooperative Society. In 1870, they formed the "Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions," and the painters became known as "Peredvizhniki" (in English, they are known as "Wanderers" or "Travelers" or "Itinerants." The Peredvizhniki committed themselves to populist themes painted in an accessible realist style and believed their art might serve as a vehicle for social reform and promote the development of a national consciousness. Although the leaders of the Peredvizhniki were conscious of European movements, their own agenda was a Russian one. Among their constant themes were the Russian peasantry, the Russian landscape, and the Russian clergy. But the Peredvizhniki were progressive not only in the subjects they chose to paint, but also in the way they reached their audience. Earlier, significant art exhibitions had been limited to Moscow and St. Petersburg, but now the artists who allied themselves with this traveling group had the opportunity to reach a much wider audience than they would have earlier. The creation of an art tradition depends, of course, not only on how art is created, but how it is preserved, displayed, and received by current and future generations. In this regard an important role was played by the wealthy Moscow merchant and collector Pavel Tretiakov (1832-98). In 1892, Tretiakov, along with his brother, gave to the city of Moscow a collection of important paintings by some of the most significant Russian artists of the nineteenth century. Many of the canvasses came from the Peredvizhniki. This collection is still at the core of the Tretiakov gallery today.
Click Image for Full View	"The Easter Procession" (1861) Vasily Perov (1834-82) was a Moscow painter, and thus worked in an atmosphere that was freer and less bureaucratic than the Petersburg Academy. So even though some of his work predates the formation of the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions, we can see in his art the same note of social protest as that of the Peredvizhniki. Perov was one of the chief exponents of Russian critical realism during its initial stage in the 1860s. In this painting Perov strikes directly at the corruption of the rural clergy. The painting shows a group of priests staggering out of a village tavern in various states of inebriation. Even under the relatively liberal regime of Alexander II, this scene was considered too offensive and was withdrawn from exhibition.
Click Image for Full View	"The Temptation of Christ" (1872-74) Ivan Kramskoi (1837-87) was one of the founders of the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions. He believed that a portrait should characterize a person by demonstrating his or her moral convictions. In the "Temptation of Christ" or "Christ in the Wilderness", Kramskoi wanted to portray not the outward man, but the inner struggle between good and evil. He presents a nervous, exhausted man rather than Jesus as the Son of God.
Click Image for Full View	"The Last Supper" (1863) Nikolai Ge (1831-94) In this painting Ge reinterpreted the Last Supper in the light of problems of the 1860s. Since the time of Leonardo da Vinci, the composition of Jesus and his disciples seated at a long table had been repeated many times, including at the Imperial Academy, where the Last Supper had been a traditional subject. Ge chose to portray Jesus silently meditating, while the words he just spoke ("One of you will betray me" causes confusion among his disciples. Ge uses contrasts of light and dark to suggest the confrontation between good and evil. His dramatic lighting transforms Judas into a dark unearthly silhouette. By contrast, Christ and the Apostles are bathed in the warm glow of a candle, which Judas blocks from view.
Click Image for Full View	"Peter the Great Interrogating the Tsarevich Alexey" (1871) Nikolai Ge This painting shows the dramatic confrontation of Peter I and his son, who was against the reforms of his father and supported the boyar opposition. After several attempts to win him over, Peter signed his death warrant. The story of the historical interrogation, in which the Tsar so prized justice that he condemned his own son to death, illustrates Ge's concern with the ideals of virtue and equity during this period. Ge's attention to historical detail in order to create an atmosphere of authenticity constitutes a significant contribution to Russian history painting.
Click Image for Full View	"What is Truth (Christ and Pilate)" (1890) Nikolai Ge Both Kramskoi's "Temptation of Christ" and Ge's "Last Supper" foreshadow the Peredvizhniki's use of the Christ figure as their "new hero" during the politically troubled 1870s. In 1876 Ge abandoned his career and moved to the Ukraine, but he returned to painting in the 1880s. The themes of Christ and the Gospels resurfaced in his work at this time. However, unlike the "new hero" figure of many of the works of the Peredvizhniki, the figure of Jesus in Ge's paintings reflects the phases and experiences of the artist's own psyche, enabling us to see these last images of Jesus as self-portraits. Like Perov's "Easter Procession," Ge's "What is Truth (Christ and Pilate)" was removed from exhibition under pressure from the Church. Although Ge was inspired by genuine religious feeling, his mute, haggard Jesus offended some.
Click Image for Full View	"The Morning of the Execution of the Streltsy" (1881) Vasily Surikov (1848-1916) It seems strangely appropriate that this canvas was first exhibited in St. Petersburg on March 1, 1881, the very day of Tsar Alexander II's assassination. This canvas shows, of course, not the execution itself, but the scene leading up to it. The Streltsy are not only leaving their loved ones, but the whole of old Russia is departing. Surikov's compositions are designed to bring the spectator into the painted space, which is evident both in "Streltsy" and "Boyarina Morozova."
Click Image for Full View	"Boyarina Morozova" (1887) Vasily Surikov (1848-1916) "Boyarina Morozova" explores the theme of personal opposition to the established Church and State. Surikov drenches his paintings with the hues of Old Muscovy, and in so doing lulled the authorities into admiring his canvasses, even as he was criticizing current injustices.
Click Image for Full View	"Bargemen (The Volga Boatmen)" (1870-73) Ilya Repin (1844-1930) "Barge-Haulers on the Volga (The Volga Boatmen)" was the first painting completed by Repin after leaving the Academy of Fine Arts. Like many members of the Russian intelligentsia of the day, Repin valued the physical labor and fatigue of the common man as a worthy subject. The eleven figures in the group have been called metaphors for Russia itself. The lead "hauler" was modeled after a defrocked priest whom Repin came to know during his stay on the Volga. He represents wisdom. Other figures represent different ages, nationalities and social sectors. In the middle of the dark and beaten-down figures of the haulers, a young man has lifted his head and is staring off out of the picture. To the young students who saw this picture, the meaning was clear: the boy was raising his head in an act of defiance and looking to them to come and lead the suffering people to deliverance.
Click Image for Full View	"Religious Procession in Kursk" (1880-83) Ilya Repin Repin left Moscow for St. Petersburg in 1882. In 1883 he completed his "Religious Procession in Kursk," which became his greatest "peasant picture." Note that the miracle-working icon is in the hands of the richest lady.
Click Image for Full View	"Tsar Ivan IV with the Body of his Son Ivan on November 16, 1581" (1881-85) Ilya Repin The source of this painting is the tragic episode when Tsar Ivan struck his son Ivan with a staff, mortally wounding him. This painting can be taken as an implied criticism of autocratic rule. Unlike the historical paintings of Surikov, Repin keeps his canvas clear of what Hamilton calls "historical bric-a-brac" (384), and concentrates solely on the human tragedy. We see Ivan slowly realizing the consequences of his violent outburst as he tries to stop the flow of blood from his son's head.
Click Image for Full View	"They Did Not Expect Him" (1883-98) Ilya Repin In the later 1880s, Repin's favored subjects were heroism and populism. He was particularly drawn to themes involving dramatic and often tragic circumstances. One of the most superb examples of this genre is "They Did Not Expect Him." The composition, depicting the unexpected return from exile of a revolutionary populist, presents a startling, almost cinematic moment. The older boy recognizes his father almost immediately, while the younger sister, too young to remember him, looks frightened. As Hamilton writes, "The picture must be regarded as the finest artistic achievement of the social point of view of the Peredvizhniki. With it Repin can be said to have crowned and closed the history of ideological realism in Russian painting" (385).

	Key Terms From Lectures
	Pavel Tretiakov (1832-98). Peredvizhniki (Itinerants or Wanderers). Names of Artist and Work (listed above.)

	Related Web Sites
	The State Russian Museum The State Russian Museum is the world's largest museum of Russian art. It is located in the very center of St. Petersburg, just of the city's central magisterial, Nevsky Prospekt. http://www.rusmuseum.ru The Slavic Research Center: Russian Art - Internet Resources http://src-home.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/eng/Russia/art-e.html Art Museum of Nizhny Novgorod The city art museum in Nizhny Novgorod was opened to the public in 1896. At first the collection was housed in one of the towers of the Nizhni Novgorod Kremlin. http://www.unn.runnet.ru/nn/museum/

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@темы: realism, ideological, nineteenth-century, russian art

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вторник, 02 ноября 2010

23:38

Шаги к антихристу. Наполеон и Черчиль заключили соглашение

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Новости дня

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"Заклятые друзья" объединили военные усилия

Великобритания и Франция заключили историческое соглашение по военному сотрудничеству, наблюдатели его уже даже назвали беспрецедентным. Документ подписали французский президент Николя Саркози и британский премьер Дэвид Кэмерон.

Великобритания и Франция 2 ноября заключили историческое соглашение по военному сотрудничеству, наблюдатели его уже даже назвали беспрецедентным.

Документ подписали французский президент Николя Саркози и британский премьер Дэвид Кэмерон. Договор предполагает создать совместные силы быстрого реагирования из пяти тысяч военнослужащих. Кроме того, Англия и Франция будут совместно работать над самыми дорогими составляющими военных программ. При этом, обе стороны заявляют, что договоренности отнюдь не влекут за собой потерю независимости в военной сфере, а ещё - не исключают проведения самостоятельных операций.

"Я хочу развеять некоторые мифы. Новые договоренности не ослабят и не размоют, как некоторые предположили, суверенитет Британии или Франции. Речь не идёт о создании Европейской армии. И о том, чтобы иметь общее ядерное оружие - тоже не идёт. Британия и Франция остаются суверенными странами, которые могут использовать свои вооруженные силы независимо друг от друга в своих национальных интересах", - заявил премьер-министр Великобритании Дэвид Кэмерон.

Страны будут совместно пользоваться исследовательскими центрами в области ядерных вооружений, причём один из них во Франции построят на паях - 50 на 50. Авианосцы должны стать полностью совместимыми, что позволит самолётам приземляться на кораблях страны-партнера.

В воздухе оба государства будут использовать танкеры-дозаправщики Airbus, которые закупает Великобритания, а также транспортные самолеты А400М. Спектр совместных разработок будет включать атомные подводные лодки, ракеты, беспилотные летательные аппараты и спутники связи. Всё это делается не в последнюю очередь ради экономии. 2 недели назад правительство Кэмерона объявило, что сокращает военные расходы на 8 процентов.

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@темы: антихрист

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