Few artists can rival the depth and humanity of Russian portraitist Valentin Serov (1865-1911) who is considered one of his country’s great artistic masters. His subjects were often prominent: from the Romanov family including Czar Nicholas II to members of the aristocracy to leading figures in the arts. However perhaps his most moving portrayals […]
Russian artist Boris Kustodiev (1878-1927) considered daughter Irina his star model, painting her from infancy. Here she poses on the porch of a Swiss clinic where her father was recovering from a serious illness. Kustodiev skillfully balances the petite figure of Irina, with the massive mountain range extending behind her. Belgian Leon Frederic (1856-1940) […]
Although Russian artist Boris Kustodiev (1878-1927) was well traveled, he always returned to his native country. One of his strengths was portraiture, Here he depicts two very different subjects, the rather soulful Countess Grabowska above and his engaging daughter Irina, a favorite subject.
What could be more universal than the clouds. No matter where you live, the vision of the sky is always just above, enhancing the quality of your everyday life. The following artists featured are nineteenth century Norwegians Knud Baade (1808-1879) and Anders Askevold (1834-1900) as well as Russian Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947), who spent years in […]
SNOW, GLORIOUS, SNOW Welcome again to Art Circle! Winter is coming—actually it is almost here in the northern climates and arriving on Monday! Snow has often been a favorite subject of artists throughout art history, including: Japanese masters Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) and Hasui Kawase (1883-1957); French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926); Americans Childe Hassam […]
Russian artist Ivan Kramskoi (1837-1887) was particularly renowned for his portraits (one of his subjects was Leo Tolstoy), although his bouquet of flowers above demonstrates a deep love of nature.
Mirrors have fascinated artists for centuries, whether Russian portraitist Valentin Serov (1865-1911) or American Impressionist Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919). Both works of art are intriguing interpretations of the complex relationship between the women and the reflections of their images.
Reposted blog. Essentially, the tragedy of Nicholas II was that he appeared in the wrong place in history. Equipped by education to rule in the nineteenth century, equipped by temperament to reign in England, he lived and reigned in Russia in the twentieth century. There, the world he understood was breaking up around him. […]
Reposted blog. Zinaida Serebriakova, one of Russia’s first notable women painters, was caught in the middle of the upheaval of World War I and Russian Revolution.. Like Boris Pasternak’s character Dr. Zhivago, she lost not only family members and friends, but her way of life.* However, her self portrait At the Dressing Table was […]
Russian artist Konstantin Ivanovich Gorbatov (1876-1945) often created incredibly rich and varied bouquets of flowers; his personal life was difficult, having to flee his native country because of the Russian Revolution and was trapped in Nazi Germany during World War II.
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