Russian Art
Russian Impressionism
You can hardly turn around today without hearing the words Russian Impressionist being bandied about. Even American painters often refer to themselves as Russian Impressionists this seems to me to be an oxymoron. To do this also seems to be an attempt to commercially profit on the label.
In the Frye Museum in Seattle Wa. there is a self portrait by Nicolai Fechin painted in 1952. Who knows what the value might be today clearly it would be in six figures. While at the same time on the back of the painting it says $500. Since the craze in Russian Impression in America, started with Fechin, it apparently had not yet begun. I first became aware of Fechin while attending Art Center School in Los Angeles in the early sixties from one of my instructors. Fechin lived his last years and died in Santa Monica so he was at that time recognized as a favorite son but as yet relatively unknown. I began to gather slides from people in the area who had studied with him. I also searched for books on him with no luck. The Hammer Galleries in New York had actually published a hard bound catalog only a few years earlier but none were anymore available. I am saying all of this to point up the fact that this interest in Russian Impressionism is relatively new.
The Russian Impressionists as we call them, were referrred to as the Itinerants or Wanderers in Russia, were interested in large part, the world and life of the peasant which I am sure found little interest from the buying public. They did however still paint portraits and such for the upper crust to provide themselves with some substinence, but what America has become enraptured with is the everyday life and landscape. So we don't need to worry about them being accused of commecial pandering. They painted from a clean and honest artistic soul, they were answering to no one. These painters were highly trained by one of the greatest teachers in history, Ilya Repin; they could draw as well as the greatest masters in history. Find me a greater draftsman than Nicolai Fechin. They were painting what they and only they wanted to paint. This sounds like the perfect recipe for great work to me. It was only a matter of time before they would be recognized for their efforts. And recognized thery were, but for all the wrong reasons by us at least.
We fell in love with their color, the freedom of brushwork and the seemingly everyday subject matter. Some how we failed to recognize their great sense of integrity and reverence for poetry that the Russians had. I remember when my friend Sergei Bongart passed away all of his close friends met after the funeral at someones home and we listened the whole evening to the recitation of poems, some of which Sergei had written. Painting to the Russians is just another form of poetry and it should be to us as well.
Today there is so much art done by Americans labeled Russian Impressionism painted only for the market and for totally commercial reasons. This is a clear case of the tail wagging the dog compared to what the "interants" were doing. We are allowing the market place to dictate what we paint, and the louder their money talks the lower our own voice bercomes. As artists we are supposed to be leaders not followers. I know that many feel they have to repeat what has already been said in order to be heard. If that is the case maybe they have nothing really to say in the first place. Now there is a place to start, seaching for our own voice and subject matter.
Nicolai Fechin and Sergei Bongart were two of the greatest Russian painters to have ever lived and worked in America and their work can never be repeated or matched. So any attempt repeat their style or subject matter is sure to fall short of the mark. So we should search for the big lessons they left for us, which I believe to the integrity of motive and subject matter that has personal meaning to the painter, and to let your artist response come directly from the heart. To much of what is being done is like copying another's diary just because their own might be uninteresting. Like it or not our own diary is the only one that has any chance of being interesting.
In short share with the world your own world and your view of it. You may be surprised just how unique and interesting each of us can be to those around us.
Bill
You can hardly turn around today without hearing the words Russian Impressionist being bandied about. Even American painters often refer to themselves as Russian Impressionists this seems to me to be an oxymoron. To do this also seems to be an attempt to commercially profit on the label.
In the Frye Museum in Seattle Wa. there is a self portrait by Nicolai Fechin painted in 1952. Who knows what the value might be today clearly it would be in six figures. While at the same time on the back of the painting it says $500. Since the craze in Russian Impression in America, started with Fechin, it apparently had not yet begun. I first became aware of Fechin while attending Art Center School in Los Angeles in the early sixties from one of my instructors. Fechin lived his last years and died in Santa Monica so he was at that time recognized as a favorite son but as yet relatively unknown. I began to gather slides from people in the area who had studied with him. I also searched for books on him with no luck. The Hammer Galleries in New York had actually published a hard bound catalog only a few years earlier but none were anymore available. I am saying all of this to point up the fact that this interest in Russian Impressionism is relatively new.
The Russian Impressionists as we call them, were referrred to as the Itinerants or Wanderers in Russia, were interested in large part, the world and life of the peasant which I am sure found little interest from the buying public. They did however still paint portraits and such for the upper crust to provide themselves with some substinence, but what America has become enraptured with is the everyday life and landscape. So we don't need to worry about them being accused of commecial pandering. They painted from a clean and honest artistic soul, they were answering to no one. These painters were highly trained by one of the greatest teachers in history, Ilya Repin; they could draw as well as the greatest masters in history. Find me a greater draftsman than Nicolai Fechin. They were painting what they and only they wanted to paint. This sounds like the perfect recipe for great work to me. It was only a matter of time before they would be recognized for their efforts. And recognized thery were, but for all the wrong reasons by us at least.
We fell in love with their color, the freedom of brushwork and the seemingly everyday subject matter. Some how we failed to recognize their great sense of integrity and reverence for poetry that the Russians had. I remember when my friend Sergei Bongart passed away all of his close friends met after the funeral at someones home and we listened the whole evening to the recitation of poems, some of which Sergei had written. Painting to the Russians is just another form of poetry and it should be to us as well.
Today there is so much art done by Americans labeled Russian Impressionism painted only for the market and for totally commercial reasons. This is a clear case of the tail wagging the dog compared to what the "interants" were doing. We are allowing the market place to dictate what we paint, and the louder their money talks the lower our own voice bercomes. As artists we are supposed to be leaders not followers. I know that many feel they have to repeat what has already been said in order to be heard. If that is the case maybe they have nothing really to say in the first place. Now there is a place to start, seaching for our own voice and subject matter.
Nicolai Fechin and Sergei Bongart were two of the greatest Russian painters to have ever lived and worked in America and their work can never be repeated or matched. So any attempt repeat their style or subject matter is sure to fall short of the mark. So we should search for the big lessons they left for us, which I believe to the integrity of motive and subject matter that has personal meaning to the painter, and to let your artist response come directly from the heart. To much of what is being done is like copying another's diary just because their own might be uninteresting. Like it or not our own diary is the only one that has any chance of being interesting.
In short share with the world your own world and your view of it. You may be surprised just how unique and interesting each of us can be to those around us.
Bill
I'm listening! To your Good words. here's a great russian art site. lots of history. really helped me see the winter.
http://www.leningradartist.com/index.html
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Gregg
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Bill,
Well said!
There's a real "human" quality to the Russian Impressionists work and it shows. Their work always seems so direct, emotional, even spontanious. Nothing is hidden behind fancy brush-work or tricky technique. That's not to say they weren't technically proficicient painters, that goes without saying. It's just that to me, there is something pure about what they were doing. It's as though the viewer had a first hand oppurtunity to witness the emotional connection these artists had to their subject then the process they went through to paint these peices.
As for the artists who copy, or follow the Russians, no surprise there! In this current art market, whole schools of wanna be copiers or followers are popping up. Even more alarming is that many of them aren't just copying schools of art, but specific artists.
Matt Smith
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Matt
Now that's what I'm talking about. The more the style and technique in a painting is promoted the more the ego shows. I remember something Sergei used to say "it was painted without ego" by this he would mean that whatever amount of stylization the artist might use it would only be enough to advance the thought. Never to showoff the skills of the painter. This is an observation I always recognized as his highest compliment of anothers work. I remember once getting all worked up at how exciting a small passage was in one of Sergei's paintings and tellling him about my reaction. You can imagine my shock when I saw the same painting a few months later and the exciting passage had been removed. When I asked him he said that the passage in question was not intended to draw anyones intention. In other words it was a beautiful note in the wrong place. So if it does not make the whole better it must be removed. As spontaneous as his and the other Russian paintings appear in truth they are always well orchestrated and thought out. In other words it just didn't fit, and if it doesn't fit it isn't art.
You speak about "no surprise there". I know my self when I look at the work of painters that I admire I am always looking to be surprised. I am looking for the love of subject and even more, the love of the process. I think this is what the Russians had, a love of the process.
By the way Matt you are a great example of someone who as found his own voice and when you do stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before you, you always honor them by raising the bar just a little higher. This is how it should be.
Keep up the great work.
Wm. F. Reese
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In reference to Sergei removing that passage you admired, Bill, I remember a demonstration you did during one of the Cle Elum workshops. One area was just exquisite and you painted around it for quite a while, but eventually took it out. When you did, Jessica Zemsky said something like, "It's so tempting to keep that sugar, but it just didn't work with the rest of the painting."
Susan G.
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Susan
What a memory you have.
I have said many times there are no rules in art. Well maybe one. "If something doesn't make the whole better get rid of it. No matter how much you like it, get rid of it."
Wm. F. Reese
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Excellent discussion on Russian Art. Most recently, I had an opportunity to visit some of the "Russian" galleries in Scottsdale and Santa Fe - neat stuff with lovely, thick paint and wonderful color. Still doesn't compare with Fechin and Bongart, though.
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It's interesting to me that the Russian painters had more in common with the likes of Anders Zorn, Sargant, Sorolla, Boldini, Metcalf, Redfield, and Fortuny than the have in common with the Soviet painters you are referring to. There is plenty to admire among some of the Soviet artists for sure, but many are trapped in the 30's. The compositions and drawing of the early 20 century paintings is a completely different level.
Wm. F. Reese
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Bill,
Well said! I couldn't agree more. You have hit the nail squarely on the head. Painting is so much more than just rendering what is in front of you. One can not over stress the importance of making decisions, choices which in turn make the work a personal statement.
Thank you for leading us into this new medium. I look forward to reading more !!
Best,
Tim
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Tim
Great to hear from you. Hope you'll share your wisdom with us.
Read Simon's comment and tell us how that compares to your educational experience. I know your experience was a different from many.
Wm. F. Reese
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DEAR Mr. Reese,
I took a break from painting to find new inspiration I looked you up on the computer. To make a very long story short, I SO admire your painting. The freshness--the Bongart-ness of it.
You mentioned in one of your blogs about...we, the right-brained artists..." I happen to be a "left-brained-one" who constantly struggles with--what I feel--lacks the spontaneity (freshness) that I so badly want. My painting ends up "finished"...killed...dead! Can an
engineer (left-b) ever become an artist (right-B)?
I would "Thank you" for your opinion.
Struggling in Walla Walla,
Carol Carpenter
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Carol
I'm glad you asked this. The short answer I believe is yes, since everything is a matter of degrees no one knows what the limitations might be. It probably is all up to you.
We were all given a right and a left brain and it is my belief that our culture through our education system has downgraded the right brain for so long that those with a right brain inclination are thought to be a bit odd turned as they say. God gave us a hemisperical brain that is by the way connected and both sides are to be used, but like most of our body it's use it or lose it. It seems to me that most of the dropout from our school system are right brain kids to me this borders on a violation of their civil rights. How could we devise an educational system that leaves out a group of people who bare no blame as to whether they wre born with an inclination toward the right or left brain.
In my own educational experience my grade point average dropped as each right brain class was eliminated. In grade school we had art, we wrote stories and illustrated them we had music class and we did spencerian script handwriting practice which is totally right brained. Even recess is right brained. My senior year I took an art class because I had all the required classes I needed and my grade point shot up a point and a half. What our educators don't understand I believe, is that right brained students become exhausted trying to learn everything by rote. Imagine someone who was extremely left brain trying to draw and paint all day long. They would walk out.
So now what about you? It's too late to change the schools for you. How about doing some exersizes that stimulates the right brain. I used to think we were dealing with conscious and subconscious mind when I first started teaching. One night I was teaching a class and we were painting still life and most of the folks were painting left brain symbols and not the objects as they were. As they were painting I wondered what would they do if I removed an apple? I removed one and carried it around for half an hour or so, it wasn't missed so I ate half of it and put it back it was another half hour before anyone picked up on it.
At this time I noticed that the paint tubes in the still life had under gone a miraculous transformation thay had been painted like they were brand new. At that time I collected all of the paint tubes without being noticed I might add, and asked each person to put their hand behind their back and into each hand I placed a crumpled tube of paint. I then asked them to paint them by merely feeling them. It worked they had to use their right brain.
From here I started recalling exersizes we had done at Art Center School like drawing a stack of easels by drawing only the negative spaces between the easels or a stack of folding chairs will work, people standing at a bus stop, once you start thinking this way there is no end of what will work. Draw a wagon wheel by drawing only the negative shapes. Eventually you will experience a change in your mind set. When you get into the right brain and someone asks a question you will hear but you can't find the words to answer it because there are no language skills on the right side. Try drawing a dormant tree using negative shapes do not use any construction lines or worry about if it looks like a tree or not, just concentrate on the angles and sizes of the shapes. Turn a photgraph upside down and draw that.
Do these exersizes everyday and you'll be able to devise some of your own. You will be amazed just how much you will awaken the right side of you brain. There is also a book that was written about 20 years ago "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," by Betty Edwards. I was amazed at just how on track I was 20 years earlier using only my own experience. It is a great book and provides a lot of insight to this whole issue.
Please let me no how this works for you.
Wm. F. Reese
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Thank you, Mr. Reese! I will go to work on it and report back!
Respectfully,
Carol Carpenter
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Please do and don't forget you have to work everday to get better, every other day just to keep from getting worse.
Wm. F. Reese
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