Vladimir Lebedev

[SergeiSK]

Leningradets Vladimir Lebedev (1891-1967) believed that it has formed for the spiritual atmosphere of the twenties. However, cubism - so popular in the formative years of the artist Lebedev-plastic method - was not for his worldview. His formal methods master used to "collect and organize the element of Russian art, the expression of the greedy and impatient in apprenticeship".
 
Lebedev painted since childhood, enthusiastically and passionately. Interestingly, a strong draftsman, he had not received systematic education. In the years 1910-1911 attended the workshop FA Rubo at the Academy of Arts, then worked in the studio M. Bernstein. In 1910 the artist has collaborated with various satirical magazines.

At the end of 1910 Lebedev was carried away Cubism, which became his school master professional culture. A striking example of Cubist experiments - lists a series of "washerwomen" or "presser" (1920-1925), in which the author consistently addresses various formal problem: he was interested in how the rhythmic organization of the composition, the interaction of simple shapes, with different texture, tone and color.

In early 1920 Lebedev worked in the poster department of the Petrograd slots growth. " Poster clarity moved to a children's book illustration, which the artist worked, since 1921. The exhibition includes sketches of illustrations for the "elephant" by R. Kipling (1921), works by S. Marshak, "The Circus" (1925), "How did planer jointer" (1927) and others, which are classic examples of children's books 1920's.
 
In the first half of 1920 in the works Lebedev appeared attraction to work in series, variations in family reasons. Many of the drawings that show mostly street life postrevolutionary pores (Series Panel Revolution "(1922)," New life "(1924)," NEP "(1925)), were published in satirical magazines. The artist could, like Mikhail Zoshchenko catch the style of the new Soviet life, with its peculiar way of life and caricatured characters. In works from the series "NEP", performed lampblack, there is "excess" for the genre of domestic pattern artistic expression. Drawing has become more beautiful and airy. Acute observation satirist replaced a little ironic admiration.

In the second half of 1920 Lebedev asked for such a traditional art motif as plastic female body. Since 1926, he began systematically to draw from nature female model, an image which varies in sheets from the series "Ballerina," "guitarist" in hundreds of pictures of models depicting one or two figures. Drawings made in different techniques, demonstrate a mature mastery of the artist.

At the turn of 1920-1930-x in the work Lebedev there has been a rejection of the graphics in favor of painting, that does not happen without the influence of the changing requirements of time. In 1930, he worked on portraits and still lifes.

In 1931, some works Lebedev harsh criticism in the press and five years later he, along with the VM Konashevich, became the object of serious attacks in the article "the artist as shit" (Pravda, 1936, March 1). An article was the signal for persecution of Leningrad artists of children's books, was part of a broader ideological campaign directed against a number of artists of Leningrad.

In subsequent years, Lebedev actively engaged in painting and illustrating children's books. However, more recent works the artist did not go in comparison with the masterpieces of the 1920's: the pioneering work of that time were unable to find embodiment in art 1930-1950's.

is now in the Tretyakov Gallery opened the exhibition "I - the artist of the twenties." Drawings Vladimir Lebedev program "Tretyakov Gallery opens its reservists.
The exhibition features about 80 works from the collection Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and a private collection, created by the artist in the brightest period of his work, in the 1920's, many of which are exhibited for the first time.
(The State Tretyakov Gallery)

[NATA NOVA]

Magnificent, rare master of the figure.

[Samvel]

Originally Posted by SergeiSK

Now the Tretyakov Gallery opened an exhibition" I - the artist of the twenties. " Drawings Vladimir Lebedev program "Tretyakov Gallery opens its reservists.
The exhibition features about 80 pieces from the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and a private collection, created by the artist in the brightest period of his work, in the 1920's, many of which are exhibited for the first time.

A wonderful show, good exposure. Thanks to the curator of the exhibition.

[SergeiSK]

The exhibition Eye of the Beholder
Reporting Anna Tolstova ("Kommersant")

It's just two rooms, and there do not know, happy or sad. On the one hand, we show only schedule the 1920's and early 1930: surely it's heyday, Vladimir Lebedev (1891-1967), a great artist without any exaggeration, a children's book and an excellent draftsman, but would like to see a full retrospective, not many Who knows what he did after "Detgiz. On the other hand, when a vegetarian during the thaw elderly Lebedeva, People's Artist of the RSFSR and the corresponding member of USSR Academy of Arts, was asked whether he had a retrospective, he replied that he is not ready yet, and it became clear that the retrospective he emphatically does not want all about knowing yourself.

The curator of this exhibition, Galina Cedric seems to have decided to spare the classics. For example, Lebedev posters for "windows GROWTH" Civil War is, even though they are - in Mayakovsky vociferous and colorful - knocked out of the intimate tone of this subtle and refined, similar to her hero, the exposure. But notice that the bourgeois, fluttering balloons from under the feet of printing step of the proletarians of the poster "In Europe moves red specter of communism", will soon turn into a fat, greedy piece of "Ice Cream" Samuil Marshak. But Lebedev posters for "windows TASS" the Great Patriotic War was not, because they made a completely different person. The man who headed the art editor marshakovskogo "Detgiz" up until the spring of 1936 in the newspaper "Pravda" was not named "artist-shit" (that was the latest stage in a campaign to exterminate the intelligentsia), and every distant from art bastard is not began to explain to him how to.

Chapter books for children in the Tretyakov Gallery is a small but. It starts with two works of 1921, when some of the illustrations in children's magazines and almanacs, which he began to study more at a time of apprenticeship, Lebedev passes to design the book as a whole. And if he had written himself Adventures Chuch-lo, he is still in captivity futuristic "zaum", in Kipling "elephant" we see that the artist who created the Soviet children's book - not in terms of ideology, but in terms of aesthetics, assimilated seems to be everywhere. When out of spots, dots and lines on the plane are formed such figures giraffe and hippo that the child is reaching for a pencil and paper to draw as much as the first time got into the zoo, instantly "know" each animal. As if the extreme asceticism of military communism led to the strictest economy of artistic means: no image - pure gestalt. Following the "elephant" - a whole wall of books Marshak-Lebedev. The names of the poet and the artist as an equal wrote on the cover of one font size, and sometimes they even changed roles: it Marshak had to illustrate his poems funny and poetic images colleagues. So, incidentally, there was "Circus": on the sketches can be seen as typed text on tracing delicately, so as not to offend, is glued to a picture, tightly stranded sheet. Constructivist layout, suprematic color oberiutsky laughter - all the best in accordance with the slogan of the era Lebedev gave children.

Yet the principal at the exhibition was the "adult" art of Vladimir Lebedev. Rather quickly finished his cubistic experiments, he finds his own style, which has no name (Lebedev himself liked to say of himself: "I am - a lonely artist), but there are plenty of poetic analogies in the literature of those years. Dashing revolutionary sailors from the jowly stolen - this is seen background "Twelve" Block. Overdressed Nep, elegant hookers, punks, bohemians - so imagine the characters of novels Deblin and Remarque. Some of these drawings were printed in the years 1927-1928 in the journals Buzoter "and" Beach ": cartoons were made witty signature by an unknown author (" Why the court has described your films as marriage? - Probably because I just shot his wife "), but by themselves they would not fit into the narrow borders of satirical graphics. A former poster "windows Growth" was so highly esteemed in the poster tenacious, attentive to detail characteristic of the eye, but was and so not typical poster soft, gentle irony.

Mostly, it comes out in the famous nude Lebedev - gave them a room, and it is a true encyclopedia of graphic techniques, in any of which the artist was a virtuoso. In the run-flat hose, skirts unbuttoned, her ballerina tutus, with guitars and quite without anything - posing nude statues in the neoclassical figures lead pencil, melt in the shifting light hydrocarbon hatching, dissolved in water colors, grow out of spots lampblack and tremble under the contour line of the carcass. It erotomanskaya collection - in the sense that it is not from the image, and how it is done, you can get an almost physical pleasure. Anti-Soviet "shit" Lebedev was not even in how he was able to create an atmosphere of intimacy for adults, alone with his drawings, and a child left alone with his book. It was the art of giving a sense of fullness of life, although none of its governing bodies to not empowered.
(Kommersant "№ 87)

[sini4ka]

Do not help myself, I might add your favorite work from the late Lebedev.

[sini4ka]

Portraits:

- A. Lazo, 1954

- "Portrait of the Artist's Wife", 1943

- T. Shishmareva

and

- Self-Portrait, 1939


Just work, "Woman with a Mandolin, 1927.

[fabosch]

Although Vladimir Vasilevich dearly love to all in a row, but still, if you turn away from the heart of flour, Shishmarevsky portrait - is a masterpiece, and Lazo - is not it.

[sini4ka]

Originally Posted by fabosch

While Vladimir Vasilevich dearly love to all in a row, but still, if you turn away from the heart of flour, Shishmarevsky portrait - is a masterpiece, and Lazo - is not the same.

He loved her less, probably

[fabosch]

Originally Posted by sini4ka

He is less fond of her, probably

You know, I think that there is not the case. Just in the late Lebedev there is something from which the heart aches, but with art it's not always right, but Shishmarevsky portrait - it's just a brilliant hit the bull's eye, in which all united, come together - and the skill and feeling, and good luck ...