Kira Obolensky Soviet art. The realities of the market and the eternal values
Запись от Пар-И размещена 15.01.2010 в 11:35
Soviet art. The realities of the market and the eternal values
26/05/2008|Private Money
Traditionally, spring - time for auctions. Already passed in Stockholm trading, as well as spring Sotheby's and Christies in New York, at the same auction houses to big the June auction in London in addition, will be held June 12-13, Russian auctions "McDougall. A complete overview of the spring session of the international art auctions, we will do in June, when will the results of all trades, and will understand the market trends.
Collector pays for promotion
Today we wanted to talk here about anything. Recently there are reports of record sales in the market of contemporary art, selling paintings of our, let's say, his compatriots. (Shareware - because many of them, such as Komar and Melamid or Kabakov - long they are not). To pay for them or the hundreds of thousands (Komar & Melamid, Oscar Rabin), or through is already in the millions: so, last work Kabakov's "Suite" at the Phillips auction went for about 5 000 000 dollars.
These names have become international commercial artbrendami, and you can understand satisfaction and pride artdilerov which their long-term investments were profitable. But, as we know, price does not always determine the quality - and the market for contemporary art, this rule is especially important.
In most cases the value of so-called "works of modern art" is only in the price.
Collector pays for promotion. As confirmed by the words of one famous artdilera: "our job - to cheat" bubble ", and then use the money to make it" otverdet. "However, solid or not, the bubble will bubble.
However, our goal is not to once again advertise Exercise actual artists, but to draw attention to the art that in the formative years of democracy "has been repeatedly ridiculed, and now altogether forgotten. We are talking about the art of the Soviet Union - a country which for readers of the middle generation will forever remain a country of their childhood and adolescence.
Apply to this topic we were forced to offer pictures of the Soviet masters in international auctions that are sold there at a fairly low price. For example, in December 2004 in London, painting Tkachev brothers "in the" not over estimate of 15 000-20 000 pounds, and went for 18,000 pounds. "Electricity" Viktor Popkov in May 2005 went to Sotheby's for 14,400 pounds at Estimé in 7000-9000. This is a copy of the author's work, located in one of St. Petersburg museums.
At the same auction "Girl, homework" F. Reshetnikov was sold for 7200 pounds at Estimé in 6000-8000. In November 2007, at auction Christie `s Important Russian Pictures was set a small sketch Plastova" Village Garden "with a starting price of 8000-12000 pounds. The upcoming auction of Argyll, where there are several pictures of the Soviet period, also a "surprise" prices. For example, painting a remarkable landscape painter Alexei Grits, which continues the tradition Savrasov and Levitan, estimated at 8.12 thousand pounds.
Big Picture Olga Bogaevsky, whose work is in the Russian Museum and Tretyakov Gallery, exposed for 7.9 thousand pounds.
And here is a small landscape painter Timkovo evaluated already in the 10-15 thousand pounds, and this is the explanation: in the early 1990's an American bought the gallery from relatives of the artist all of his work, and are now actively spins the name. Although the level of fame and his skill can not be placed near or with Gritsay or with Bogaevsky or so more, Vladimir Serov (President of the USSR Academy of Arts), whose magnificent painting "Homework" is exhibited at the same McDougall with in 7 estimate: -- 9 thousand pounds.
Soviet art - it is very localized in time the phenomenon of world culture
As you can see, low prices for Soviet art are kept for many years (although in general, Russian painting continues rapid rise in price). The exception is the larger picture of masters such as Pimenov, seam or Dejneka.
The format of this resource is forcing us to talk about filthy lucre, and consider the Soviet art from the standpoint of the market. Formats dictated by the realities of our lives, but it is disheartening realities. And yet - there are values that do not depend on market trends. It is in light of those values we try to describe the phenomenon of Soviet art. And what do the experts say about this? Some argue that Soviet art may be of interest to the viewer only as historical evidence of the dominant ideology of a totalitarian regime. Others go further and accuse the Socialist Realism (as adopted today call the Soviet painting) of all mortal sins, comparing it with the art of Nazi Germany.
Of course, the situation is not so clear. Yes, and a comparison of works by Soviet artists with works, broadcasts a fascist ideology "seems to us quite incorrect. Subjects Soviet painting, perhaps similar to the paintings of the Third Reich, but, in contrast to the grim pathos of Leni Riefenstahl, the work of Soviet artists are imbued with light, air and freedom. And the term "socialist realism" is not quite true. In fact, socialist realism was not realistic in the traditional sense of the word, such as critical realism of the XIX century, with its petty bytopisatelstvom documented, short-term. He created a kind of myth of the new people.
If you take the literary analogy, then, strangely enough, the closest to him images that appear in works of fiction - Alexander Belyaev, Ivan Efremov, early Strugackih. "People pm - purposeful, hedonistic, holistic and fiery nature, which will live in a bright future.
These characters were the heroes and the works of artists of socialist realism. On the one hand, they were quite far removed from reality, on the other hand, a sense of optimism and constitutes an ideal new man. Soviet painting - it is a large, localized in time the phenomenon of world culture. At the highest artistic skill (which was formed by great academic school, which has no analogues in the world), Soviet art carried a charge of the most advanced at that time, social and philosophical ideas.
This is surprising not only the excellent craftsmanship, but the number of artists: Soviet painting has thousands of names. This mass is explained by the system of Soviet art education. Almost all cities of the USSR were children's art school. After four years of training in such a school could go to art school. The best graduates of colleges went to the Art Institute, which were part of USSR Academy of Arts. In addition to specialized institutions, each university theater arts department there. Education artworks in total lasted 14 years, but could be longer if a graduate of the Institute acted in one of the creative workshops of the recognized masters of Soviet art. To become a professional artist and have the right to jobs in Hudkombinate, it was necessary to join the Union of Artists of the USSR.
Values of real and imaginary
The most interesting is that the Western world has shown considerable interest in the work of artists who continue the tradition of Soviet painting. As an example of Chen Ifeya - one of the most expensive and popular Chinese artists. A cursory glance at one of his paintings, to understand: the hand "set" in the USSR. Yes, and his style is not original. In the picturesque manner Jong Ifeya there is strong influence of the remarkable Russian Soviet artist Helium Korzheva. What the reader can verify independently, comparing the picture Jong Ifeya "Father and Son" and now Helium Korzheva "Separated. This latter work is so interesting that it deserves a separate discussion.
The canvas is familiar to many who have studied in the Soviet school: reproduction of this painting encountered in textbooks and on posters. However, reproduction (besides, bad quality) are not able to convey the stunning emotional impact, which makes this big (198h198sm) work in reality. Although she performed in giperrealisticheskoy manner, and it is not an inch photographic, work is infinitely far from fashionable in those years photorealism. This is an excellent example of painting in the highest sense, as understood by the great masters of the past - Velazquez, Goya, Courbet, Repin.
Cyuzhet picture is extremely simple. Build songs set vertical and horizontal rows of windows redbrick buildings. Against the background of these windows we see the soldiers, embracing goodbye to his wife. It is significant that the painting depicts is not general and not a hero-winner. It is one of the millions of ordinary Soviet citizens who perished in the fields of the Great Patriotic War, and the cost of their lives, we have extracted, for future generations the right to free independent life. No matter how diminished the role of these people fashion psevdoistoriki like a traitor, a defector Rezun (granted by a sonorous name of Suvorov), it is they, without any exaggeration, we owe our lives. That was the greatest, and indeed the people's victory (because during WWII there was no great military leaders such as Hannibal, Napoleon, Suvorov, Kutuzov - including the USSR), and realized it was a lot of blood.
Painting Helium Korzheva, with simplicity and restraint arrangement of colors, makes a tremendous emotional impact. It is due to implication that somehow passes the attention of art historians. Pay attention to the face and hands with a soldier - they are brown, dark earth tones. Farewell against the backdrop of a multistory building, hence, the soldier - a city dweller, who can not be such a tan. This discrepancy leads to a discovery: in fact, we see no good-bye before leaving for the front, and farewell ... before his death. This is not literally caught an instant frame. It's goodbye, which is in the soul of a soldier in his memoirs about the house - perhaps when he was in the trenches awaiting orders to attack, and, perhaps, in the moment of death - when the mind gets the last picture of his life.
Looking at this picture, not to recall a poem by Alexander Tvardovsky "I killed underneath Rzhev:
I killed underneath Rzhev,
The latter - even outside Moscow.
Somewhere, the warriors, where you
Who is left alive?
In the cities millions
In the villages, home to the family?
In fighting the garrisons
On not our land?
Oh, I own, a stranger
All in colors il in the snow ...
I will make your life --
What can I do?
All this makes the picture Helium Korzheva "Separated" a great work of art. Because of her, and after 100, and 200 years will be judged on the life of Russian people in the twentieth century. That such works are the face of the era, and not those ridiculous Exercise, which heavily promoted gallery owners, trying to justify their investments (as well as critics, who for this very good pay). And if markets reflect the actual value of the picture, then, how much should have been worth the work Helium Korzheva compared with the same Kabakov, whose pay 5 million?
A reader asks: where is now possible to see this work in time acquired Russian Museum? Alas, nowhere (except the poor quality of illustrations in vintage magazines and online). For years, she, like other masterpieces of Soviet art, is stored in the vaults of the Russian Museum. As contemporary art in the same branch of the Russian Museum in the Marble Palace exhibits of modern compositions "geniuses contemporary art". Where in the season, there can be found "half" man yawning at the sight of the average quality of Picasso (gift of collector Louis, and Western collectors are known masterpieces do not give), dull in Africa, null Gur'yanova and other domestic and foreign artists aktualistov. Who do not give no heart, no mind, and, despite its name, have ceased to be relevant even before they were written. After all, true art refers directly to human feelings, awakens in him memories of the moral ideals, returns the historical memory, and in general - lies in a different plane than all these "games mizerabley.
The author of this article sincerely regrets this policy of the newest trends of RM, because, unlike all those "Conceptual", "aktualistov", "nonconformist," Helium Korzhev - the great Russian artist. And the most interesting is that he - our contemporary. For many years he was professor MHVPU, now lives in the suburbs. His name is forgotten, as the names of many other prominent artists ... Remembering masters such as helium or Korzhev Evsei Moiseenko (who died in oblivion), one wonders: why is our government, which in bright daylight with a lantern looking for a new state ideology did not notice obvious values?
As for the market, it is an amorphous concept, and very cynical. At the heart of the art market (as the basis for any market in general) is greed, whereas the true art is based on quite different qualities.
And let not deceived lover when he sees that in Kabakova pay $ 5 million. No need to take for granted all these figures. The market could collapse at any moment, but art remains art.
Listening should not dealers and market experts, and to his own soul and their own aesthetic intuition. However, this applies not only to the arts, but throughout our lives in general. Because of the loss of spiritual guidance and values of our life and become such a market ruled by greed, cruelty and "bubbles.
Kira Obolensky
Private Money
26/05/2008|Private Money
Traditionally, spring - time for auctions. Already passed in Stockholm trading, as well as spring Sotheby's and Christies in New York, at the same auction houses to big the June auction in London in addition, will be held June 12-13, Russian auctions "McDougall. A complete overview of the spring session of the international art auctions, we will do in June, when will the results of all trades, and will understand the market trends.
Collector pays for promotion
Today we wanted to talk here about anything. Recently there are reports of record sales in the market of contemporary art, selling paintings of our, let's say, his compatriots. (Shareware - because many of them, such as Komar and Melamid or Kabakov - long they are not). To pay for them or the hundreds of thousands (Komar & Melamid, Oscar Rabin), or through is already in the millions: so, last work Kabakov's "Suite" at the Phillips auction went for about 5 000 000 dollars.
These names have become international commercial artbrendami, and you can understand satisfaction and pride artdilerov which their long-term investments were profitable. But, as we know, price does not always determine the quality - and the market for contemporary art, this rule is especially important.
In most cases the value of so-called "works of modern art" is only in the price.
Collector pays for promotion. As confirmed by the words of one famous artdilera: "our job - to cheat" bubble ", and then use the money to make it" otverdet. "However, solid or not, the bubble will bubble.
However, our goal is not to once again advertise Exercise actual artists, but to draw attention to the art that in the formative years of democracy "has been repeatedly ridiculed, and now altogether forgotten. We are talking about the art of the Soviet Union - a country which for readers of the middle generation will forever remain a country of their childhood and adolescence.
Apply to this topic we were forced to offer pictures of the Soviet masters in international auctions that are sold there at a fairly low price. For example, in December 2004 in London, painting Tkachev brothers "in the" not over estimate of 15 000-20 000 pounds, and went for 18,000 pounds. "Electricity" Viktor Popkov in May 2005 went to Sotheby's for 14,400 pounds at Estimé in 7000-9000. This is a copy of the author's work, located in one of St. Petersburg museums.
At the same auction "Girl, homework" F. Reshetnikov was sold for 7200 pounds at Estimé in 6000-8000. In November 2007, at auction Christie `s Important Russian Pictures was set a small sketch Plastova" Village Garden "with a starting price of 8000-12000 pounds. The upcoming auction of Argyll, where there are several pictures of the Soviet period, also a "surprise" prices. For example, painting a remarkable landscape painter Alexei Grits, which continues the tradition Savrasov and Levitan, estimated at 8.12 thousand pounds.
Big Picture Olga Bogaevsky, whose work is in the Russian Museum and Tretyakov Gallery, exposed for 7.9 thousand pounds.
And here is a small landscape painter Timkovo evaluated already in the 10-15 thousand pounds, and this is the explanation: in the early 1990's an American bought the gallery from relatives of the artist all of his work, and are now actively spins the name. Although the level of fame and his skill can not be placed near or with Gritsay or with Bogaevsky or so more, Vladimir Serov (President of the USSR Academy of Arts), whose magnificent painting "Homework" is exhibited at the same McDougall with in 7 estimate: -- 9 thousand pounds.
Soviet art - it is very localized in time the phenomenon of world culture
As you can see, low prices for Soviet art are kept for many years (although in general, Russian painting continues rapid rise in price). The exception is the larger picture of masters such as Pimenov, seam or Dejneka.
The format of this resource is forcing us to talk about filthy lucre, and consider the Soviet art from the standpoint of the market. Formats dictated by the realities of our lives, but it is disheartening realities. And yet - there are values that do not depend on market trends. It is in light of those values we try to describe the phenomenon of Soviet art. And what do the experts say about this? Some argue that Soviet art may be of interest to the viewer only as historical evidence of the dominant ideology of a totalitarian regime. Others go further and accuse the Socialist Realism (as adopted today call the Soviet painting) of all mortal sins, comparing it with the art of Nazi Germany.
Of course, the situation is not so clear. Yes, and a comparison of works by Soviet artists with works, broadcasts a fascist ideology "seems to us quite incorrect. Subjects Soviet painting, perhaps similar to the paintings of the Third Reich, but, in contrast to the grim pathos of Leni Riefenstahl, the work of Soviet artists are imbued with light, air and freedom. And the term "socialist realism" is not quite true. In fact, socialist realism was not realistic in the traditional sense of the word, such as critical realism of the XIX century, with its petty bytopisatelstvom documented, short-term. He created a kind of myth of the new people.
If you take the literary analogy, then, strangely enough, the closest to him images that appear in works of fiction - Alexander Belyaev, Ivan Efremov, early Strugackih. "People pm - purposeful, hedonistic, holistic and fiery nature, which will live in a bright future.
These characters were the heroes and the works of artists of socialist realism. On the one hand, they were quite far removed from reality, on the other hand, a sense of optimism and constitutes an ideal new man. Soviet painting - it is a large, localized in time the phenomenon of world culture. At the highest artistic skill (which was formed by great academic school, which has no analogues in the world), Soviet art carried a charge of the most advanced at that time, social and philosophical ideas.
This is surprising not only the excellent craftsmanship, but the number of artists: Soviet painting has thousands of names. This mass is explained by the system of Soviet art education. Almost all cities of the USSR were children's art school. After four years of training in such a school could go to art school. The best graduates of colleges went to the Art Institute, which were part of USSR Academy of Arts. In addition to specialized institutions, each university theater arts department there. Education artworks in total lasted 14 years, but could be longer if a graduate of the Institute acted in one of the creative workshops of the recognized masters of Soviet art. To become a professional artist and have the right to jobs in Hudkombinate, it was necessary to join the Union of Artists of the USSR.
Values of real and imaginary
The most interesting is that the Western world has shown considerable interest in the work of artists who continue the tradition of Soviet painting. As an example of Chen Ifeya - one of the most expensive and popular Chinese artists. A cursory glance at one of his paintings, to understand: the hand "set" in the USSR. Yes, and his style is not original. In the picturesque manner Jong Ifeya there is strong influence of the remarkable Russian Soviet artist Helium Korzheva. What the reader can verify independently, comparing the picture Jong Ifeya "Father and Son" and now Helium Korzheva "Separated. This latter work is so interesting that it deserves a separate discussion.
The canvas is familiar to many who have studied in the Soviet school: reproduction of this painting encountered in textbooks and on posters. However, reproduction (besides, bad quality) are not able to convey the stunning emotional impact, which makes this big (198h198sm) work in reality. Although she performed in giperrealisticheskoy manner, and it is not an inch photographic, work is infinitely far from fashionable in those years photorealism. This is an excellent example of painting in the highest sense, as understood by the great masters of the past - Velazquez, Goya, Courbet, Repin.
Cyuzhet picture is extremely simple. Build songs set vertical and horizontal rows of windows redbrick buildings. Against the background of these windows we see the soldiers, embracing goodbye to his wife. It is significant that the painting depicts is not general and not a hero-winner. It is one of the millions of ordinary Soviet citizens who perished in the fields of the Great Patriotic War, and the cost of their lives, we have extracted, for future generations the right to free independent life. No matter how diminished the role of these people fashion psevdoistoriki like a traitor, a defector Rezun (granted by a sonorous name of Suvorov), it is they, without any exaggeration, we owe our lives. That was the greatest, and indeed the people's victory (because during WWII there was no great military leaders such as Hannibal, Napoleon, Suvorov, Kutuzov - including the USSR), and realized it was a lot of blood.
Painting Helium Korzheva, with simplicity and restraint arrangement of colors, makes a tremendous emotional impact. It is due to implication that somehow passes the attention of art historians. Pay attention to the face and hands with a soldier - they are brown, dark earth tones. Farewell against the backdrop of a multistory building, hence, the soldier - a city dweller, who can not be such a tan. This discrepancy leads to a discovery: in fact, we see no good-bye before leaving for the front, and farewell ... before his death. This is not literally caught an instant frame. It's goodbye, which is in the soul of a soldier in his memoirs about the house - perhaps when he was in the trenches awaiting orders to attack, and, perhaps, in the moment of death - when the mind gets the last picture of his life.
Looking at this picture, not to recall a poem by Alexander Tvardovsky "I killed underneath Rzhev:
I killed underneath Rzhev,
The latter - even outside Moscow.
Somewhere, the warriors, where you
Who is left alive?
In the cities millions
In the villages, home to the family?
In fighting the garrisons
On not our land?
Oh, I own, a stranger
All in colors il in the snow ...
I will make your life --
What can I do?
All this makes the picture Helium Korzheva "Separated" a great work of art. Because of her, and after 100, and 200 years will be judged on the life of Russian people in the twentieth century. That such works are the face of the era, and not those ridiculous Exercise, which heavily promoted gallery owners, trying to justify their investments (as well as critics, who for this very good pay). And if markets reflect the actual value of the picture, then, how much should have been worth the work Helium Korzheva compared with the same Kabakov, whose pay 5 million?
A reader asks: where is now possible to see this work in time acquired Russian Museum? Alas, nowhere (except the poor quality of illustrations in vintage magazines and online). For years, she, like other masterpieces of Soviet art, is stored in the vaults of the Russian Museum. As contemporary art in the same branch of the Russian Museum in the Marble Palace exhibits of modern compositions "geniuses contemporary art". Where in the season, there can be found "half" man yawning at the sight of the average quality of Picasso (gift of collector Louis, and Western collectors are known masterpieces do not give), dull in Africa, null Gur'yanova and other domestic and foreign artists aktualistov. Who do not give no heart, no mind, and, despite its name, have ceased to be relevant even before they were written. After all, true art refers directly to human feelings, awakens in him memories of the moral ideals, returns the historical memory, and in general - lies in a different plane than all these "games mizerabley.
The author of this article sincerely regrets this policy of the newest trends of RM, because, unlike all those "Conceptual", "aktualistov", "nonconformist," Helium Korzhev - the great Russian artist. And the most interesting is that he - our contemporary. For many years he was professor MHVPU, now lives in the suburbs. His name is forgotten, as the names of many other prominent artists ... Remembering masters such as helium or Korzhev Evsei Moiseenko (who died in oblivion), one wonders: why is our government, which in bright daylight with a lantern looking for a new state ideology did not notice obvious values?
As for the market, it is an amorphous concept, and very cynical. At the heart of the art market (as the basis for any market in general) is greed, whereas the true art is based on quite different qualities.
And let not deceived lover when he sees that in Kabakova pay $ 5 million. No need to take for granted all these figures. The market could collapse at any moment, but art remains art.
Listening should not dealers and market experts, and to his own soul and their own aesthetic intuition. However, this applies not only to the arts, but throughout our lives in general. Because of the loss of spiritual guidance and values of our life and become such a market ruled by greed, cruelty and "bubbles.
Kira Obolensky
Private Money
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