Chewing Gum Chewer. 2010

Kinetic Art, part of the “Try Me! Discover Art” exhibition
Works of Kristine Suhr and Andrey Rudev
Lazarev Gallery, 5/5 6th Line (Metro Vasileostrovskaya)
Open daily 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Admission free

Step into an art gallery or museum and one thing you can be guaranteed to see besides the actual art are signs reading “do not touch!” But from now until June 23, 2013 visitors to St. Petersburg’s Lazarev Gallery are encouraged to pull, twist, turn and re-arrange artwork on display as part of its “Try Me! Discover Art” exhibition.

The way in which you can get up-close with works of each featured artist differs. The exhibit includes a 2 meter tall re-created iPhone with movable “photos” and a series of mirrors painted with scenes that viewers can insert themselves in just by standing in front of them (think scenes of war-torn areas and even other time periods). But two artists included in the exhibit – St. Petersburg’s Andrey Rudev and Denmark’s Kristine Suhr – work in a brand of art they call “kinetic” – meaning their pieces run, dance, and totally transform according to how viewers interact with their pieces.

Suhr’s works are featured in the first room of the gallery. At first glance, they look like any normal framed works on a gallery wall, save for the fact that the subject matter is multidimensional. They nearly resemble pop-up books, with their flat backgrounds and three-dimensional  characters in the foreground. Upon closer inspection, each work includes a wooden tag or knob, inviting viewers to pull or twist. Small, sometimes barely noticeable and painted with nothing more than an arrow pointing away from the work to indicate its interactivity, these add-ons look crude and haphazard but hold the key to the whole work.

“I Wish I Could Dance.” 2010

“My paintings when I was young were all about people moving,” Suhr says in her artist statement. “I painted people ironing, playing sports, walking on the street. Looking back, now I can see that it was obvious that I would end up making movable paintings.”

Her cartoon-like and incredibly whimsical movable paintings, which she brands as ‘kinetic art,’ depict funny micro scenes painted with acrylics on Birchwood. A twist of a knob on “Gum Chewing Chewer” helps a woman chew gum in one painting, as it moves the character’s lower jaw up and down, chomping a bright pink ball of gum in the process. (Click here to view a video of the art in motion.) Similarly, in “Conversation,” two crudely-drawn characters –painted with simple, almost child-like thick lines and only basic details enough to convey that the two depicted objects are supposed to be people – are able to “converse” when the viewer pushes back and forth on a small lever sticking out of the right side of the frame. Their mouths – more like flaps – move up and down, opening big and wide to reveal a red exclamation point under one and a semicolon under the other, suggesting very primitively the idea of conversation. (Click here for video.)

Suhr says the paintings are like “little movies that have gone wrong, showing the same absurd movement over and over again.” She got the idea for these works by combing her passion for painting and for pop-up books. Having studied at the School of Conservation in Copenhagen, she specialized in paper restoring, motivated by an interest in bookbinding and book art. Wanting to make book art come alive and on a bigger scale, she began her work on these pieces in 2003. She also says she likes the idea of viewers having direct interaction with the art, even though the paintings “work” as visual art even when they are not being directly interacted with.

In the second room of the gallery, visitors can find works of local Petersburg artist Andrey Rudev. As with Suhr’s paintings, Rudev calls his paintings “kinetic art,” as visitors can transform his large-scale works with just a touch. Rudev’s exhibited works are all rock ‘n roll themed.

One of Rudev’s rock inspired pieces is a giant-scale recreation of the album cover of The Rolling Stone’s 1977 release, “Some Girls.”

Take “Records,” a large wooden painting mounted on the wall made to look like an album cover. A young boy and a girl looking straight out of a wholesome family friendly 1950s advertisement sit on the floor near a record player. All around them are record covers from The Rolling Stones, The Clash, The Beatles, and more. As viewers twist a knob on the right side of the frame, the records change, depicting covers by other artists like German industrial metal band KMFDM and others. The visual contrast is striking considering the history of rock in the Soviet Union, with all its restrictions and suppression by the state. Yet, the piece portrays two squeaky-clean kids delving into some of the most famous rock groups of the 70s and 80s, with lyrics about sex, protest, anti-authoritarianism, drugs, and other nightmares of Soviet leadership.

Another of Rudev’s works on display is a giant re-creation of The Rolling Stones album cover for “Some Girls,” which featured portraits of the Stones in drag, combined with cutouts of images of Farrah Fawcett, Lucille Ball, and Marilyn Monroe. The cover is split into four rows, and in Rudev’s piece, viewers can slide the four panels back and forth, switching up the faces that appear in the cutouts of Ball, Fawcett, Monroe, and other models and actresses of the time.

The last of Rudev’s pieces in the exhibition is a giant-scale re-creation of a Melodiya Record’s issue of John Lennon’s “Imagine” album. Rudev considers this a visual pun in itself, considering the lyrical content of Lennon’s magnum opus – a utopia of no greed, hunger, and peace – and having the recording branded with the seal of state-run Melodiya. (You can read a brief history of Soviet rock and more about Melodiya by clicking here)

While both Suhr and Rudev’s works of kinetic art have different tones, they both manage to be humorous, though one collection slants toward the simply silly and the other collection drawing its humor from irony.

They’re both on display until June 23 as part of the Lazarev Gallery’s “Try Me! Discover Art Exhibition.”

A panel from Fedorova’s “Photostream.” Oil on wood.

“Photostream” by Marina Fedorova
Lazarev Gallery, 5/5 6th Line (Metro Vasileostrovskaya)
Open daily 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Admission free

Photography in the age of the smart phone has allowed us to become the curator of our own lives through rectangles and squares that take up space on our memory cards. Aided by this lightweight technology, we no longer need to lug cameras with us everywhere we go if we want to take pictures. Should we run into an unexpected moment in time we’d like to capture, all we need to do is whip out a smart phone – with its myriad functions and uses – and we almost never have to miss another shot.

But easy come, easy go. Our memory cards fill up and once cherished photos get deleted to make room for new ones. And when they’re gone, where do they go? Unlike film photos that we can stash in boxes under the bed or in photo albums on bookshelves, digital photos vanish into the ether once we effortlessly hit ‘delete.’ Even the photos we upload online aren’t safe from these whims, as they’re just as vulnerable as becoming permanently erased the minute we deem them embarrassing or unflattering.

Fedorova’s recreation of an iPhone stands more than 2 meters high.

This is the thesis behind Marina Fedorova’s “Photostream,” now on display at the Lazarev Gallery. This graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts has re-created an iPhone and picture gallery where audiences can arrange and delete photos at will. Standing two and a half meters high, this giant wooden version of Apple’s flagship product comes complete with 20 mini paintings on the iPhone “screen,” made to look like 20 pictures in a picture gallery.

All the usual suspects are there. The snapshot of a pretty plate of food, a fashionably dressed hipster casually leaning against a wall of black-and-white street art, a cozy bed with crumpled sheets, a day at the beach, an urban street corner – all slices of life, frozen in time in squares and rectangles on our phones.

The piece is interactive, giving viewers the opportunity to ‘curate’ their own photostream — re-arranging the individually painted squares to create a scene, tell a story, or have no narrative whatsoever. Viewers can even choose to exclude photos from their photostream, leaving unwanted (deleted) photos off to the side. Some photos even have borders like those popularized on Instagram, suggesting the “owner” of this iPhone has manipulated the pictures with filters and other decorations. The ability to edit and share our photos almost instantly has in a way changed the way we take pictures in the modern era. Photos are now not just personal mementos, but ways to communicate our personality to friends, family, and even total strangers on social networks.

Some “photos” include borders, like those popularized by Instagram.

What makes Fedorova’s project more relatable is that her painted “photos” don’t contain specifics. The photo of a cyclist in an urban downtown doesn’t suggest exactly where on the map that cyclist is. It could be St. Petersburg, New York, Paris – it depends on the viewer’s imagination. In one scene at the beach, a woman and a young girl converse on a dock, but one woman’s face isn’t visible in the frame, allowing a bit of anonymity and the ability for the viewer to fill in the blanks.

This theme is frequently seen in Fedorova’s work. Since 2005, the 32-year-old, St. Petersburg-born artist has painted a number of different works that draw on the idea of anonymity. In her 2010 collection “Blue Beard,” for example, the majority of paintings include scenes where the faces of her subjects are obscured. A woman behind a veil, a close-up of a businessman that shows only him from the tie down, a man walking in the snow shown only from the scarf down – Fedorova’s works have a way of making the viewer feel like they can be looking at paintings of anyone almost anywhere.

Faces are often obscured in Fedorova’s work, including this piece, “Sisters,” from her 2011 collection “Sea Time.”

With digital smart phone photography, we can edit and manipulate our pictures – slices of our lives – to achieve a certain outcome that we choose to share with the world. Like the hipster in front of street art trying to look cool, the photos we share – as well as the photos we choose to not share – say something about how we want the world to perceive us. Fedorova’s lack of specifics in the faces and places she paints suggest that this want to “curate” the moments we capture and to manipulate how we’re perceived by the people we share those moments with is not an uncommon desire.

Fedorova’s “Photostream” is now on display at St. Petersburg’s Lazarev Gallery, as part of the “Try Me! Discover Art” exhibition, featuring interactive, moveable works of art from five different artists.

A portfolio of Fedorova’s other works can be viewed by clicking here.

Alexei Svyatogorov. Kharkov, Ukraine

“The Veterans Project”
Sasha Maslov photography exhibition
Loft Project Etagi, Ligovsky Prospekt 74
Open now through July 3, 2013
Free admission

“Every year, fewer and fewer veterans of the War remain on this earth, and often take their stories with them,” you hear on the video. “Time is of the essence. World War II veterans are in their twilight years. Some of the people I’ve photographed have already passed away.”

The voice belongs to Sasha Maslov, a 29-year-old Ukrainian-born photographer now living in Brooklyn. The video was part of a multimedia appeal to potential backers on the crowd-funding web site Kickstarter, where Maslov hoped to raise enough funds to complete the last leg of his portrait series of World War II veterans. Through Kickstarter, Maslov was able to raise more than $5,000 to help offset travel and living expenses as he visited cities in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Austria, Japan, Italy and other countries to document some of the last remaining veterans by taking portraits of them in their homes.

Ursula Hoffman. Poznan, Poland

In his artist statement, Maslov says that World War II was “the one event in human history that could not — and still cannot — be compared with any other event on the scale of catastrophe, human tragedy, and the degree of impact on the future of our civilization. Every single person who took part in the war, whether they were a soldier or a general, prisoner or a guard, medical worker or an engineer, took part in shaping the image of the world as it is seen and perceived today.” His goal, he writes, was to “assemble a mosaic of people who at one moment were all engaged in this incredible tragedy, and in another were living their separate lives in different corners of our planet.”

While many people publically honor veterans during holidays like Russia’s Victory Day – a holiday which also marked the opening of Maslov’s exhibition in St. Petersburg – there is less opportunity to see living veterans in their own homes and dressed in their own clothes. By photographing veterans inside their homes, dressed mostly in their everyday clothes, the veterans exist in a context outside of once-a-year parades and public spectacles. Maslov says he felt it was important to photograph his subjects like this, as the surrounding belongings and living conditions can reveal a lot about the subject being photographed. “I feel that the walls of homes sometimes can tell a lot about their lives,” he says. Therefore, he photographs his subjects as they are – in flannel T-shirts, silk blouses, with their pet parrots or with the television on in the background. In his portraits, emotions in faces occupy a distinct range, suggesting pride, sorrow, pain, and even contentedness. One veteran from Italy is even photographed toasting Maslov.

From “Prison Theater,” 2005.

Maslov has a budding career in editorial journalism, having shot for The New York Times, Billboard, Russian Esquire, Forbes Ukraine, and many more international publications. While his glossy images have had wealthy businessmen, top chefs, and celebrity musicians as their subject, “Veterans” isn’t the only project of Maslov’s with social commentary about everyday people. A graduate of Kharkiv Institute of Art and Industrial Design in his native Ukraine, he is also behind the 2005 project “Prison Theater,” documenting a group of Ukrainian prisoners who formed a theatrical group and staged a play for guards and fellow inmates. In this project, like with “Veterans,” Maslov’s subjects are transformed and seen in a different light.

“It was extremely moving to observe the inmates mastering acting, transitioning from prison slang to calling one another sir and lord, from wearing drab uniforms to donning wigs and bright costumes,” Maslov says.

You can view more of Maslov’s work by visiting his web site by clicking here.

The Veterans Project is open now through July 3 at Loft Project Etagi.

Aristarkh Lentulov – Self-Portrait – 1913

Aristarkh Lentulov was born in 1882 in the town of Nizhny Lomov, near Penza. His father, a rural priest, died just two years later, survived by his wife and four children. Lentulov was educated first at the religious school at Penza (where drawing became his favorite hobby) and, later, at the local seminary. Although the family struggled financially, when Penza Art College opened in 1898, he enrolled. After two years of study, he moved nearly 750 miles west to study at the Kiev School of Art, where he took a particular interest in the portrayal of light and color in painting. He later left the school with a group of like-minded student artists who wanted to find a better way to develop their styles away from traditional techniques and styles.

Lentulov failed to pass his entrance exams at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1907, but his bold style and his confidence in his work caught the attention of others, including artist, illustrator, and stage designer Dmitry Kardovsky. For two years, Lentulov studied in Kardovsky’s private studio in St. Petersburg. He went on to study at the Académie de la Palette and at the studio of Henri Le Fauconnier in Paris. Although he experimented with Fauvism, Post-Impressionism, and Cubism, Lentulov developed his own distinctive, colorful, Futurist-influenced style that earned the nickname “Futurist a la Russe” (The Russian Futurist) amongst his Parisian contemporaries. He is often credited with initiating the Russian art movement of Cubo-Futurism.

He returned to Russia in 1909, but traveled extensively for the next few years, touring the popular art destinations of Italy, France, and Crimea. Between travels, he became intensely involved in the artistic life of Moscow—especially in the life of the avant-garde movement. In 1910, he co-founded the Jack of Diamonds group. Mikhail Larinov, another founding member, chose the name, which the group agreed upon as “a symbol of young enthusiasm and passion, for the knave implies youth and the suit of diamonds represents seething blood.”

Aristarkh Lentulov – Allegorical Depiction of the Patriotic War of 1812. (1912).

The group’s first show had a twofold purpose: to promote the “new art,” and “to offer young Russian artists who find it extremely difficult to get accepted for exhibitions under the existing indolence and cliquishness of our artistic spheres, the chance to get onto the main road.” Although the Jack of Diamonds artists differed in style, they had in common their resentment of what they perceived as the narrow-mindedness of the traditional “fine art” world, a wish to break out of the confines of realism, and a shared love of the spontaneity and bright colors of traditional folk art.

The effort was met with mixed reactions, and the Jack of Diamonds group continued to struggle with negative reviews throughout their seven years of exhibitions. A conservative reviewer for the The Moscow Sheet, a newspaper that was widely published and distributed throughout the empire,  described the first exhibition as “a colorful mess–the product of a decaying brain,” but others had more positive responses. Benois (founder of the World of Art movement and magazine) admired Lentulov’s bright paintings, which “sing and cheer the soul.” Russian symbolist poet Maximilian Voloshin, whom Lentulov later befriended in Crimea, wrote the review for the Russian Artistic Chronicle. Of the artists, he stated that: “Mashkov, Lentulov, Konchalovsky, Larionov, Goncharova…(are) different in temperament, but form one coherent group. They have a beautiful instinct, they are talented, they are boldly sincere….”

In 1912, Lentulov’s travels inspired a new era of his work. While visiting Italy, he was deeply impressed by Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” and the large-scale works of Titian and Veronese. Later that year, while visiting the town of Koktebel in Crimea, he accepted a commission to paint a mural in a local café. One wall was to be filled with caricatures of local inhabitants of the town. Working on this large scale project after seeing the works of the great Italian Renaissance masters inspired Lentulov to begin his own series of monumental paintings.

The first of this series, “Allegory of the Patriotic War of 1812,” was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Russia’s victory over Napoleon, and is one of the first examples of Cubo-Futuristic painting in Russia. It was also the first of many large-scale works in which Lentulov sought to fuse the strength and beauty of historic Russia with the brilliant colors and kaleidoscopic forms for which both modern and Russian folk art are known.

Aristarkh Lentulov – Saint Basil’s Cathedral, 1913

Perhaps Lentulov’s best-known painting, “St. Basil’s Cathedral,” another example from the series, was painted the following year. The use of Cubist techniques allowed Lentulov to portray “every part of the cathedral at the same time.” His daughter wrote, “He went around the cathedral dozens of times trying to remember its strange angles ‘in order to make it a boundless fantasy worthy of fairy tales in terms of shapes and colours.’”

The sense of color and movement in this series of Lentulov’s works, as well as his incorporation of multimedia (the addition of gold leaf, fabrics, and even pasted wood carvings into his paintings), made him a natural candidate for theatrical set design work.

Beginning in 1916, Lentulov designed sets for Kamerny Theatre, the Bolshoi Theatre, the Moscow Chamber Theatre, the Moscow Soviet Theatre of Opera, and more. His design for the Bolshoi Theatre’s performance of Alexander Scriabin’s symphonic poem “Prometheus” included both the backdrop and the lighting design. The spectacle Lentulov produced, using filtered floodlights and colored spotlights which changed according to the tone of the music–not unlike the light shows one expects at a modern-day rock concert–dazzled the “Prometheus” audience.

The last exhibition shown under the Jack of Diamonds name was an effort to raise funds for the new Bolshevik government’s war effort in 1917. After a 1917 World of Art Exhibition, art critic Abram Efros wrote that the group was, “now a shell without the corresponding content, filling the empty space with the most diverse jumble….Yet as Benois himself once defined the aims of the World of Art as being an eclectic bazaar of talents, perhaps what is happening is extremely desirable and a form of transfusion of fresh blood into decrepit veins.”

As for Lentulov, he hardly seemed held back by the dissolution of the Jack of Diamonds, nor by any doubts of critics. In the 1920′s, he helped found the Moscow Painters and the Society of Moscow Artists, as well as joining the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia and serving on the academic council of the Institute of Artistic Culture. During this period, he began teaching at the High State Art Technical Institute and the Moscow Institute of Fine Arts, as well as teaching free workshops around Moscow.

Aristarkh Lentulov – Woodshed after the Rain – 1940

Lentulov was also later involved in decorating Moscow for Soviet national celebrations such as May Day and the anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution.

Lentulov’s artwork changed during the 1920′s and 1930′s, as well, beginning with his 1919 “Self-Portrait with Violin.” He worked on smaller canvases, and although he kept his use of intense color, he moved toward a more post-impressionistic style. His Cubo-Futurist architectural landscapes gave way to traditional landscapes with a focus on the viewer’s sense of space and light. Many of his works at this time were views from his studio windows.

Lentulov held a solo exhibition showing a retrospective of his life’s work in 1933. Afterward, he traveled extensively around the country, looking for scenes to inspire his final series of work, which focused on industrialization. Among other things, he did a series of sketches and paintings on the construction of the Moscow Metro.

In 1942, Lentulov returned to Moscow where he died on April 18, 1943 after a protracted illness. He is buried in Moscow’s Vagankovo Cemetery.

It is difficult to categorize Lentulov into any one movement, partly because of his adaptability and the evolution of his work over time, but also because he was involved in the inspiration of so many of his contemporaries who subsequently branched out in their own directions to define new movements. Certainly his work in the mid 1910′s is his most famous, and showcases his abilities as a Cubo-Futurist. However, Lentulov’s work is so fresh, so original, that no one label quite captures it–a fitting and satisfying legacy for any avant-garde artist.

More information:

Art of Russians: Aristarkh Lentulov (very inclusive gallery of his work)
The Russian Experiment in Art 1863-1922 (Revised Edition) (World of Art)
The Avant-Garde Frontier: Russia Meets the West, 1910-1930

1987. Portrait of Akvarium.

“From the Rock Archives of the 1980s,”
Dmitry Konradt photography exhibition
Timiryazev Library, 6 Ulitsa Shkapina
Runs through June 30
Admission free 

Today, Dmitry Konradt is an artist who specializes in abstract photography of urban life, architecture, and organic shapes. The textures of cement block walls, the geometry of spiral staircases, the beauty in decay of abandoned buildings – Konradt shoots it all.

But in the 1980s, Konradt had very different subject material. He was one of the Soviet Union’s foremost rock photographers, documenting the growing St. Petersburg underground rock scene, creating a visual history of one of the most dynamic periods in Russian music. Konradt, born in Leningrad in 1954, came of age during the advent of Beatlemania, which the USSR wasn’t immune to, however the Soviet leadership tried to suppress the fad.  As rock music caught on and found its audience,  new bands sprung up, taking their cue from Britain’s Fab Four and Western rock ‘n roll – and giving Konradt motivation to pick up a camera.

Outside the Leningrad Rock Club

The Soviet government had attempted to regulate music in the country by establishing a state-run record label called Melodiya, thereby pushing underground the unsigned, unofficial rock acts. However, through the 70s and 80s, Soviet citizens found that they could increasingly make, record, duplicate, and distribute music one their own with the help of newly-introduced cassette tapes and other technology. Despite governmental restrictions on bands unsponsored by the state, rock ‘n roll found its footing in the USSR and created intrigue with its brand of raucous music that would later become an outlet for social criticism and a vehicle for cultural shift. Back then, as the music scene was experiencing its first waves of rock’s influence, Konradt says “a man with a guitar looked like someone carrying a Kalashnikov (assault rifle) in the street.”

The intention behind the restrictions was to keep Western influence and values out of the Soviet Union. But in 1981, the state allowed the first legal rock club to open in Leningrad – called the Leningrad Rock Club – and Konradt saw his opportunity to make full-time what had formerly been just a hobby. This easing – thought not complete repeal – of restrictions encouraged more bands to join the scene, boosted by the “legalization” of rock and the fact that Melodiya had begun signing a few rock acts, allowing these acts to legally perform and distribute their music.

Avtomaticheskiye Udovletvoriteli performing at the Leningrad Rock Club

The largest rock club in the Soviet Union, the Leningrad Rock Club was overseen by the KGB, but still became a place for dissidence. The club drew a loyal crowd that participated in helping to select and support certain acts, and operated on a membership system. In its retrospective about the club, Russian Reporter magazine says the club was “the first successful experiment in creating a non-Soviet society within the Soviet Union – a kind of model for “another Russia.” Here, artists, poets, journalists, and photographers like Konradt were able to gather and in a way participate in a form of rebellion and individuality not celebrated, but now partially tolerated, by the state. In another Russian Reporter retrospective of important bands from this era, Konstantin Kinchev, leader of the metal band Alisa, remembered the club as a place where “[W]e all survived together. All helped and supported each other. One was for all and all was for one.”

Untitled. An example of Konradt’s contempoary photo work.

It was this era after the legalization of the first rock club that’s the focus of Konradt’s photo exhibition “From the Rock Archives of the 1980s.” Open now through June 30 at the Timiryazev Library, the collection boasts nearly 30 of Konradt’s favorite images from the era, including images of rock giants Viktor Tsoi and Kino, Akvarium and its now legendary front man Boris Grebenshchikov, DDT, Sergei Kuryokhin’s Pop Mechanics, and many more.

Today, mega groups like Kino occupy a special place in the hearts of many who grew up in the “golden age of Russian rock,” and graffiti reading “Kino lives” and “Tsoi lives” can be found in many Russian cities. But their genesis came as the Leningrad Rock Club was just opening its doors, and as Konradt was delving deeper into his photography. With this new exhibition, viewers can see giants in the making.

Uninspired by what he says is a lack of originality and innovation in today’s Russian music scene, Konradt is no longer a club photographer, focusing on his abstract urban photography. “I am into different things now,” he told the St. Petersburg Times. “But I don’t renounce (this part of my work). It’s an important part of my life.”

Grebenshchikov, leader of the still-active Akvarium (though he is the only original member), remarked to Russian Reporter, “Now, everything is different. Russia is changing and music is changing. But it (Russian rock) will always be there, as long as there is a Russian people and a Russian language.”

Valery Barykin, 2009

“There is no sex in the Soviet Union!”

So declared one Soviet woman in 1986, responding to an American woman who had asked about comparative sexual openness in the States and USSR during a segment on a TV show hosted by Russian-American journalist Vladimir Pozner. Though misquoted – the woman actually responded, “There is no sex in the Soviet Union on television,” the phrase caught on and was slapped on buttons and stickers for sale in the Soviet Union, drawing a line in the sand between Soviet values of sexual conservatism and a more liberal, unapologetic sexual openness in the capitalist West.

Beautiful but bumbling women in American pinups during the 1940s.

That was in the late 1980s. But even going back more than 40 years to the time of the Second World War, sexuality in America was still comparatively more open, though completely tame relative to today. Take for example the pin-up— an art form with its heyday in the 1940s, though seeing 21st century resurgence.  Seen splashed across magazines and postcards, these sultry illustrations featured women in various states of undress and were meant to boost the morale of American soldiers at war. These illustrations of voluptuous women — schoolteachers in skirts with exposed garters, cowgirls perched upon fences in short skirts and high boots – were sexy but subtle, almost innocent.

Soviet propaganda posters during the 1940s.

And while pin-ups are not a uniquely American art form, nor was their time relegated just to the 1940s, the works created during the time of the Second World War were in stark contrast to morale-boosting posters being designed across the world in the USSR.

If you look at wartime Soviet propaganda poster, you’ll find women, too – but they won’t be exposing their stockings or wearing heels with bathing suits. It’s a very different portrayal. A few select posters show women nearly covered head to toe in scarves, overalls, even turtlenecks. There’s also a noticeable lack of the coy female sexuality seen in American pinups. Instead of beautiful but bumbling women fumbling to lay wallpaper or fix a flat, women in Soviet posters present oaths of allegiance to the USSR amongst a background of drawn weapons, guard over missiles in workman’s clothes, and are made to look strong and serious. As sexuality was an ultimate taboo in the USSR, the thought of   boosting morale and nationalism with a Soviet answer to the pinup was all but unthinkable.

Valery Barykin, 2009

That is, until contemporary artist and illustrator Valery Barykin decided to join together the two seemingly ideologically incompatible art forms. Enter the “Soviet pin-up.”

The 47-year-old, Nizhny Novgorod-based artist draws his pinups digitally, though the images are made to look like the classic paintings. Take “Young Foreman on the Plot,” depicting a hardworking foreman getting suited for the job, though the “young foreman” in question is a woman pulling the shapeless blue jumpsuit over lingerie. According to academic Laura Engelstein, lingerie like the black lace bodice depicted wasn’t even widely available in the Soviet Union during the 1940s, and only gained prominence much later.

Valery Barykin, 2009.

In this way, elements of both the American and Soviet art forms are visible. The coy Western sexuality mixed with a nod to the Soviet value on work and occupation are both present in this artistic hybrid.

The same can be seen in “Give Your Experience to the Young,” depicting a gruff workman helping a pretty young woman in overalls learn how to lay bricks. The caption could also be a reference to those that accompanied American pinups, which often lent themselves to double meanings.

Аnother depicts two young girls being pursued by a uniformed military men. One looks positively American in denim short shorts and a strapless cropped top, while her companion wears a yellow sundress, with the tail blowing back in the wind – reminiscent of later pinup stars like Marilyn Monroe.

But Barykin doesn’t limit himself to recreating and reimaging pinups. He also creates digital illustrations of retro-inspired advertisements and slices of life, from dancing,  university life, and Soviet communal apartment living. You can view a portfolio of his illustrations here.

Sources: Laura Engelstein: “There Is Sex in Russia–And Always Was: Some Recent Contributions to Russian Erotica”

June 1 – NY

Poet Maxim Amelin, one of the four Russian writers featured during the literary series

Join Brooklyn’s Dweck Center for another installment in their Russian Literary series!  This month, the Center hosts a panel of four writers, all of whom received major Russian literary awards: Andrei Gelasimov, the winner of 2009 National Bestseller for his novel “The Gods of the Steppes”; poet Maxim Amelin, the winner of 2013 Alexander Solzhenitsyn Award; Olga Slavnikova, the winner of 2006 “Russian Booker” for the novel “2017″; and novelist and literary historian Alexei Varlamov, the winner of the 2009 Big Book Award for his fictionalized biography of the writer Alexei Tolstoi. New York-based writer and journalist Vadim Yarmolinets will moderate the discussion. To register, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com and enter the keyword Brooklyn Public Library. Limit 3 tickets per person.

Where: Dweck Center , Brooklyn
When: June 1, 1pm
Tickets: to register, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com and enter the keyword “Brooklyn Public Library.”
Contact: 718-230-2222

June 1 – NY

Irina Prokhorova, owner of “NLO” publishing house

Join the Dweck Center for a second installment on the Russian Literary series! Irina Prokhorova, literary scholar, owner of “NLO”, one of the most respected publishing houses in Russia, and one of the most influential women on Russian cultural and political scene, in conversation with NY-based journalist Maya Pritsker. The conversation will be followed by Q&A. To register, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com and enter the keyword Brooklyn Public Library. Limit 3 tickets per person.

Where: Dweck Center , Brooklyn
When: June 1, 4pm
Tickets: to register, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com and enter the keyword “Brooklyn Public Library.”
Contact: 718-230-2222

June 8 – NY

Poet Gennady Katsov

Join the Dweck Center for another installment in the Russian Literary series! New York-based poet and journalist Gennady Katsov presents his new project “Slovosfera”, which includes 180 poetic meditations inspired by the masterpieces of world art. The multimedia presentation will include a slide show, poetry reading and musical tribute by the renowned piano player and composer, Vadim Neselovsky. To register, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com and enter the keyword Brooklyn Public Library. Limit 3 tickets per person.

Where: Dweck Center , Brooklyn
When: June 8, 4pm
Tickets: to register, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com and enter the keyword “Brooklyn Public Library.”
Contact: 718-230-2222

Ongoing Exhibitions:

An image from the “Jewish Life” exhibit

MN- The Museum of Russian Art

The Museum of Russian Art is hosting an exhibit entitled “Jewish Life in the Russian Empire: Photographs from the Museum of Ethnography, St. Petersburg, Russia.”  This exhibit features 64 photographs from the Russian Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg. Exhibited for the first time in 1867 at the seminal ethnographic  exhibit in Moscow, the photographs depict a unique record of Jewish life in Tsarist Russia. It tells the story of Jewish communities within the Pale of Settlement, a region where permanent residency of Jewish peoples was allowed. Jewish Life in the Russian Empire will be on display in the lower gallery.

On until October 2013.
For more information, please phone 612-821-9045 or visit The Museum of Russian Art

Some of the many dolls on display at the museum’s “Matryoshka” exhibit

MA – The Museum of Russian Icons

The Museum of Russian Icons is currently hosting an exhibit entitled “Matryoshka: The Russian Nesting Doll.” The exhibit features 83 Matryoshka sets of lavishly painted wooden nesting dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other. Whether depicting ancient legends, religious themes, or political caricatures, Matryoshkas can reveal a subtle narrative—as one bell-shaped doll opens to reveal the next one inside—about the history of Russia.   The dolls in the exhibition were selected from a private San Francisco collection of wooden dolls, one of the largest collections of its kind in the United States. They provide a visually rich source of learning for adults and children. The dolls were produced over several decades and include pre-WWII dolls as well as dolls from various regional centers of Matryoshka production during the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. The exhibition also features unique Matryoshka dolls painted by recognized masters of Matryoshka painting.

On until July 2013.
For more information, please phone 978-598-5000, or visit The Museum of Russian Icons.

The new addition to the original 19th century Mariinsky Theatre building has sparked criticism for not meshing well with surrounding classical architecture. Image: Diamond Schmitt Architects

Even before its official opening on May 2, the new Mariinsky Theater building was at the center of controversy. The $630 million, 850,000 square feet structure runs the length of an entire block in St. Petersburg’s beloved theater square, nestled behind the original 19^th century structure and connected to it by a footbridge.  While the staggering cost to the state has drawn ire, it’s the look of the new building that has been at the center of criticism.

St. Petersburg is famous for the intentional and logical planning given it by Peter I, which was at once European, classical, and baroque. With so much intentionality behind the appearance of Russia’s second-largest city and cultural capital, it perhaps should have come as little surprise to the architects at Canadian firm Diamond Schmitt that their vision for the new Mariinsky might be met with naysayers denouncing the structure’s inconsistency with Petersburg’s classical aesthetic.

The original campus of the Mariinsky Theatre at 1 Teatralnaya Ploshad.

But that’s par for the course, especially considering that many in Petersburg and Russia in general revere the original theater as a lasting symbol of Russian culture and influence in the artistic world. World-famous for its eponymous ballet company and opera, and having been the place of premieres for some of the most important artists and works in the country’s history – Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker opened here in 1892 – it may be understandable that any proposal to augment or add on to the existing theater would be met with skepticism and strong opinions.

The initial idea to add on to the existing theatre came at the behest of Mariinsky’s artistic director and conductor Valery Gergiev, who wanted to bring the more than 150-year-old theatre into a new era, and to capitalize on modern improvements in technology and acoustics that restricted the original. His wish, however, turned out to not be as easy to realize, as the initial plan for the new building suffered a false start. In the early 2000s, a juried contest was held to select which architects would be chosen to design the new Mariinsky addition, resulting in a win by French architect Dominique Perrault, whose portfolio included designing the French National Library. After beginning construction and pouring millions into his design, the construction was abandoned in 2007 due to unforeseen problems with the planned structure.

After that first unsuccessful attempt to build a new Mariinsky building, the architects at Diamond Schmitt won a second competition and began construction of their vision for the new building. As construction continued, criticisms were raised that the structure looked more like a sports recreation complex or a shopping center, with its limestone and glass exterior and boxy, plain shape. Its clean lines and subdued colors struck many as in contrast to the surrounding examples of neo-classical architecture painted in bright pastels. Many dubbed it “The Mariinsky Shopping Center” for its plain and utilitarian design. An online petition was started, gathering thousands of signatures, to raze the construction before it could even have a chance to be completed.

A wall of back-lit onyx radiates especially brightly when viewed at night. Image: Diamond Schmitt Architects

Jack Diamond, lead architect of the project, told Urban Toronto magazine that the firm had two objectives for its design. The first was to construct a modest, unpretentious building that complemented the original Mariinsky campus without competing with it or overpowering its regal, embellished design. The second objective was to respond to young people, who he says are making up an increasingly large portion of audience demographics at the theatre. “These are young people. They’re vibrant. They’re people on dates,” he said. He also responded to criticism about the exterior of the building in an interview with Radio Free Europe, saying, “People don’t like change. They like their old St. Petersburg, as I do, but I honor it by being modest on the exterior and giving them an opera house that can stand with the rest of the world.”

The interior of the structure includes an amber-colored, backlit onyx wall, which at night radiates through the façade of ceiling-to-floor glass windows and casts a warm glow into the surrounding street. Also inside are a glass staircase, six stages, six rehearsal rooms, and a decidedly traditional horseshoe-shaped, blonde wood auditorium seating 2000 people.

For all the modernity, the main attraction — the performance auditorium — remains remarkably classic, though with improved acoustic technology. Image: Diamond Schmitt Architects

Vladimir Putin attended the star-studded inaugural night, featuring performances by Spanish singer Placido Domingo and leading contemporary ballerinas Uylana Lopatkina and Diana Vishneva. Despite the controversy, Putin praised director Grigoriev for his efforts in bringing the Mariinsky into a new era, saying he “has succeeded not only in preserving the traditions of Russian opera and ballet but has also created the conditions for it to develop.”

Performances will be held in both the new and the old campuses, allowing for more performances and for the theatre to stay open to the public even while constructing and tearing down sets. Previously, during set up and take down, the theatre closed its doors to the public, losing potential revenue and turning away disappointed tourists.  The 2013-2014 season opens in August.

A view of miniature St. Petersburg at night.

The Grand Maket Rossiya
16 Tsvetochnaya Ulitsa (Metro Moskovskiy Vorota)
Open daily 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Tickets: 400 rubles on weekdays, 450 on weekends
www.grandmaket.ru/en

The paradox of studying abroad is that so much is at your fingertips, yet there’s never enough time to see it all. But what if you could see all of Russia in one day? Now you can with a visit to The Grand Maket Rossiya (The Grand Layout of Russia), a museum based around a model of the entire country. Think of a toy train set, where the railroad takes you all over Russia, from the far west to the far east, giving you a glimpse of life across the largest country in the world, compete with accurate daylight according to time zone and changes in season.

If you can’t get to the Museum of Wooden Architecture in Veliky Novgorod, you can spot plenty of traditional wooden structures and churches in this miniature model of Russia.

Though the museum especially draws children and their families, anyone can easily lose a couple of hours here, as the attention to detail in the components of this model are captivating. Days pass in this model every 15 minutes. As night falls on one side of the country, lights turn on in miniature houses in a darkening Vladivostok as cars and people zoom around Kaliningrad. Watch as cows escape from farms, fires break out in oil refineries, and rallies take on Moscow. And perhaps being housed in St. Petersburg led to a bit of a bias in representation, as its model of St. Petersburg is more detailed and extensive than Moscow, Russia’s actual capital. To catch all the details, from moving traffic and working stop lights to farmers working in fields and miniature dachas and cathedrals, the museum offers binoculars and audio guides – the latter coming in three different languages (Russian, English, or German) and having three different topics (information about the making of the model, historical facts about Russia, or interesting and lesser-known facts about each region). Be warned, however, that while the audio guide and a pair of binoculars both costs only 150 rubles, they both require a 500 ruble safety deposit that will be returned to you at the end of your visit.

A beach in the southern region.

Even without the extra accessories, you can still catch some of the cooler points of the model. If you’re studying in Russia only in the summer, this is your chance to see what Petersburg looks like blanketed in snow or in the midst of a thunderstorm.

Visitors can also watch a 30-minute film about the creation of the museum, including interviews with the creators and architects of The Grand Maket Rossiya. The Russian version of the film starts every hour on the hour from the museum’s opening until 7 p.m., and the English version starts at half past every hour, with the last showing at 7:30 p.m.

If seeing a whole country in a day makes you hungry, you’ll find a café on the ground level serving Russian cuisine, including pelmeni, bliny, and a variety of soups and salads. Prices range from 90 – 330 rubles for a meal.

Outdoor photo wall project at Etagi.

Etagi / Этажи (“Floors”)
74 Ligovsky Prospekt, Metro Ligovsky Prospekt
Open Monday – Friday 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Admission free to 150 rubles, depending on exhibition
www.LoftProjectEtagi.ru/en

Etagi — full name “Loft Project ETAGI” — can be described in one word: ambitious. The definition of a loft, according to the project web site, is “a large spaced previously used for industrial purposes, now with a different function.” Etagi took that definition to the furthest extent, establishing itself as everything from an art gallery space, a hostel, a cafe, and much more.

The industrial space the project now occupies was formerly Smolninsky Bakery. Today, it has operated since 2007 as a landing area for a number of different projects all under one roof. Two art galleries, a cafe, a hostel, a bookstore, and several small exhibition rooms fit under the Etagi umbrella, offering much to fans of contemporary art, from fashion photography to video installations. Etagi is also something of an educational center, frequently hosting lectures about design, screening films, and holding creative workshops for adults and children alike.

The Green Room Cafe offers inexpensive vegetarian and organic dishes on the third floor.

With hands in many baskets, Etagi is part of a growing number of Petersburg art spaces capitalizing on an increasing interest in contemporary art. While Petersburg is without a doubt the artistic and cultural capital of Russia, the majority of art offerings in the city are traditional, and found at formal art spaces such as The State Hermitage Museum and The State Russian Museum. Etagi’s focus on contemporary artists, photographers, designers, and art trends helps fill a gap in the city’s art scene, drawing a youthful and eclectic crowd of both locals and tourists.

Pioneering a hip atmosphere and interior in a city of classic European architecture and taste, stepping into Etagi – regardless of the room or floor – feels like you could be stepping into an art gallery space in New York or Paris, offering a refreshing glimpse into the contemporary. Making use of the original industrial interior, Etagi’s exposed pipes, wooden and metal walls and high ceilings, and intentionally unpolished aesthetic make for a unique and decidedly modern experience.

That style is reflected in the art work exhibited here, including Fotowall Svetosila, an outdoor gallery in the yard outside the main Etagi building featuring large-scale photographs from contemporary Russian and international photographers. Etagi curators hope to expand this particular project to other unusual spaces in the city, thereby taking art from inside museum walls and directly into the city. Showcased photography can include fashion photography, photojournalism, Lomography, and both color and black and white pieces.

Each floor at Etagi has its own unique personality and purpose. The ground level’s Katushki Space is big and open for hosting concerts and performances.

On the ground level of Etagi is the Katushki Space, an all-wooden, barn-like area designed to hold concerts and performances, including theatrical pieces and performance art. On the second floor you’ll find Sever Bar, where you can try drinks as modern as the art on the walls. Offering less in the way of food as the third floor café, Sever focuses on drinks like “energy-giving teas” and shots of vitamin-infused juices. It’s also a relaxed place to hang out, use the WiFi, or play a game of chess with its weekly Sunday chess club.

On the third floor you’ll find the Prostranstvo Beliy Coridor, dedicated solely to “social photography.” Photography showcased here is usually documentary style photojournalism about social issues like orphanhood, homelessness, and HIV. This is the floor where the Green Room Café is located, offering meals with organic, often times local produce, as well as a number of vegetarian dishes. Plates here are relatively inexpensive and start at around 100 rubles for salads, paninis, soups and small snacks.

The fourth floor is called the Prostranstvo Seryi Coridor, where video and multimedia projects are showcased. Here, visitors can watch everything from art house films to music videos on any of the 13 plasma flat screen televisions that hang on the walls like framed works of art. Also on the fourth floor is Etagi’s bookstore, selling printed material on topics of artistic concern. Here you can find niche texts about graphic design, architecture, typography, advertising, and various threads of contemporary art. The next floor up is the main gallery space of Etagi, where big events like showcase openings and film screenings are held. With wooden floors and white walls and white chandeliers setting the vibe for this floor, the space almost looks like a working studio.

With so much to do, from catching a concert, attending a photo exhibition opening, grabbing a bite to eat, or even playing a board game, you might wish you could spend the whole night at Etagi. Well, you can, as Etagi is also home to a hostel with 2- and 8-bed rooms, starting at 550 rubles a night. The hostel includes a full-service kitchen pre-equipped with cooking utensils and has free high-speed Internet.

Etagi is a complex, multi-layered art space that meets the demand for refreshingly contemporary art and interior design in the heart of the ultra-classical St. Petersburg. For a list of upcoming events and exhibitions, click here.

Formerly the site of a naval prison and Lenin’s radio addresses, New Holland is now being reclaimed as a public space in the heart of St. Petersburg.

New Holland / Новая Голландия
Embankment of the Admiralteskiy Canal, 2
Metro Admiralteskaya
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

After returning from his travels abroad to Holland and a stint studying shipbuilding there, Peter the Great decided to establish a little bit of Holland in his own country. Conceived as a military port and a storage space for lumber used in Peter’s navy shipbuilding program, “New Holland” was a man-made island completed in the 1730s, though it was officially founded in 1719.  In its time,  the 19 acre island – now listed as one of the Russian Federation’s cultural heritage sites —  has also served countless other purposes. Its Dutch-inspired red brick architecture reveals the inspiration Peter took from his travels, and several prominent architects had a hand in designing and developing other structures on the island, surrounded by the Moika River and Kryukov Canals.

The archway of New Holland island, designed by French architect Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe in the 1700s. Photo: official web site

After Peter’s time, the focus of this island became less about maritime innovation and turned to housing inmates. In 1828, after the Decembrist Uprising, Petersburg city officials initiated the construction of new naval prisons. The prisons were constructed within the next few years, though in their early years initially served as housing for military men, the national gymnastics team, and hospital patients. Other structures of New Holland later served as research areas, including a laboratory in which the Russian scientist Dimitri Mendeleev experimented with smokeless gunpowder. New Holland has also been the site of water tanks for use in testing submarines and ships, another initiative of Mendeleev.

It was also at New Holland where, in the beginning of the 20^th century, the Russian navy built a radio transmitter, which would be used in 1917 by Vladimir Lenin to announce the beginning of the Russian Revolution. It would be of continued use during the revolution, broadcasting reports from party congresses and telegrams from Lenin himself.

Table tennis at New Holland. Photo: official web site

Because of its military and scientific value, New Holland was closed to the public the first some 250 years of its existence. A transition to open the beautiful space to the public started in 2004, when the formerly Navy-owned territory was given over to the city, and a revitalization attempt began. After a false start in 2006, a competition was held in 2010 to find architects and developers to make an even newer New Holland. This new development has been overseen largely by the Iris Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 2008 advocating contemporary art and culture. Already known for its first big project, the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow, the Iris Foundation is turning its sights on Russia’s other capital.

Since 2011, a series of summer cultural events have kicked off on this once secretive and closed island. These annual months-long events called “Summer in New Holland” provide a number of different cultural and creative activities. A main attraction of the island is a lush green park where locals and tourists alike come to sunbathe, picnic, and play. At New Holland, free recreation is provided with the help of table tennis courts, skate ramps, a children’s play area, and occasional fitness classes. A stage is set up for concerts, and a bonfire pit surrounded by benches is available for public use. There is a free book exchange –  where visitors are encouraged to take any book as well as to donate – and a bookstore specializing in books on creative topics such as photography and architecture. An art gallery with a rotating collection is also on site, with plans to incorporate works of both established and local artists in a variety of media. Pop-up restaurants cycle throughout the week, including scaled-down versions of mainstay Petersburg restaurants. On weekends, visitors can patron a farmer’s market that sells local produce and handmade crafts.

New Holland has a small gallery space for artists showcasing both local and establish artists. Above is Russian photographer and clothing designer Gosha Rubchinsky.

This $12 billion urban renewal project aiming to facilitate civic engagement with arts and culture, bridging a gap between the old St. Petersburg and its classical architecture and an emerging modern society. In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Marina Barber, General Director of the New Holland revitalization project, said she hopes that the island will draw a youthful, modern crowd by appealing to a wide variety of cultural tastes. The objective is to create a “hub of art and education, which is also a place for technology and creative start-ups.” To facilitate this, New Holland also offers a small office space center with pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi access and computer resources provided by Microsoft.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Dasha Zhukova, founder of the Iris Foundation, said, “St. Petersburg lives in the past in terms of art and architecture. I hope New Holland will be a bridge to the new in the best way possible.”

Like the two years before it, the 2013 summer season at New Holland commenced on May 18, opening the doors to the public for a summer season of art, culture, and civic programs. The season will last through mid-September, when New Holland will close to the public again until next summer in order to allow for further restoration of the island. It is set to stay open for good sometime in 2017.

The LC-A compact camera kick started the Lomography phenomenon, thanks to two Austrian students and a factory in St. Petersburg. Photo: Lomography official web site

Since getting its start in 2010, Instagram has become a cultural phenomenon, amassing more than 30 million users and becoming acquired by social media kingpin Facebook for $1 billion. (That’s billion, with a B.) Whether viewed on a smartphone or online, Instagram photos are easily recognizable by their square shape, manipulated colors, and vintage-inspired feel. And Instagramers themselves are likewise easily recognizable, often seen hovering their smartphones above their lunch or stopping in the middle of a busy sidewalk to take a snapshot of something seemingly innocuous. With a few taps to a touch screen phone, these slice-of-life images can be transformed into something eye-catching, and then shared with networks of users around the world.

The popular aesthetic of Instagram photos, however – the oversaturated colors, manipulated hues, and customizable photo ‘frames’ – predates the iPhone and Android entirely. It has its roots in an under-the-radar photo movement called Lomography, founded in the early 1990s by Austrian students Wolfgang Stranziger and Mattias Fiegl, championing cheap ‘toy’ cameras producing lo-fi film photos.

What does St. Petersburg, Russia have anything to do with this?

To answer that, one needs to take a few steps back in Russian history.

The LOMO factory in St. Petersburg at 20 Chugunnaya St. is still a working factory, though no longer in the business of manufacturing cameras. Photo: Lomography user lawypop.

In 1914, an optical instruments manufacturing company opened in Petrograd, or what is now St. Petersburg. Nationalized in 1919, its post-revolutionary name is the Leningrad Optical Mechanical Association — Ленинградское Oптико-Mеханическое Oбъединение, in Russian, or LOMO. Today, LOMO manufactures scientific research equipment and microscopes, but its initial business was in the production of cameras and lenses. In 1930, LOMO produced the first Russian-manufactured camera, and in 1984, LOMO began mass-producing the LC-A, a fixed lens, 35 mm film compact film camera that achieved popularity within the USSR and kickstarted Lomography. Eventually, after the fall of the Soviet Union, cheaper imported models overtook LOMO’s market share, and the LC-A fell out of favor.

In 1991, an LC-A camera made its way into the hands of Austrian students Stranziger and Fiegl on a trip abroad to Prague, where they bought one second-hand to document their travels in true Soviet style. Intrigued by the aesthetic of the photos that resulted – with shadowy, dreamy vignettes and high color saturation – the pair bought and re-sold LC-A cameras to photography buffs in Austria, increasing the camera’s popularity abroad.
Not long after, Stranziger and Fiegl created what is now called the “Lomographic Society,” which consisted then, as it does now, of Lomographers across the globe who use low-fidelity cameras to produce vintage-looking, vignetted, and brightly-colored film photos. The Lomographic Society even has a list of “10 Golden Rules” to follow as a Lomographer, including “Be Fast,” “Take Your Camera Everywhere You Go,” and “You Don’t Have To Know Beforehand What You Captured on Film.”

Though the two photographers and business partners had created a market for the camera abroad, the LOMO factory where the actual cameras were made was not fairing quite as well. After the fall of the USSR and the opening of Russian markets, imported cameras were hard to compete with, jeopardizing the future of the photographic movement as LOMO was moving to cease production of the camera that started it all.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood as seen through a Lomography camera. Photo: Lomography official web site

After a simultaneous Lomographic photo exhibition in Moscow and New York, LOMO factory heads invited the two students to the factory in St. Petersburg, where a deal was reached to supply the photographer-entrepreneurs with 1,000 cameras a month. This allowed the two to establish the first Lomography retail stores, where enthusiasts can buy cameras and film, as well as view miniature photo galleries. The first stores were established in London and Berlin.

Even with international popularity, it wasn’t long before the LC-A camera was again threatened by a faltering economy. Claiming major losses, the LOMO factory was resolute to cease production of the camera. A deal was struck in a meeting of the Austrian students, an Austrian diplomat, LOMO factory heads, and Vladimir Putin – who was then deputy mayor of St. Petersburg – that would raise the prices of the cameras, providing more revenue to continue production. Though this worked for a few years, LOMO officially ceased production of the LC-A in 2005, and manufacturing now takes place in China.

Dom Knigi on Nevsky Prospekt. Photo: Lomography offical web site

Much like Instagram, Lomography now has a strong community of enthusiasts around the world.  Before the popularization of social networks, Lomographers swapped film photos at small photo exhibitions or even through the mail. Today, the Lomographic community is also online, with web sites in 21 different languages and specialty retail stores in 29 cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, New York, Barcelona, and many more major world cities.

Lomography.ru hosts an active community of Russian Lomography enthusiasts, and includes image galleries, blogs, and a calendar of events for Lomographers to display and swap their work.

To view a gallery of Lomography photos taken in St. Petersburg, click here.

Sources:

Lomography: The LOMO Factory in Russia in the Early 1990s

Lomography: What the hell is Lomography?

Lomography: Going back to the birthplace of the LC-A

Paintings and busts by Repin in the house of the famed painter.

Ilya Repin Memorial Museum “Penates”
197738, St. Petersburg, Repino, Primorskoe Road, 411
Open Wednesday – Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Works of Ilya Yefimovich Repin can be found in St. Petersburg at the Russian Museum, including his famous portraits of Lev Tolstoy. Reproductions of his paintings can be found in art stores across the city, and postcards bearing one of his works can be purchased in souvenir shops for only a few rubles. But not too far outside the city, about 40 kilometers north of Petersburg, near the Gulf of Finland, Repin’s former estate still stands. This is where the famed artist and sculptor lived for more than 30 years. Today, it is both a museum and a memorial.

Located in a small, aptly named village called Repino, this estate is called “Penaty,” or Penates in English (Penates are gods of the household in ancient Roman religion.) Repin, born in August 1844 and who died at the age of 86 in September 1930, requested to be buried here, thus the memorial aspect of this museum.

Some original cookware has been preserved with help of the Russian Academy of Arts.

At the time of Repin’s initial occupation of the estate, the territory on which it is located was still part of Russia. In 1918, it became part of Finland, making Repin a resident of Finland and restricting him from traveling to his own home country. The territory, known as Kuokkala under Finish rule, in 1939 again became part of the Soviet Union during what was known as “The Continuation War,” fought with Finland during World War II. A year later in 1940 (and 10 years after Repin’s death), the estate became officially open to the public as a memorial-museum to the artist.

Though not far from the city of St. Petersburg on the map, the estate is located what seems like worlds away from civilization. It is surrounded by a lush green forest with a small river running through it.

Active in Petersburg artistic and social circles, and even holding a post in the city as a professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts, Repin made use of this quieter estate outside the city as a place to reflect and work in a more peaceful location.

Around 100 of Repin’s works are on display at Penates, from completed paintings to drawings and sketches. A visit to this site is a uniquely interesting way to become better acquainted with the artist’s works, as visitors can see inside Repin’s workshop, office, and even dining room – offering a closer look into his life and works outside the context of a traditional art museum.

Repin’s grave at the estate.

Now under the governance of the Russian Academy of Arts, the estate is carefully preserved to look as it did in Repin’s time. Part of the estate suffered damage after German occupation during World War II, meaning much of it had to be restored and recreated, a process that took some 22 years. It was reopened in 1962. Visitors can still get a good idea of what it looked like in Repin’s time, as well as see many salvaged personal belongings and mementos. The museum has carefully preserved these items — from furniture to photographs — giving an eye into his lifestyle and family life. Other items on display are newspaper clippings about Repin or his exhibitions, as well as preserved family recipes and original cookware.

While many of these photos and documents are readily display on walls or in frames, there is also an archive at Penates which includes never-published photos, from a professionally done portraiture of Repin and his wife, Vera Alekseevna Repina, to more candid shots featuring normal life on the estate. Exactly which photos are displayed may be subject to change, as the museum frequently hosts various themed photographic exhibitions culled from the archive.

While the buildings comprising the estate are resemblant of traditional Russian folk architecture, there are a few important modern updates. The roofs of the building are now comprised of metal and glass, allowing natural light into the rooms, a far cry from their original wooden variants. There is also now a lecture hall for academic groups and a souvenir shop.

While it will take perhaps an hour to get here – the opportunity to see the work and living space of this great Russian artist is well worth it to any student interested in art and studying in St. Petersburg – or even just any student wanting to get some fresh air and see the lush green countryside that Russia has to offer!

Vladimir Yarish and several examples of his craft

May 9 – MA

Join the Museum of Russian Icons and master basket maker Vladimir Yarish for a lecture about about harvesting birch bark and roots in northwestern Russia.  Yarish will give some history of birch bark work in ancient Novgorod, and discuss traditional peasants’ use of and work with bark for their needs at home. Progressing to the present, he will talk about contemporary birch bark work, both traditional and contemporary. Mr. Yarish will also tell about his teaching work and studio in Russia. His talk will be illustrated with examples and slides.

Where: Museum of Russian Icons
When: May 9, 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Tickets: $7 for members, $10 for non-members.  $1 off for WOO Card holders.  Students registered for one of Vladimir Yarish’s Saturday workshops may attend for free.
Telephone: 978-598-5000.

May 11 – MA

Russian birch basket.

The Museum of Russian Icons presents a workshop on Russian birch baskets! Learn how to weave the Russian way of diagonal plaiting and double-woven construction with this two traditional baskets in a square-to-round design. Learn the basics of Russian diagonal plaiting, the foundation for more difficult baskets, and experience working with Russian white birch bark. Completed basket is 3 ½” diam x 2” high. Open to all levels.  Special tools required:  Radio Shack 1 1/8” smooth clips (package of 10, item # 270-0373). Please note: the class fee is non-refundable unless the program is cancelled by the Museum. Advance registration required.
Where: Museum of Russian Icons
When: May 11, 8:00am – 12:00 pm or 12:30pm – 4:30 pm.
Registration: $20 for members, $25 for non-members, materials fee of $34. Call by May 8.Telephone: 978-598-5000

May 11 – MA

Larrisa Dyan’s “Ready Set Russian” workshop

Join the Museum of Russian Icons for a 90-minute workshop with instructor Larissa Dyan that focuses on Russian language basics and conversation. This drop-in class will introduce students to the Russian alphabet, some conversation starters, icon-related terms and useful phrases. Space is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. No advance reservation is required.

Where: Museum of Russian Icons
When: May 11, 11:00am – 12:30pm
Registration: Not necessary; workshop free with museum admission
Telephone: 978-598-5000

May 11 – NY

Join the Brooklyn Public Library’s Kings Highway branch for a dramatic reading of “Hot Woman”.  The reading will take place in Russian.

Where: King’s Highway branch of the Brooklyn Public Library
When: May 11, 3:00pm -4:30pm
No registration required
Telephone: 718-375-3037

May 18 – MA

Matroshka dolls at the Museum of Russian Icon’s “All Dolled Up” day

The Museum of Russian Icons is hosting Family Day: All Dolled Up! Enjoy free activities all day, including cookie decorating, snacks, art activities, a reading corner, family-friendly gallery tours at 10am, noon and 1pm and storytelling (on the hour) throughout the day. Author Corinne Demas offers readings from her book, The Littlest Matryoshka at noon and 2pm. Book signing follows the readings. Learn more about Corinne’s books at www.corinnedemas.com. No advance registration required. Admission discounts not applicable on Family Day.

Where: Museum of Russian Icons
When: May 18, 9:00am – 3:00pm
Registration: Adults $7, Seniors (59 and over) $5, Students (with ID) & children (3-17) $2 Children under 3 FREE
Telephone: 978-598-5000

May 23  – NY

Join the King’s Highway branch of the Brooklyn public library for a meeting of the History Club!  There will be films and a subsequent discussion in Russian.

Where: King’s Highway branch of the Brooklyn public library
When: May 23, 1:00pm – 2:30pm
No registration required
Telephone: 718-375-3037

May 25 – MA

Some of the delicious food waiting to be discovered!

Join a culinary walking tour of Brighton and Brookline and learn about Russian cuisine! Where can you find the best Russian borsch, pirozhki, and caviar? What is the Russian way to drink tea and vodka? Discover the answers at our 3-hour culinary adventure while tasting delicious authentic Russian specialties: light fluffy blintzes, delicate Siberian dumplings, imported caviar, mouth-watering desserts, and half-dozen more.

Take a shopping tour at Whole Foods Market; learn how to make traditional Russian dishes and find out the unique Russian ingredients that can spark up your every-day meals. Visit treasured Russian food stores and restaurants: Russian Village, Babushka Deli, and Vernissage; discover “hidden” Russian food in The Fireplace and Athan’s; and enjoy interesting personal stories about their owners. Find the best spots in Washington Square for entertainment, live music, and amazing food. The tour meets at the Whole Foods Market at 15 Washington Street in Brighton, at the picnic tables outside the front door. Free parking is available at Whole Foods. There is a total of about 1 mile of walking, and the tour takes place rain or shine. Food and drink samples are included at every stop.

Where: Museum of Russian Icons
When: May 25, 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Registration: Tickets $44, museum patrons receive a $5 discount by entering the code museum at checkout, or by mentioning it when booking by phone.
Telephone: 978-598-5000

The secretive P183 only appeared on camera or in photos with his face obstructed.

I believe all art should be anonymous, Pasha 183 told Interview magazine in 2012. Thus, little is known about him, since a life of anonymity was necessary for the Moscow-based street artist, who also went by P183. Russian and British press peg his age at death in April, 2013 as 29, and note that for his young age, his street art career spanned 15 years. The only other fact known about the artist is that he studied “communicative design” at university. It is rumored that his real name is Pavel Pukhov.

P183 is often referred to in the press as “the Russian Banksy,” and his works are often compared with those of the famous British street artist. Even in Russia, P183 remained relatively unknown outside of Moscow until the press began reporting on his works in 2012. The Guardian in the United Kingdom was one of the first press outlets to cover P183’s work and to make parallels between the two secretive street artists. P183, however, refuted in several interviews any notion that he took his inspiration from Banksy, though he conceded shared objectives with his artistic counterpart. “I fully understand that we both have a common cause, but I never sought to emulate him or anyone else,” he told The Guardian in 2012. In discussing the similar black-and-white aesthetics of both artists works, P183 told Interview magazine that he lamented the fact that the media treated Banksy as if he had a monopoly over street art. “Any stenciled, black and white picture on the wall today is associated with Banksy,” P183 said. “I always drew black and white characters. I had a period when there was simply no money for paint, and the only thing I could afford were the cans of back and white.”

“Truth to Truth,” an installation where the artist pasted images of riot police on doors of a Moscow metro station, allowing metro riders to ‘push back’ when they opened the doors.

P183 says his interest in street art began while he was a pre-teen boy, writing poems and drawing pictures on Moscow’s Tsoi Wall, which commemorates the much-beloved front man of Soviet rock group Kino. Growing up in a big city, graffiti was a common sight for P183, as was the rise of post-Soviet consumerism and advertising. Many of P183’s works address the omnipresence of commercial advertising, and made clear his views on mass consumerism.

In one piece, September 2012’s “About Advertising,” the artist set up an installation near a Moscow park where the artist’s versions of advertisements and logos were stenciled onto concrete. Nearby, he positioned a life-sized black-and-white cutout of a man vomiting a stream of white, which then becomes the stream of white paint on the concrete ‘crossing out’ the advertisements and logos. A video of the artist installing the work can be seen here.

Another strong commentary was November 2012’s “Zoo.” In this installation, the artist took to a pedestrian walkway near a construction zone and turned it into a zoo exhibit. The walkway had been haphazardly fenced in with wire and the artist envisioned it as not unlike a cage. Against the wall, he hung a giant banner depicting monkeys that stretched the length of the walkway, and hung bunches of bananas from the walkway’s wire fence. As people walked through the walkway, it became a visual pun, likening the pedestrians as monkeys in the zoo. A video on the installation’s construction can be seen here.

One of the artist’s more lighthearted works.

One of the artist’s more famous (and lighthearted) works is his installation that used a lightpost in creating a pair of giant, partially folded eyeglasses. The rest of the eyeglass frames were drawn in black paint extending from the post into the white snow.

Much of his work is known for being politically charged. P183 described himself as an anarchist, and was critical of the police. In August 2011, marking the 20th anniversary of the coup of 1991 and the riots that followed, P183 created an installation where people could, in a way, fight back against police brutality. He pasted images of Russian riot police onto the entrance doors of a Moscow metro station, which intimidatingly faced would-be passengers wanting to enter the station. A video on the artist’s YouTube account, which can be viewed here, shows policemen being ‘shoved back’ as metro-goers swing open the glass doors where the images had been pasted. P183 saw street art as a way to communicate new thoughts, political or otherwise, to the sometimes apathetic masses. In in interview with Russia Today, he said that street art is a great tool for communicating messages. “Put simply, I want to teach people in this country to tell lies from the truth,” he said. “This is what our people still cannot do.”

On April 3, 2013, a Moscow theatrical company that had recently hired P183 to create the sets for its rock opera “Todd,” a punk rock reimagining of Sweeney Todd, announced in a press release that P183 had died. The release gave no further details about the circumstances of his death. It did include, however, a note that the artist had recently posted a status to Facebook about his pride in his work for the show, saying, “I should note that if tomorrow I die, I can be calm that after myself I left something real.”

April is quite a slow month for events – several of the Russian art museums in the USA have no entries in their calendars for this month.

April 3 – DC

Fiona Hill’s book “Mr Putin: Operative in the Kremlin”

Join Washington DC’s Hillwood House Museum for a lecture and book signing by Fiona Hill, author of Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin.

Russian expert, Brookings fellow, and author Fiona Hill explores the identity of Russia’s dominant political figure and the influences that have helped shape it. With the lavish albums on view in the special exhibitio nPageant of the Tsars: The Romanov Coronation Albums as a backdrop, Hill points to the ceremonial trappings of the Romanovs to offer insight into the ceremonies of today.

The Mansion and Pageant of the Tsars will be open for touring from 5:30-6:30 pm.

Following the lecture, Hill will be available to sign copies of Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, which is available for sale in the Museum Shop.

When: April 3, 5:30-8
Where: Hillwood House Museum
Cost: $20, $10 members and $8 students
Telephone: 202-686-5807

April 6 – NY

Philosopher and scholar, Boris Paramonov

Join Brooklyn’s Dweck Center for another installment in the monthly Russian literary series! Boris Paramonov, a philosopher, cultural studies scholar and a regular Radio Freedom host, discusses his new work, My Russians, a collection of over 100 vignettes dedicated to major Russian politician, writers, scientists and other public figures, from Andrey Kurbsky (the main political opponent of Ivan the Terrible,) to Yevgeny Yevtushenko. This program is in Russian. To register, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com and enter the keyword Brooklyn Public Library. Limit 3 tickets per person.

When: April 6, 4pm
Where; Dweck Center
Tickets: Tickets available on www.brownpapertickets.com, keyword “Brooklyn Public Library”
Telephone: 718-230-2198

 

April 18 – DC

Join Hillwood House for a lecture by Rosamund Bartlett on the culture of Imperial Russia!

Lecturer, Rosamond Bartlett.

This lecture will provide an overview of Russian cultural and artistic life from the times of Peter the Great to the last Romanov Tsar Nicholas II.  Focusing on the achievements of Russia’s major artists, writers and musicians from the eighteenth to early twentieth centuries, and ranging from Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker to Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard and Malevich’s Black Square, we will explore the fascinating social and political context in which they were produced.  This will lead to a discussion of the complex relationship which developed between Russian artists and the Imperial court as the nature of Romanov patronage gradually changed. Catherine the Great was concerned to amass a world-class collection of Western European art, and Nicholas I installed an Italian company in St Petersburg’s leading opera house, but by the reign of Alexander III, state support was being predominantly given to the Russian arts as they entered the period of their greatest brilliance on the eve of the Bolshevik Revolution.

When: April 18, 6:00-8:30 pm
Where: Hillwood House Museum
Cost: $20, $10 members and $7 students
Telephone: 202-686-5807

 April 25- NY

Russian film pioneer, Sergei Eisenstein.

Join Brooklyn’s Dweck Center for another installment in their monthly Russian film series! The documentary “Eisenstein: the Master’s House” honors Russia’s great film pioneer. It is chock-full of fascinating facts and made with a skill and intelligence that the maestro himself would have approved. Adopting many of Eisenstein’s own techniques, “Master’s House” is a mélange of new and period footage, still photographs and feature films. Organized chronologically, it is especially moving as it recounts Eisenstein’s last days when, harassed and despairing, he continued to work furiously. In Russian with English subtitles. To register, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com and enter the keyword Brooklyn Public Library. Limit 4 tickets per person.

When: April 25, 7pm
Where; Dweck Center
Tickets: Tickets available on www.brownpapertickets.com, keyword “Brooklyn Public Library”
Telephone: 718-230-2198

 

Uli Zislin in his museum-apartment.

The Museum of Russian Poetry, located in Rockville, MD., just outside of Washington, DC, holds an impressive collection of Russian and Soviet literary artifacts. This small, private museum The small, niche space is packed from wall to wall with artifacts celebrating Silver Age masters like Boris Pasternak, Marina Tsvetaeva, Osip Mandelshtam, Anna Akhmatova and Nikolai Gumiylov. It is truly one-of-a-kind in its focus. But if you want to see it, you’ll have to make an appointment first with museum curator Uli Zislin. It’s only a common courtesy, considering the museum is also his suburban apartment.

Zislin, a Moscow native who moved to Washington in 1996, had a vision to share the works of Russia’s Silver Age poets with Americans, helping a new audience discover the writers whom he revered most. A poet himself, Zislin gradually began accumulating artifacts and memorabilia, growing the museum into what it is today – a collection of books, audio clips, portraits, manuscripts, and letters written to and by twentieth-century Silver Age poets,–who Zislin says were “among the most talented and brilliant poets of the twentieth century.”

Officially opened in 1997 – Zislin spared very little time before getting up and running – the Museum of Russian Poetry is now in its sixteenth year and has grown to include exhibits on music and art of the former Soviet Union, in addition to its focus on Silver Age poetry. , Zislin’s collection of original printings has been supplemented by many donors over the years. Zislin says the museum has grown so much since its founding sixteen years ago that much of what constituted the original collection is now in storage. He’s received gifts and donations from other museums, universities, collectors, and literary enthusiasts from Russia, Ukraine and other territories of the former Soviet Union. Zislin hopes eventually to see the museum get its own space outside of his apartment, as a larger space could help accommodate the entire collection – and make it easier for patrons to visit without an appointment.

The museum was re-conceptualized in 2002, adding exhibits featuring nineteenth century Golden Age poets like Mikhail Lermontov and Alexander Pushkin, as well as information on Russian composers Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Prokofiev. Zislin says he sees the museum expanding to cover Russian artistic culture in general. Eventually, Zislin hopes the museum might be able to offer visitors information about Russian ballet as well. For now, the museum’s focus must remain a bit limited, as it is limited to Zislin’s private living space.

One of the most unique aspects of Zislin’s museum is his collection of audio recordings. While not always of the most clear or high quality, he practically insists that visitors listen to recordings of poets like Olga Ivinsky and Anna Akhmatova reading their poetry “as it was meant to be recited.” One of the poems you can hear Akhmatova recite is her 1924 poem “Muse.” Clips like this help visitors better appreciate the rhythm of the language and the artistry of the composition. Visitors will also be able to listen to audio interviews of poet, academic, and friend of Akhmatova, Joseph Brodsky, who speaks at length about his friendship with the poet, who he considered his mentor.

The museum also offers books – including some original manuscripts –by the poets of both Golden and Silver ages. Visitors will also find rarities like correspondences between the poets, letters they received, autographed books, and some out-of-print titles and translations.

Zislin also regularly organizes seminars about Russian poetry and speaks widely throughout the DC area. One of the more festive and interesting events to grow out of the museum are the annual bonfires held in honor of the memory of Marina Tsetaeva, held yearly to celebrate her birthday. The most recent bonfire brought together university professors, native Russians living in the DC area, college students of Russian language, and general literary enthusiasts to perform a mix of Russian folk songs and Tsvetaeva poems put to music.

Zislin says residents of 29 states and from 12 foreign countries have visited his museum. While the concept might sound strange, Zislin has dedicated the past sixteen years to educating Americans and visitors from around the globe about his passion and pride for Russian literary and musical arts. In order to introduce audiences to these poets, Zislin has devoted his time and literally opened his home to those looking to learn more about Russian and Soviet literature. The museum — located at Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville, MD. 20853 — is open seven days a week, but visits require an appointment. To schedule a free visit to the Museum of Russian Poetry, you can email museum@zislin.com, or call Uli Zislin at 301-942-2728.

That’s where 28-year-old fashion designer, photographer and videographer Gosha Rubchinsky comes in. He’s already made quite the name for himself in Russia’s two main cities with his eponymous clothing line, and he says his vision for clothing the emerging youth of Russia expands past Moscow and St. Petersburg. And while he doesn’t shun fashion shows or exposure elsewhere, Rubchinsky seems to care little at all about the splash he could make abroad. “Everything that inspires me is in Russia,” he told the UK art magazine Dazed in 2010. And his brand of fashion–the glossy images of his work in magazine spreads notwithstanding—is for the benefit of punks, working-class kids and those unfazed by the allure of nouveau riche sentimentality. Less fussy and certainly not runway-ready, Rubchinsky told FADER magazine in 2012, “My generation doesn’t care about luxury… I don’t want to make clothes for the rich.”

Photo by Gosha Rubchinsky

And it shows. Rubchinsky’s menswear designs are inspired by two similarly blue-collar or even no-collar calling cards – sports and punk rock. Cut-off shorts, tight T’s, distressed tank tops, hoodies and sneakers – his fashions are a mix between Western sportswear (think Adidas and Kangol tracksuits) and a late 80’s, early 90’s punk and hardcore aesthetic. FADER put it succinctly: Rubchinsky and his friends are styled like they’re out of the D.C. hardcore scene, “though most of them weren’t even a glimmer in their parents’ eyes when Minor Threat shared a bill with Bad Brains. Speaking with Interview magazine, Rubchinsky said, “My clothing is for my friends.” It just seems that his friends must have major nostalgia for a period of fashion they neither lived through nor lived near. The aesthetic that paints most of his work almost decidedly belongs to the twentieth century West’s interpretation of punk and hardcore fashion. Now, thanks to the designer, it has a Moscow twist.

Rubchinsky was just growing up when the former USSR was experiencing waves of influence from the capitalist, consumerist West, a transitionary period when Soviet times were not quite memories just yet. He told Interview that his fashions are a way of making sense of what he and others around him had available to them. “I remember going to the countryside with my friends and dressing weirdly because there was a shortage at the time. You were only allowed one pair of Levis jeans and one tracksuit from Adidas. You wore all of this together. Not because it was stylish, but because it was the only clothes you had from the West.” Now, however, he’s able to execute more control of how he mixes pieces, creating fashions that seem to be conversations between Russia and the West.

Photos by Gosha Rubchinsky

Not all of his fashions seem rough around the edges, however. His Spring 2013 collection is clean cut, though vestiges of sportswear aesthetic are still visible: Lace-up sneakers, cotton cut-off shorts, tailored sweats, knee-high sweat socks – but all with subdued, neutral colors, a bit of a departure from his previous work that included studs, face masks, and almost an entirely black color palette.

When Rubchinsky says he’s making clothes for his friends, it’s apparent that he really means it. His clothing may look designer-made, but it keeps in mind comfort for skaters and graffiti artists, he says. It’s also of little significance to him who’s actually buying the clothes. In his interview with Dazed, he said he makes clothes for Russian youth, just as a Berlin-based designer might make clothing for fellow Germans. While his works are informed by a time and place that might not entirely be his own, Rubchinsky holds a lot of respect for his language and his country. A lot of ubiquitous sports wear in Russia is simply imported, retaining the original English slogans or print. Not so with Rubchinsky’s line. A back of a sports jacket reads “РОССИЯ,” not “Russia.”  When Western culture flooded the former Soviet Union, many young people reacted by becoming more nationalist. This nationalism now creates an aesthetic and mentality distinct to Rubchinsky’s generation. “All these young people who were born after 1991 – I realized that these were the people I wanted to design for,” he told Dazed.

In accordance with that philosophy, Rubchinsky’s collections are usually debuted in a way suited for his generation, eschewing traditional avenues like runway shows or Fashion Weeks. His collections are instead debuted through his own video work and photography, which includes portraits of his friends wearing his fashions, as well as documentary-style videos of his friends skateboarding. His Spring 2010 collection was debuted with a performance and a video shown in Moscow in an church-turned-recreation-center, where models worked out or skated in his gear instead of walking down a runway. Other collections have been debuted in similar performances and videos, putting a youthful, anti-establishment twist on the world of contemporary fashion.

His multi-media approach is necessary, he says, telling Dazed, ”Me and my team have realized that our ideas are a lot bigger than just clothes.”

You can view Rubchinsky’s videography, photography and 2012 and 2013 clothing line collections on his web site by clicking here.

“Girl with Peaches.” 1887, oil on canvas.

Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov, born January 7, 1865 (old style, January 19 new style) in St. Petersburg, is best known as one of the premiere portrait artists of his time. Working between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, his work represents a drifting away from realism and toward the Impressionist movement in Russian art. The works for which he is best known show a strong Impressionist influence.

Serov was born to an artistic family. His father was A.N. Serov, an opera composer, and his mother was Valentina Bergman, also a composer and a musician. Though he didn’t follow in his family’s musical footsteps, his talents as an artist did not go unnoticed, even at a very young age. After the death of her husband, Serov’s mother took the boy to Paris to encourage and facilitate his artistic training in painting. In Paris, he tutored under the famed Ilya Repin, and Repin’s influence is very visible particularly in Serov’s early work. Repin advised his student to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Petersburg, where Serov received much of his formative education. Although the Serov family was struggling financially, they were aided by a wealthy entrepreneur and patron of the arts, Savva Mamontov. Mamontov allowed the Serovs to live with him at his estate while Valentin remained a student.

“Sunlit Girl. 1881, oil on canvas.

At the Academy, Serov studied for five years from 1880 to 1885 but left school before graduating. As a student and in his early career, he dabbled in graphic artistry, stage designing, and book illustrations. His portrait work, however, is what he remains best known for. Perhaps his most recognizable work is his 1887 “Girl with Peaches.” This is a portrait of Vera Mamontova, the eldest daughter of Savva, who had opened his home to Valentin and his mother. The 91 in x in 85 oil on canvas painting is now in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Vera is seated at a dining table at the Mamontov estate, Abramstsevo. The Abramstsevo estate was an important figure in the late 1880s, as it was also the site of a burgeoning colony of artists especially interested in ridding Western influence from Russian art.

The portrait of Mamontova, according to the Tretyakov Gallery description that accompanies it, provided the “roadmap” for the development of Russian Impressionism. The piece is a mix of cool, white, and grey tones broken up by the bright figure of the young girl at the composition’s center. Her dress is a pastel pink, the bow across her chest a smattering of black but broken up by a flower placed in the bow’s middle, and her dark hair is in harmony with piece’s the dark, wooden accents. The natural light captured as it comes in the window matches the subdued orange color of the fruit she holds in her hand. Serov masterfully captured the girl’s expression and body language, depicting an impatient but tolerant youth, sitting for a portrait while the world outside awaits her. “The artist achieves here a balance between the girl’s state of mind and the world around her,” reads the Tretyakov description of this piece.

Even in 1888’s “Sunlit Girl, Portrait of M.Y. Simonovich,” Serov’s colors are shady and subdued, while the most luminous parts of the painting are on the subject’s face. “Thus is produced the image of interpenetration of sunlight and of the light of the human soul,” reads the Tretyakov description. The subject’s belt, her hair, and a row of trees behind her unify this composition in dark tones, made light again by her warm face and light eyes. These early works are representative of Serov’s preferred color scheme. While he includes color, his chosen shades were usually soft pastels and not like the rich, bright hues that were characteristic before his emergence around the mid-1880s.

“Portrait of K.A.Korovin.” 1891, oil on canvas.

After these early paintings helped establish him as an artist, Serov joined the Peredvizhniki. While a part of that group he was commissioned to paint portraits of many important figures. The dark brown and black tones of even the light “Girl with Peaches” are seen again in works like the 1897 commissioned portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Aleksandrovich, also on display at the Tretyakov Museum. His landscapes were likewise dimly lit and colored with subdued earthy shades, including 1985’s “October, Domotkanovo.” His color use is often strategic, as seen in 1891’s “Portrait of K. A. Korovin.” In this portrait of his painter friend, Serov uses earthy, dark colors in every part of the painting, except for the red and white striped pillow where Korovin rests his right arm. The color here was meant highlight Korovin as an artist and the brush in his right hand.

Another distinctive work is his 1907 “Peter I,” which depicts the Russian tsar in brooding colors. The piece depicts Peter as an architect and an automaton. Viewers see Peter from the perspective of from the ground up, “emphasizing the grandeur of the emperor’s rushing figure,” reads the accompanying Tretyakov description. Serov said of Peter “…He walked in enormous strides, with all his retinue having to follow him at a run. I can imagine what a monster that man was in the eyes of foreigners, what a terror he was to the people of St. Petersburg at the time.” Serov captures this sentiment clearly, as Peter is shown upright and tall, his followers hunched over and scurrying to keep up with the towering, hasty tsar.

“Peter I.” 1907, oil on canvas.

In the early 1900’s, Serov broke with the Peredvizhniki and became more closely associated with the Russian art magazine and group “Mir iskusstva,” or “World of Art” art nouveau movement. This group was dissatisfied with what they saw as low artistic standards set forth by the Peredvizhniki, and wanted to hold up principles of the emerging Art Nouveau. This movement sought a departure from so-called “academic” art and ushered in a taste for structures and lines inspired by natural forms – flowers, plants, curvature in nature. The influence of this movement is seen perhaps most clearly in works like his 1910 “The Rape of Europa,” which marks
a very different turn for Serov’s works. Figures in this work are much flatter, his paintbrush stroke much broader, and the curves found in the waves of the ocean to the horns of the bull are exaggerated.

Before his death in Moscow in 1911, Serov also experimented with sculpture, re-creating his earlier painting “The Rape of Europa” painting in bronze.

Serov is known for his skills in portraiture and his eye for color. However, perhaps even more important was his his willingness to depart from the techniques that made him famous and his eagerness to try new methods. These helped cement him as one of the Russian masters.

The authors she recommends are described in detail below. A list of books, broken down according to historical era, can be found below the author information.

The field of Russian and Soviet art history has been shaped and influenced by several notable individuals, both from the territories of the former Soviet Union and, more recently, from the West.  They come from diverse backgrounds and often have very different life experiences, but their one commonality is the contribution that they have made to their respective research domains.  Often, their early experiences informed their later work and research, such as that of anti-communist art critic Igor Golomshtok, whose father was arrested in the 1930s on charges of “anti-Soviet propaganda.”  The following biographies give a brief overview of some of the best names in the field – to help get students on their way to exploring more about the vast and fascinating artistic heritage of Russia and the former USSR.

Unfortunately, many of these important works are now out of print – however students should be able to find them through interlibrary loan. We’ve also provided links to Amazon’s offerings, when available. Just click the names.

Table of Contents:

• Authors from Russia
• Authors from the West
• Recommended Books by Historical Era

Authors From Russia:

Selim Khan-Magomedov

Selim Khan-Magomedov has been widely recognized for his outstanding contribution to two very distinct fields of study, namely Dagestani architecture, and the Russian avant-garde movement during the 1920s and 1930s. A leading contributor to research on the avant-garde, he has written countless monographs, articles and books, including the legendary Pioneers of Soviet Architecture, Pioneers of Soviet Design and One Hundred Masterpieces of the Soviet Architectural Avant-Garde. He has written on the most important architects of the Russian avant-garde, including Konstantin Melnikov, Alexander Vesnin, Nikolai Ladovsky, Alexander Rodchenko, Moise Ginsburg, Ivan Leonidov, and Ilya Golosov. Khan-Magomedov contributed greatly to the scholarly research about Russian avant-gardists, and in the course of studying the personal archives of over 150 Russian architects, artists, designers and sculptors, revealed a number of previously unknown facts about their lives. [1]

In his work on the architecture of Dagestan, Khan-Magomedov has personally identified and studied more than 1000 architectural monuments in Dagestan, and has written widely on the subject.[2]  His works include Folk Architecture in Southern Dagestan, Lezgin Folk Architecture, and Dagestan Mazes.

Khan-Magomedov holds a doctorate in art history and is an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Art.  In 1992, he was awarded the Russian Federation’s “Distinguished Architect” title, and in 2003, he was awarded the State Prize of Russia for his contributions to the field of architecture. [3]

Selim Khan-Magomedov was born in Moscow on 9 January 1928, and passed away on 3 May 2011 at the age of 83.  He was the son of well-known war engineer Omar Khan-Magomedov, and the brother of literary critic Marietta Chudakovaya. [4]

Igor Golomshtok

Igor Golomshtok (Golomstock) was born in Kalinin (modern-day Tver), Russia on 11 January 1929.  In 1934 his father, Naum Yakovlevich Kodzhak, was arrested on the charges of “anti-Soviet propaganda” and sentenced to five years in a prison camp. As such, Golomshtok was registered in school under his mother’s maiden name, which he continues to retain to this day.[5]  In 1937, mother and son moved to Moscow, where they resided for two years before relocating to Magadan, where they lived until 1943. [6] Surely influenced by these early experiences, Golomshtok gravitated towards anti-communist art criticism.

Golomshtok’s roots were not originally in art history, and he graduated from Moscow’s Financial Institute in 1949. However, he had clearly been drawn to art history early on, and began taking night classes at Moscow State University’s art history department in 1948, while still studying at the Financial Institute.  Between 1955 and 1963, Golomshtok was employed in the department of traveling exhibitions at Moscow’s Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, where he worked in the research workshop for the restoration of architectural monuments.

In 1965, Golomshtok was called before the courts to testify in the pivotal Sinyavsky-Daniel case against Russian authors Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel.  The trial is widely acknowledged to be “symbolic of the end of the ‘Khrushchev Thaw’ and the beginning of the Brezhnev era.”[7] However, having co-authored the Soviet Union’s first work on Picasso with Sinyavsky, Golomshtok refused to testify, and as a result, was sentenced to six months’ hard labor.[8] In 1972, Golomshtok moved to Britain, where he continues to live.

However, the move to Britain did not stop Golomshtok’s involvement with the Russian arts scene.  He contributed to the inaugural edition of Kontinent, which was founded in 1974 with writer Vladimir Maksimov as editor-in-chief. From the beginning, the journal included the works of Western writers and intellectuals, as well as those of Russians living abroad. The four guiding principles of the journal were those of unconditional religious idealism, unconditional antitotalitariansm, unconditional democratism, and unconditional antifactionalism.[9] Golomshtok was also published in the journal Syntaxis.

Golomshtok’s contributions to the literature and arts scenes have not been limited to Russian works.  During the Soviet era, he translated Arthur Koestler’s novel, “Darkness at Noon,” which was circulated as samizdat (a self-published work), and has, more recently, published works on Picasso and the art of Ancient Mexico.  He has written countless pieces on Russian art, including Totalitarian Art in the Soviet Union, the Third Reich, Fascist Italy and the People’s Republic of China. His work has influenced scores of researchers, including those “scholars responsible for a profound recasting of the Stalin period.” [10]

Golomshtok has taught at the universities of St Andrew’s, Essex and Oxford, and worked with the BBC’s Russian service for many years.

Dmitry Sarabyanov

Dmitry Sarabyanov was born in Moscow on 10 October 1923, the son of Vladimir Sarabyanov, a Marxist philosopher.  He later married Elena Murina, a Russian art critic.

Sarabyanov’s early life was marked by the arts, athletics, and travel.  In the 1930s, he was actively involved with athletics, and in 1936-1937, he was the USSR’s primary school high jump champion.  In the same year, he traveled with his father and brother to the Caucasus, and along the Siberian rivers of Yuryuzan, Ufa, and Belaya.  During his childhood, he also tried his hand at composing music, and began writing poetry, a hobby which he continues to pursue. [11]

After graduating from high school in 1941, he attended Moscow State University, enrolling in the department of art history.  It was at this time that he also began work as an art critic. Unfortunately, his studies were briefly interrupted by the Second World War and his service in the Soviet army, for which he was awarded both the Order of the Patriotic War and the “Military Merit” medal.[12]  Following demobilization from the army, he returned to Moscow State University to continue his studies, and upon graduation, applied for and was accepted to a graduate program in art history.  He graduated in 1952, and by 1955, he had been admitted to the Union of Artists.[13] In the same year, he began work  as the senior researcher at the USSR’s Academy of Sciences, and went on to hold the positions of Deputy Director and Head of the Institute of Art History before his departure in 1960.[14]

Between the years of 1966 and 1996, Sarabyanov held multiple positions at Moscow State University, including those of associate professor, head of the art history department, and Russian art history consultant.  He earned his PhD in 1971, and his research interests include the history of Russian art, non-Russian art during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, issues in the relationships of art and literature, the interaction of Russian and Western art and peculiarities particular to the Russian avant-garde movement.  He has published over 360 articles and books, and in 1992, he was elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences.[15]

He currently resides in Moscow.

Authors From the West:

Christina Lodder, current honorary professorial fellow at the University of Edinburgh.

Christina Lodder is one of the West’s leading avant-garde specialists, and focuses her research primarily on the art of the 1910s and 1920s.  She has written a major study of Russian Constructivism, which has been acclaimed as the standard work on the subject.[16]  She co-authored a major monograph on the works of Russian sculptor Naum Gabo with her husband, Martin Hammer, and has also edited a collection of Gabo’s writings.  In 1985, working in tandem with Colin Sanderson, she published the Catalogue Raisonné of Gabo’s work. Her works cover everything from the development of new teaching programs during the early Soviet era and the implementation of Constructivist ideas in the areas of photography, textiles, and theatre, to a discussion on Vladimir Tatlin’s The Model for a Monument to the Third International of 1920.  She also spends her time researching the influence of the Russian avant-garde on the art of Central and Eastern Europe, and has more recently spent time writing on the relationship between art and science first discussed by Kazimir Malevich. [17]

Dr. Lodder currently resides in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she holds the position of Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. She is a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh as well as the Royal Society for the Arts, and is the vice president of the Malevich Society of New York.

John Ellis Bowlt

John Ellis Bowlt was born in London, England on 6 December 1943, and currently teaches at the University of Southern California. He completed his PhD in Russian Literature and Art at Scotland’s St Andrew’s University in 1971, and his main research interests include Russian literature and art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as twentieth century Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia. He has written countless books and monographs the Russian avant-garde, Russian stage design in the years 1900-1930, the memoirs of Benedikt Livshits, and Sergei Diaghilev. He has a number of books forthcoming in 2013, including works on the Russian Silver age, Léon Bakst, and a catalogue raisonné on the stage designs of Nina and Nikita D Lobanov-Rostovsky.[18]

Bowlt has been awarded numerous awards and grants, including most recently a Fullbright-Hays follow-on award to continue research on the works of Léon Bakst in Moscow and Europe in 2010, and the Order of Friendship, which was awarded by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in 2009.  In 2012, he was awarded $17,000 from Moscow’s Prokhorov Foundation towards the publication of the English translation of the literary legacy of Léon Bakst. For this work, he also received $10,000 from the Advancement of Scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences from the University of Southern California. Bowlt has taught and lectured internationally, including work as a visiting professor at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University in 1985 and New Zealand’s University of Otago in 1982.[19]

John E. Bowlt currently teaches Slavic languages and directs the University of Southern California’s Institute of Modern Russian Culture.

Recommended Books on Russian and Soviet Art

1. General works

Hamilton, G. H., The Art and Architecture of Russia (1951), New Haven, 1986
Auty, R. and D. Obolensky, eds. An Introduction to Russian Art and Architecture (Companion to Russian Studies, vol. 3), Cambridge, 1980
Bird, A., History of Russian Painting, New York, 1987
Rice, Tamara Talbot, A Concise History of Russian Art, London, 1963
Billington, James, The Icon and the Axe: An Interpretive History of Russian Culture, New York, London, 1966
Brumfield, W., A History of Russian Architecture, New York, Cambridge, 1993
Opolovnikov, A. and Y. Opolovnikova, The Wooden Architecture of Russia, New York, 1989
Allenov, M., et al, Moscow. Treasures and Traditions (ex. cat.), Washington DC, 1990
The George Riabov Collection of Russian Art (Zimmerli Art Museum), New Brunswick, 1994
Grabar, I.E., V. Lazarev, V. Kemenov, eds. Istoriia russkogo iskusstva, Moscow 1958-68 (History of Russian art in 13 volumes; extensive illus. and biblio.)

2. Early Russia
Lazarev, V., Old Russian Murals and Mosaics, London, 1966
Onasch, K. Icons, London, 1963
Faensen, H. and V. Ivanov, Early Russian Architecture, London, 1975
Gates of Mystery. The Art of Holy Russia (exh. cat.) St. Petersburg, Baltimore, 1992-93
The Glory of Byzantium, (exh. cat.) New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997

3. Seventeenth – Early 19th Centuries
Sarabianov, D. Russian Art from Neoclassicism to the Avant-garde, New York, 1990
Hilton, A., Russian Folk Art, Bloomington, 1995
Benois, A., History of Russian Painting, New York, 1916 (transl. of Istoriia russkoi zhivopisi v XIX veke, St. Petersburg, 1902)
The Art of Russia 1800-1850. (ex. cat.), Minneapolis, 1977
Stavrou, G., ed. Art and Culture in Nineteenth-century Russia. Bloomington, 1983
Roosevelt, P., Life on the Russian Country Estate, New Haven, 1995
Shvidkovskii, D.O., Orloff Alexander, St. Petersburg: architecture of the tsars. New York : Abbeville Press Publishers, 1996
Shvidkovskii, D.O., The Empress and the Architect: British architecture and gardens at the court of Catherine the Great, New Haven (Conn.) : Yale university press, 1996.

4. Second Half of 19th Century – Early 20th Century
Sarabianov, D. Russian Painters of the Early Twentieth Century. Leningrad, Aurora, 1973
Valkenier, E. Russian Realist Art, the State and Society: the Peredvizhniki and their Tradition, New York, 1989
The Wanderers: Masters of 19th century Russian Painting. (ex. cat.), Dallas, 1990
Sarabianov, D., Ilya Repin, Moscow : Foreign Languages Publishing House; 1st edition, 1955
Sarabianov, D. Alexei Venetsianov. Leningrad, Aurora, 1988
Sarabianov, D. Valentin Serov (Great Painters), Parkstone Press, 1996
Mir iskusstva, St. Petersburg, 1898-1902 (the journal of the World of art group)
Kennedy, J. The Mir Iskusstva Group and Russian Art. New York, 1977

5. Twentieth Century Avant-garde and Revolutionary Period
Bowlt, J., Russian Art of the Avant-Garde: Theory and Criticism 1902-1934, New York, 1976
Gray, C., The Russian Experiment in Art, 1863-1922 (1962), rev. ed. by M. Burleigh-Motley, London, 1986
Markov, V., Russian Futurism. Berkeley, 1968
Andersen, T., ed., Kazimir Malevich. Essays on Art. Copenhagen, 1968
Yablonskaia, M., Women Artists of Russia’s New Age. New York, 1990
Sarabianov, A., Neizvestnyi russkii avangard. Moscow, 1992
Paris-Moscou (exh. cat.) Paris, 1979
Compton, S., Russian Avant-Garde Books, 1917-34. Cambridge MA, 1992
Guerman, M., Art of the October Revolution. New York, 1979
White, S., The Bolshevik Poster. New Haven, 1990
Lodder, C., Russian Constructivism. New Haven, 1983, 1990
Tolstoy, V, I. Bibikova, C. Cooke, Street Art of the Revolution. London, 1990

6. Soviet Avant-garde; Socialist Realism, Non-conformist Art
Lissitzky, El, An Architecture for World Revolution, Cambridge, MA, 1970
The Great Utopia (Velikaia Utopia). (exh. cat. Frankfurt, Amsterdam, New York, Moscow, Petersburg), New York/ Moscow, 1993
Armas, V., D. Elliot, C. Lodder, “The Great Russian Utopia,” AD – Architecture and Design Magazine. London, 1993
Khan-Magomedov, S.O; Cooke, Catherine Pioneers of Soviet Architecture : the search for new solutions in the 1920s and 1930s. New York : Rizzoli, 1987.
Tupitsyn, M., The Soviet Photograph, New Haven, 1996
Johnson, P. and L. Labedz, Khrushchev and the Arts–The Politics of Soviet Culture. Cambridge, 1965 (documents)
Dodge, N. and A. Hilton, eds., New Art from the Soviet Union: The Known and the Unknown, Washington, D.C., 1977
Golomstock, I. and A. Glezer, Soviet Art in Exile. London, 1977
Bown, M. C., Contemporary Russian Art. New York, 1989
Elliott, D. and V. Dudakov, 100 Years of Russian Art from Private Collections in the USSR (ex. cat.) London, 1989
Ross, D. et al., Between Spring and Summer: Soviet Conceptual Art in the Era of Late Communism (ex. cat., Tacoma and Boston), Cambridge MA and London, 1990
Kornetchuk, E. The Quest for Self-Expression: Painting in Moscow and Leningrad 1965- 1990 (exh. cat. Columbus Mus.) Seattle, 1991
Dodge, N. and A. Rosenfeld, eds. From Gulag to Glasnost: Non-Conformist Art from the Soviet Union (Zimmerli Art Museum), London, 1995

References for the Author Section

1. Российская Архитектура. Хан-Магомедов, Селим Омарович. Accessed February 2013

2. Лента.ру (2011). Умер Академик Селим Хан-Магомедов.  Accessed February 2013

3. Лента.ру (2011). Умер Академик Селим Хан-Магомедов.

4. Лента.ру (2011). Умер Академик Селим Хан-Магомедов.

5. Голомшток, Игорь. (n.d.) Воспоминания Старого Пессимиста.  Accessed February 2013

6. Голомшток, И.  (n.d.)

7. PEN International. 1966: Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel. Accessed February 2013

8. Anonymous. (n.d.) Igor Golomstock. Cardinal Points Literary Journal.  Accessed February 2013

9. Dobrenko, E. A., & Tihanov, G. (2011). A History of Russian Literary Theory and Criticism: The Soviet Age and Beyond. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 312.

10. Dobrenko, E.A & Tihanov, 312.

11. Международый Обьединенный Биографический Центр. (n.d.) Сарабьянов Дмитрий Владимирович. Accessed February 2013

12. Международый Обьединенный Биографический Центр.  (n.d.)

13. Международый Обьединенный Биографический Центр.  (n.d.)

14. Международый Обьединенный Биографический Центр.  (n.d.)

15. Международый Обьединенный Биографический Центр.  (n.d.)

16.  Lodder, C. (2005). Constructive Strands in Russian Art, 1914-1917. Pindar.

17. Lodder, C.

18.  Bowlt, J.E. (2013). Curriculum Vitae. Accessed February 2013.

19. Bowlt, J.E.