Painting Russian Royals in the Eighteenth Century
Tags/ Posted by Stephen PainHave you noticed how when you see two people talking anywhere in the world, one is almost always smiling?continue reading this poem
Undoubtedly, the court, which delighted in what we call “bling” today, would prefer the portrait by van Loo, who fulfilled everything required of him. He kowtowed to convention in style and beauty, and painted what a princess should look like.
Virg’s World – The Art of Micro-Interventions
Tags/ Posted by Stephen PainWhen she knew you were in her, she clawed off her skin and laycontinue reading this poem
A curator at Galerie für Landschaftskunst said that Virg’s art was “bewitching”. Yes, it is, in the manner of Harry Potter or the magic realist texts. These inanimate objects are charmed into something amusing that stop you in the tracks.
Zinaida Serebriakova and the Soviet Nude
Tags/ Posted by Stephen Painevery day Sarah gave thanks for the embalmed words of her childhoodcontinue reading this poem
Does Serebriakova deserve her reputation? Can we criticize her art after the Silver Period as being anachronistic, and racist at times? Can a female nude painting by a woman of a different ethnic background be excused because the painting is by a woman?
Mikhail Vrubel
Tags/ Posted by Stephen PainI stole in the past and I stole from the past and I’d gladly steal from your past for this poem.continue reading this poem
The art of Mikhail Vrubel (1856-1910) is simply extraordinary, and will take you, like the greatest Russian literature, to depths that both educate and endanger your sensibility.
