Cultures of different countries are united by art. It is a universal, international language, understandable in every country. But almost every new kind of creativity has to be time-tested.
“Art, although produced by man’s hands, is something not created by hands alone, but something which wells up from a deeper source out of our soul,” —Vincent Van Gogh.
The words of the great artist, like his paintings, have survived over years. Van Gogh created more than 2,000 works in 10 years, but sold only one painting in his entire life. Isn’t that an indication that art only gets recognized over time? Another example is Jan Vermeer. The artist died in 1675, but his talent was not recognized until the 19th century. History knows many remarkable facts of this kind. Culture Online presents 3 projects of the portal, thanks to which you will significantly expand your horizons in the field of fine arts.
The concept created by the Russian news agency TASS is about famous artists. Cultural columnist Natalia Kryuchkova shares fascinating, amusing, and strange stories from the work of the great masters. She reveals the secrets and mysteries of their lives and finds out from art historians and experts what is true and what is a myth.
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen,” —Leonardo da Vinci.
The project is made in the form of small audio podcasts that you can listen to at any time and at any place. Several series have already been released, which are dedicated to outstanding masters: Vasnetsov, Vrubel, Malevich, Serebryakova, Dali, Picasso, Van Gogh, Munch, Modigliani and others. In the life of every brilliant artist there are many mysteries and secrets that are not fully unveiled.
How did Picasso’s uncle reanimate him with smoke?
How did Van Gogh make friends and broke up with Paul Gauguin?
How did Dali sell Yoko Ono plants instead of his mustache?
You will find answers to these and other questions in the podcasts of the “Kuindzhi was an archipelago” project.
A joint project by journalism students of the Siberian Federal University and the Krasnoyarsk V. I. Surikov Museum-estate tells stories related to the artist’s legacy and the context of Siberian culture. Viewers will learn about the childhood, family, home, life and work of the great Russian master. The materials are presented in a very convenient visual form and are divided into several blocks:
“Surikov. Digital biography” —includes 2 audio guides (for adults and children), a map of places in Krasnoyarsk which Vasily Ivanovich visited, a biographical screen-life series recorded from smartphone screens: the artist and his relatives communicate in messengers, call an Uber carriage and post photos in social media.
“Being the Museum’s neighbour” is a story about residents of a wing of the painter’s museum-estate. The authors describe construction of the house and meet a family whose members have lived in the building’s wing for almost 50 years.
“Russia through Surikov’s Eyes” is an interactive map of the artist’s travels around the country. Each destination is related to his works. The master has always sought to live in Krasnoyarsk and only travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg for exhibitions. However, the entire cultural life of the country was concentrated in Moscow, where Vasily Ivanovich lived in a rented apartment.
“Surikov—Siberia” is an audio podcast about the painter and Siberian culture. The section is made in the form of several thematic blocks: “Siberian accent”, “cuisine”, “gender history”, “cultural heritage”.
Online exhibition of the artist Tatyana Shlykova, timed to the anniversaries associated with the life and work of the writer Alexander Grin. There were two round dates in 2020: The 140th anniversary of his birth and the 100th anniversary of the creation of “Crimson Sails”, his most famous work, which has become a symbol of the holiday celebrating the graduation of St. Petersburg school students.
The world created by the writer finds a continuation in the paintings. In his paintings, the author reflects the convergence and unity of the Neva and Black Sea shores. They can be seen as a dialogue between the cultural spaces of St. Petersburg and Petrograd, where the work was created in 1920, and the Crimea, where the final part of the master’s journey has passed.
“He loved paintings without explanation or signatures. An impression of such a painting is incomparably stronger; its content, unbound by words, becomes infinite, asserting all speculation and thought,” wrote A. Grin in “Crimson Sails”.
