Saint Petersburg in Graphic Arts of the late 20th Century
N. Melnikova
It is easy to fall under the spell of Saint Petersburg, the city of austere beauty and fascination. Many artists of the past and present were charmed with its magic. A mystery of the magnificent city stimulates their interest not only in the originality of the face of Saint Petersburg - streets, buildings, bridges - but in the unique atmosphire, spirit of the city.
After the turn of the century much was done in Saint Petersburg toward celebrating 300 years of the city. There was published the album "History and Culture of Saint Petersburg in Graphic Arts" among other things. The creators prefaced this new book by a story - why it was created: "To restore the practice of antiquarian albums, established at the beginning of the 20th century, we wish to end the century with this collective publication that illustrates trends in St Petersburg graphic arts in the 1980s-1990s".
This album is unparalleled in its contents. It contains works by grafic masters of different generations - covering both well-known artists and talanted youngsters, united with the only theme. The images present diverse perspectives on Saint Petersburg. One point of view presents grand views. The other witnesses city places, partly demolished in the course of time.
Artists, who acquired their creative skills in РІ 1940s-50s, pattern their artistic way on works by some major figures of Russian art like Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva, Vladimir Konashevich and Pavel Shillingovsky. They depict effective views of the city, using clear-cut contours and generalized forms. Their plates gain the virtuosity of artistic performance. Works by such noted graphic artists as Nicholas Kophanov, Andrew Ushin, Ludmila Solodovnikova are outstanding examples of a distinctive St Petersburg school of graphic art.
Works of Semen Beliy and Korina Pretro also represent a contemporary St Petersburg graphic art. Laconic colour design and strict composition are typical for their plates which show the city without glossing over the truth. Nevertheless, to elevate the image of Saint Petersburg over ordinariness, the artists depict a festive city, adorned with flags and transparencies.
Artists of the 1970s-80s employ a radically different approach to drawings in contrast to their recent predecessors. They stylize views of the city, transform composition in the ways that were conventional in the past. For example, Alexander Moscvitchev produced an etching with bird's eye view of Saint Petersburg in a technique, which was typical for antique prints.
Svetlana Zvonova shows a nearly fantastic city, where we find the characters of fairy tales. These mythological creatures decorate her works, created in the style of naive popular pictures of the 19th century, most often termed lubok pictures. The characteristic features of works by the youngters Eugene Konkov, Olga Gurina are deliberately simplified forms and laconic imagery that make Saint Petersburg in their artistic performance almost unrecognizable.
Valeriy Babanov employs the same approach, but he succeeded in creating truly monumental views in small chamber sheets.
The young graphic artist Alexander Mazhuga was fully fascinated at the particular autumnal charm of the northern, rainy city of Saint Petersburg and depicts buildings on the Petrograd Side, reflected in the cold waters of the river.
The city is described by Faina Vasilyeva, Leonid Kulsharov as mysterious, inconceivable for outsiders. Their works illustrate a wonderful phenomenon of the city's prolonged twilight, or the “white nights”. Angels, hovering in the clouds, arouse dramatic, alarming feelings.
Many artists regard the city as inseparably linked with its well-known former inhabitants, "spirits", as if they lived in the northern capital up to now.
Works by Alexander and Valeriy Tragouts, Igor Otroshchenko depict the city in the light of life and arts of some remarkable people of Saint Petersburg. There is an inspirational city of Alexander Pushkin and tragic city of Ilya Tchaikovsky.
The album "History and Culture of Saint Petersburg in Graphic Arts" brings together etchings, autolithographs, linocuts and woodcuts of morden artists to conjure up a vivid picture of life in the favourite city. The result was some magnificent volumes of prints, providing a valuable and very beautiful visual records of cultural life in Saint Petersburg during the late twentieth century for future generations.