Exhibit rediscovers beauty of Russian landscapes
Russian artists Irina Miklushevskaya, right, and Sergey Basov pose in front of “Flowers of Peony No. 1” by Miklushevskaya at Ganainsa Art Center in Insa-dong, Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Seoul Cyber University
By Kim Jae-heun
An exhibition featuring works by Russian painters Irina Miklushevskaya and Sergey Basov is being held at Ganainsa Art Center, Seoul, displaying some 30 paintings of Russian landscapes.
Miklushevskaya and Basov used the traditional Russian painting technique of adopting 15 to 25 layers to create the uniqueness of a Russian landscape. Miklushevskaya and Basov emphasized that this traditional technique comes from the 18th century, and was practiced throughout the USSR and Perestroika periods.
“Russian paintings have depth and viewers can experience far beyond the picture than what is actually depicted on the canvas,” Miklushevskaya told The Korea Times when asked about using traditional Russian techniques. “Artists also have to bury their minds in their work so when people see them, they can realize the painters’ feelings."
“Some painters take a picture of the landscape and copy from the drawing. Those are amateurs and are not considered artists in Russia,” Miklushevskaya added.
The painters emphasized that talent was an unconditional requisite for an artist in their country and that just studying for a long period of time was not enough. Regardless, 16 years of education in art is mandatory for Russian artists.
Miklushevskaya pointed out that Russians’ skills attracted artists from around the world to study in their home country, not only in art but also in ballet and music.
“Countries like America have developed their arts in various ways but they have not preserved their traditional skills,” said the veteran painter.
Concerning Korea, both Miklushevskaya and Basov picked the Korean people as their favorite part of the country. Basov said Koreans have talent and skills and their amiable characteristics were the primary reason for picking a Korean to collaborate with.
Miklushevskaya and Professor Yum Mi-sun from the Department of Clothing at Sungshin Women’s University showed three dresses that they collaborated on as a cultural exchange. Yum digitized Miklushevskaya’s pictures into computer graphics and printed them onto fabrics.
The Russian artists’ exhibition has been sponsored by the Korea Russia Arts and Culture Society and organized by the Far Eastern Federal University and Seoul Cyber University to expand the two country’s cultural exchanges.
“We will invite another team of Russian artists to Korea in the second half of this year and send Koreans to Vladivostok to perform Korean traditional songs like Arirang. Through these cultural exchange programs, we hope both countries find mutual interest in each others’ culture,” said Lee Se-ung, chairman of Korea Russia Arts and Culture Society.
The exhibition will be held through June 23 and admission is free of charge to the public.