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Art Exhibition Brings the Year of Russia in China to a Close

Marking the closing ceremony of the Year of Russia in China, “The Post-19th Century Realistic Paintings of Russia” features 118 works, mostly landscapes and works of realism, representing the “golden age of Russian art” at the National Museum of China from now to January 15, 2007.

This includes masterpieces by Repin, Shishkin, Levitan, Kramskoy and others gathered from 19 of Russia’s most prominent art museum collections. All have made contributions to the history of Russian art, and the exhibition provides a summery depiction of the development of Russian art through the 19th century.

Qian Linxiang, deputy curator of the National Art Museum of China, said Russian art––especially that of the 19th century––represents a very famous art development period in the world. Its idealism and romanticism had a great influence on developments in Chinese art in the 1950s. The works of Repin, Surikov and Levitan are highly revered by Chinese artists of that time. Realistic paintings created at the time of the former Soviet Union have also influenced Chinese art in terms of theory and technique. The exhibition provides a chance for Chinese art fans to re-kindle an emotional bond with these 19th century works, period films of the former USSR, and music from that era.

Although this is only a sample of the huge collection of the 19th century Russian art works, they are representative of Russia’s lifestyles and history that became known to the Chinese art audience long ago. For example, the exhibit includes the “Portrait of the Artist Ilya Repin” by the realistic painter Kramskoy, a key figure in the Circle of Itinerants. Repin himself has five pieces included in the exhibit, including the “Portrait of T.A. Mamontova” and “Putting a Propagandist Under Arrest.” In addition, there are also landscape paintings by Shishkin, Levitan and Savrasov.