From Abramtsevo for Three Oceans. Painting of the 1940-s-1950-s: Solo Show of the People’s Artist of Russia Alexey Shmarinov

August 29 – September 30, 2015
“Polenov Dacha” in the Abramtsevo Museum Preserve
Abramtsevo, Moscow Region

On August 29, 2015 at 15.00 in the “Polenov Dacha” of the Abramtsevo Museum Preserve there will be an opening of the solo show of works by the People’s Artist of Russia, Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts Alexei Shmarinov entitled “Fr om Abramtsevo for Three Oceans. Painting of the 1940s-1950-s”.

Alexei D. Shmarinov is a member of the celebrated art dynasty. His father D.A. Shmarinov (1907-1999) was a noted Russian graphic artist, illustrator of books by A.S. Pushkin,  F.M. Dostoevsky, N.V. Gogol, M.Y. Lermontov, William Shakespeare and many other distinguished Russian and foreign writers, his wife K.N. Shmarinova (1937-2012) was an actress. Alexei Shmarinov’s sons: Alexei Shmarinov is an actor of Mossovet Theater,  Sergey Shmarinov – an artist working in France.

In 1958 Alexei Shmarinov graduated fr om V. Surikov State Art Institute wh ere he studied under P.D. Pokarzhevsky and E. Kibric. His started his career in the 1960s – known as the “thaw years” when new expressive means were developed. In the artist’s early paintings, some of them have been included in the exposition, one can sense the features of the so called “severe style” – generalization of forms and reserved color scheme.

The present solo show can be divided in three sections. One hall contains his works of the 1940s dedicated to the artist’s home land Abramtsevo (near Moscow) wh ere he lived since his childhood. The beauty of the nature, as well as the historical and spiritual aura of this place have made a big impact on his soul and determined the life and moral priorities. The second section presents the artist’s works of 1955 resulting from his first long voyage on an icebreaker “Elena” across the Pacific Ocean from Archangelsk to Vladivostok. The third section features works of the late 1950s created during the artist’s trips to other countries.  

An ardent traveler Alexey Shmarinov has visited the most remote corners in many countries. “Since the 1950-s – a series of unimaginable romantic travels. Archangelsk, Dixon, the New Land, Eastern Siberian islands – on an icebreaker, football on ice in some hundreds kilometers from the North Pole; the fabulous, covered with fog Bay of Providence. Trips in the jungles of the Eastern Pakistan, Egypt, India, Ceylon, Indonesia, Vietnam  - as a sailor on merchant ships. Later in the 1960-s – Italy, U.S.A, Karelia, the Kola Peninsula. Alone in Kamchatka – on foot, on horseback, by ships and “kukuruznik” plane. The lunch at the “Devil’s Lair” – at the edge of the fire spitting volcano crater Avachinsky. Later, in the 1970-s – the Near East, Central Africa, Khartoum, Addis-Ababa, Axum, Lake Tana. Hunting in Savannah, and of course, the central Russia which I proceeded along and across with my dog and gun” – recollects the artist.    

Alexey Shmarinov’s works are well known and internationally recognized. He is a Corresponding Member of the Austrian Artists’ Society, holder of the prestigious Peter Ludwig Prize, Corresponding Member of the International Munich Press Club, holder of the Silver Medal of the Bavarian Prime Minister Franz Joseph Straus and the Golden Laurel Prize of the Austrian Kunstlerhaus.  

His works are in collections of major Russian museums – the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, A. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and more than 60 other museums in Russia and CIS countries, foreign museums and private collections in Germany, France, U.S.A, Austria, Japan, Italy, Norway and other countries.  





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