Ilya Glazunov. Nina in a Fur Coat. 1954

Nina in a Fur Coat (Ilya Glazunov, 1954)

Ilya Glazunov (1930- ) is the grand old man of contemporary Russian Realism. He was born in Leningrad (now, St Petersburg), and his parents died of starvation in the Nazi siege of the city. He was evacuated, and began his art studies at a young age. His works are often spiritual in nature, and he started work on such art well before the collapse of the Soviet Union, as the following paintings indicate.

This is a charcoal étude of his wife Nina, who predeceased him, and whom he loved dearly. She was a granddaughter of Aleksandr Benois, one of the leading lights in the Mir Isskutsva (World of Art) movement at the turn of the 20th century. She was also an artist.

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Ilya Glazunov. Nina: A Portrait of the Wife of the Painter. 1955

Nina: A Portrait of the Wife of the Painter (Ilya Glazunov, 1955)

Ilya Glazunov. The Roads of War. 1957/1985

The Roads of War

Ilya Glazunov

1957/1985

This was originally painted as Glazunov’s graduation piece from the art academy. To say that it caused a stir is an understatement. This painting is a brutally-realistic picture of war, it is not idealised in any way, shape, or form, it is not “positive” (mistrust anyone who uses that word, it is one of the worst weasel-words, it is devoid of intrinsic meaning, and can be distorted in any one of dozens of different ways). It was rejected categorically. In  1964, he exhibited the work at the Manezh exhibition hall, and the authorities confiscated the canvas and destroyed it. In the mid-80s, he redid the piece.

BMD

Ilya Glazunov. Prince Igor. 1962

Prince Igor (Ilya Glazunov, 1962)