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Title of the article: The «Severe style»: artistic sources of the trend
Author(s): KARPOVA K. V.
Section: Theory and History of Art
Year: 2015
Issue: № 2, (36)
Pages: 195-207
Index UDK: 7.036
Index BBK: 85.1
Abstract: The «severe style» is one of the most remarkable and significant phenomena of the Soviet art of the middle and second half of the 20th century. The article focuses on the famous paintings of the trend and demonstrates the sources of artistic language of the «severe» artists, whose works are distinguished by formal and thematic variety. The «severe style» has combined a wide experience of the world cultural heritage. The paintings clearly illustrate the flexibility of artistic thinking of the leaders of the trend. They turned to the heritage of the Russian avant-garde masters (the «Jack of Diamonds» group), as well as the painters of the 1920s and 1930s (the «Society of easel artists» (OST)), works of such iconic figures of the XX century art, as Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. Of particular interest are creative dialogs with the Old Masters heritage. The great Spanish masters, notably Velázquez and Zurbarán, Dutch Golden Age painting and Italian Early Renaissance art were also among the sources of inspiration for artists. Detailed study of various books and albums of paintings as well as visiting museums and exhibitions of world art both in Russia and abroad helped to make acquaintance with the great masterpieces of the past. All this, naturally, had a direct and profound influence on the subject matter and the compositional decisions of the young generation of painters and played an important role on development of their artistic principles.
Keywords: Soviet art, severe style, artists of the 1960s, the Society of Easel Artist (OST), Jack of Diamonds, Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso, Francisco de Zurbaran, Diego Velazquez, Adriaen van Ostade, Giotto di Bondone, Pieter Bruegel
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