Neoclassicism

A French Catalan-born sculptor, master of tapestry, painter and book illustrator. He was a member of the Nabis group created by Paul Gauguin's followers, although he did not use their sculpting techniques.Maillol appeared in the second and main period of his creative career as one of the most original sculptors and is considered an author who made a revolutionary "return" to classical sculpture at a time when art had a vector of movement towards Abstractionism. He strove for harmony, proportionality, simplification of visual forms, gravitating towards grandeur at the end of the 19th century.Some also catalog him as the forerunner of such sculptors as Henry Moore (blog entry made on November 15, 2009). Although, if we delve into his biography, we will know him as a versatile artist who dominated all disciplines, although he finally found a way to his style in sculpture.Thanks to the efforts of a friend and muse of the master, Dina Verni, who throughout her life was engaged in propaganda of the work of Aristide Maillol, in 1995, the museum of the sculptor, master of decorative and applied art and painter was opened in Paris. She presented 18 sculptures to the French people on condition that they will be permanently exhibited in the Tuileries Gardens.Aristide Maillol's humanistic in essence and execution art had a huge impact on the work of many of the largest sculptors of the 20th century.

An Italian painter, architect, sculptor and art critic. He worked mostly in Milan and Rome. The work of Mario Sironi overcame several cardinal changes during his long career. The artist made the greatest contribution to Futurism, enriching and supplementing it with his original finds, as well as to metaphysical painting, becoming its bright and original representative. He was also one of the creators of the “Novechento” style that tried to change the diversity of modernist movements with a more rational “return to order”.Mario Sironi was a master of the industrial landscape subtly feeling the rhythm and atmosphere of his era. His paintings are distinguished by twilight mood and dark tones, contrasting sharply with the bright and enthusiastic canvases of Futurists. Using a rather limited palette, thanks to his sense of colour and form Sironi managed to create a unique atmosphere of alienation and emptiness of the modern world.Like many of his colleagues, the artist supported the fascist regime and created murals and mosaics commissioned to the order of the government. After the fall of the Mussolini regime, he experienced a great shock and disappointment, which negatively affected his work, but he continued to actively paint until the end of his days.

An Italian painter and graphic artist, a representative of Futurism and Metaphysical painting. A creatively active artist and painting theorist, Carlo Carra was one of the most famous artists in Italy in the early decades of the 20th century and an influential member of the futuristic movement.The artist’s style changed dramatically several times over his long career. He survived several successive periods: early Neo-impressionism and Symbolism, Futurism, Cubism, metaphysics and neoclassical painting.The artist made the most significant contribution to Futurism. In his paintings, he skillfully combined the original techniques of cubism with dynamism and the bold innovation of futuristic ideology. Carra’s canvas of the futuristic period is filled with incredibly bright and energetic images, chaotic movement and wild emotions.During the war, he met with Giorgio de Chirico, with whom he founded a style known as metaphysical painting. Since then, he painted still lifes and interiors filled with ominous emptiness and mysterious silence. In the late 1920s, the artist completely abandoned the avant-garde art and defended the conservative aesthetics of Novecento.

A Russian artist, an illegitimate son of famous landscape painter-wanderer Alexei Savrasov. Alexey Morgunov was at the center of the creative events and artistic ideas of the Russian avant-garde in the first two and a half decades of the 20th century, but subsequently completely abandoned it.The artist was an active member and exhibitor of the Moscow Association of Artists, Youth Union, Jack of Diamonds, became a participant in such landmark exhibitions as Tram V, Shop (Petrograd), Moscow Salon, and The World of Art, Fifth State Exhibition of Paintings in Moscow, etc.Morgunov was a close friend of Malevich. Together they invented different shocking events for Futurists. He was a regular at Kracht's salon of intellectuals; was fond of the theories of M. Larionov and N. Goncharova, working both in neo-primitivistic and cubo-futuristic manners. In terms of style of his early and late creative periods, he was the closest to French Fauvism.As a professor of painting, he taught at the State Free Workshops and was a member of the Objective Analysis group at the Institute of Artistic Culture. In the last decade of his creative career, moving away from the avant-garde, he created thematic paintings that are close to the style and meet the spirit of socialist realism.

An Italian painter, graphic artist, art theorist and critic. One of the first and most influential Futurists in the country. Gino Severini worked for a long time in the style of cubism, maintaining relations with Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in Paris.Under the influence of his teacher Giacomo Balla, the artist learned ways of expressing movement and speed in painting, which led him to Futurism. Together with several associates, he signed the first Futurism Manifesto in 1910.The artist’s works are distinguished by dynamism, mobility and swiftness. At the same time, an amazing balance of composition characteristic of Cubists defines Severini’s work. This feature allows you to partially resolve the contradictions between Futurism and Cubism, to combine their attempts to create what is impossible: to depict an object at the same time from several points of time, viewing angles and positions in space. In his work, the artist came to this goal as close as possible, managing to depict a really moving, sounding and lively picture. The artist is considered an unsurpassed master in depicting the bustling nightlife of the city.

The famous Czech artist, one of the most famous representatives of Art Nouveau. From childhood, he showed his musical and art abilities. He was brought up under the influence of two powerful cultural forces: the Catholic Church with the beauties of its service and attributes and the desire of the Slavs to be independent from the Austrian Empire. Alfons Mucha was the author of decorative works and numerous posters in a bright, inimitable style, which brought him fame and wide popularity. In addition, the artist showed himself as a talented designer who designed the interior of Prague's most famous modernist buildings - the Municipal House, the hotel "Europe" and "Imperial", as well as an illustrator, a jeweler and a theater set designer. Since 1906, Alfons Mucha worked as a teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, but after some time he returned home, to create a series of monumental paintings that reveal the history of the Slavic nation. Decorative works of the artist embody the aesthetics of his era and are the icon of Art Nouveau.

An outstanding Austrian artist of Jewish origin, a decorator, a master of monumental painting, who played a big role in the development of Art Nouveau.His father was a hereditary jeweler from Bohemia, but did not have a stable income. His mother, Anna Finster, was a studious but not very successful musician. Gustav was the second of seven children of a Jewish family. Klimts were poor, in the early years of the Habsburg Empire, the work was not enough, especially for ethnic minorities. At an early age, Gustav and his two brothers, Ernst and Georg, showed their obvious artistic talents, and Gustav was noted as an exceptional draftsman.Gustav Klimt was one of the founders of the Vienna Secession - the association of progressive artists who protested against traditional painting. He became the first President of the Secession and the organizer of exhibitions of the society. Since 1898, Klimt had been collaborated with the art magazine named "Sacred Spring", in which the works of Symbolists Beardsley, Moreau, Puvi de Chavannes were published. The artist's work, aimed at introducing avant-garde trends in Austrian painting, played a key role in the development of the country's fine arts of the early twentieth century.

An American artist, portrait painter and interior painter, who was born and lived most of his life in Europe.Sargent was a talented portrait painter with world fame. Among his models, there are famous actors, writers, influential politicians and businessmen. Many of the artist's works were criticized and not accepted by society. However, over time, Sargent received widespread recognition. He became a member of the National Academy in New York, the Royal Academy of Arts in London, and was awarded the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor in Paris. Exhibitions of the artist took place in major museums in Europe and the USA. He became a worldly famous classical painter.Apart from painting, Sargent is known for his wall paintings. The frescoes of the Boston Public Library and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts were created by him at the turn of the XIX and ХX centuries.

A French painter, graphic artist, talented teacher, art critic and writer.His talent, that manifested itself from the time when the artist was young helped him enter the Academy of Fine Arts in his hometown. Here, Metzinger studied the basics of academic art from talented, though not very well-known portraitist Ippolit Turton. However, very soon he began to show his interest in various avant-garde painting trends in particular, Neo-impressionism.Jean Metzinger was the leading theoretician of Cubism, who became known for his treatise titled "On Cubism", written in collaboration with Albert Gleizes. In 1912, the artist was among the founders of the group "Golden Section" - a branch of the Paris School, which consisted of leading Cubist artists and other followers of abstract art. The first show of this group at the exhibition "Salon of Independent" in 1911 caused a great resonance in society. Thanks to the articles on art, teaching activity, and bright individual style, Jean Metzinger became one of the important figures of Abstract art of the early 20th century, and made a great contribution to its distribution throughout Europe and the USA.

A Post-impressionist artist, the creator of the original painting method called "divisionism", or "pointillism", the founder of Neo-impressionism.Georges was born in the family of a bailiff. He began to paint from early childhood. Visited art schools, but preferred to study by himself.The style and scientific concept of Georges-Pierre Seurat became an artistic revolution that has breathed life into Impressionism, which had already begun to lose its popularity. One decade was enough for Seurat to remain a synonym for innovation in the history of art, and also a synonym for self-denial in the name of the idea. Becoming a logical continuation of Impressionism, the non-standard technique created by him revealed a new branch of modernist trends - Neo-impressionism.

A French artist and sculptor, participant of the Cubists' Union "Golden Section".Born into a poor family. After receiving the certificate of secondary education, Andre became a student at a furniture workshop where he mastered the skills of decorative wood carving. Since 1899, he attended decorative art courses at the School of Fine Arts in Bordeaux and worked as a woodcarver.André Lhote was one of the most intelligent and universal artists of the early 20th century. A follower of Cubism and Fauvism in painting and a talented sculptor, he is also known as an influential art critic and teacher, a founder of a private art school in Paris and in Rio de Janeiro. The theoretical ideas of the artist enjoyed great popularity among contemporaries; he lectured to a wide audience throughout France, as well as in Belgium, England, Italy, Egypt and Brazil. In 1955, the artist received the National Award for Contribution to the Development of Modern Painting and became a President of the International Association of Artists, Engravers and Sculptors. Numerous international exhibitions were held throughout his life, including a large retrospective exhibition of works by André Lhote in the Paris Museum of Modern Art in 1957.

An outstanding Mexican painter, muralist, as well as a left-wing politician. Born in Guanajuato (northwest of Mexico), in a notable and well-to-do Spanish family. His mother was a Jew from among the conversion (converted to Catholicism). His twin Diego died at the age of two. The boy started drawing when he was three years old; his parents actively encouraged him. The significant periods of his career were in France and the United States. He was the most influential Mexican artist of the 20th century. His art served as the basis for the concept of public art in America, becoming a significant part of the Federal Program for the Development of National Art in the 1930s and 1940s. D. Rivera is widely known in the world as a monumental artist and as the husband of artist Frida Kahlo. Although his main legacy, no doubt, are murals there was a fairly long and noticeable cubist period in his creative career, when about 200 canvases were created.

Spanish painter, graphic artist, sculptor, director and writer. One of the most famous figures in Surrealism, and author of “The Persistence of Memory”, one of the most famous paintings of the 20th century.Dalí started painting at the age of four. He created his first serious work at the age of ten. It was a small impressionistic landscape, painted on a wooden board with oil paints. Henceforth, Dali spent whole days sitting in a small, specially allocated room and painting pictures. “I wanted to be given the laundry under the roof of our house. I got it and made it my own workshop, decorating it in the way I preferred,” he remembered later. Moreover, he liked to analyze the works of famous artists. He wrote and published essays about the works of Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.

Artist and art theoretician. He was the pioneer of geometric abstract art and the originator of the avant-garde Suprematist movement and Cubo-Futurism.Malevich created his first oil painting at the age of 16. It was named “Moonlit Night”. In his paintings, he tried to combine the principles of Cubism, Futurism and Expressionism. He was also interested in aerial photography and aviation, which led him to abstractions inspired by aerial landscapes.

Pablo Picasso was a Spanish and French artist, sculptor, graphic artist, theater artist, ceramicist and designer. He was the founder of Cubism (together with Georges Braque and Juan Gris), in which the three-dimensional body was drawn in an original manner - as a series of superimposed planes. Also, it is known that his paintings hold first place in “popularity” among thieves.

André Derain was a French artist, painter, sculptor and co-founder of Fauvism with Henri Matisse. Two other main styles of his work were Cubism and Neo-Classicism.

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: The National Gallery of Modern Art (Rome, Italy).

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: the museum of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona (Italy).

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: National Museum of Russian Art, Kiev.

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: Odessa Art Museum, Ukraine.

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: private collection.

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: private collection.

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Mediums: oil, canvas. Dimensions: 96.5 x 131.1 cm.