Art Kaleidoscope

A Hungarian couple in traditional embroidered costumes. Hungarian folk art embroidery Matyo Roses

Hungarian folk art embroidery Matyo Roses
Any folk art is closely connected with life, the nature and the history of each people. Known for brightness of colors and variety, national Hungarian embroidery is stunning and recognisable. Noteworthy, each region of Hungary brings its own characteristics.
There are two types of Hungarian embroidery – matyo and kalocsi. Matyo includes black background and bright silk threads for bright floral patterns. Traditionally, the main motif is a large rose located in the center with smaller embroidered motifs around it, and each of them has its own significance. Also, the colors of embroidery bear special significance. For example, yellow means sun, black – the strength of the earth, blue – sadness, and green – mourning.
However, Kalocsi embroidery includes natural motifs and white thread. Gradually, embroiderers added other colors. Now there are 27 colors. The basis is white flax. Besides, each color has its own meaning: red – youth, flowering, yellow – the sun, and a combination of blue and violet – mourning.
Read more »

Detail of painting by English Pre-Raphaelite artist. Symbolic Death of Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais (8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896)

Symbolic Death of Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais

Known as “Ophelia” or “Death of Ophelia” (1851-1852) – a picture of the English Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir John Everett Millais, completed by him in 1852. At the heart of the picture is the plot of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. However, this painting, exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1852, was far from immediately appreciated by contemporaries.
Beloved of Prince Hamlet, upon learning that he had killed her father Polonius, Ophelia became obsessed and committed suicide by drowning in the river. As the gravediggers say in the play, “her death is dark. If it were not for the order from the king, she would lie in the land of the uninitiated.”
The artist depicted Ophelia right after falling into the river, when her wreaths hang on the willow branches. She sings woeful songs, half submerged in water. Her pose – open arms, and her gaze directed to the sky – cause associations with the Crucifixion of Christ, and also often interpreted as erotic. The girl slowly sinks into the water against a bright, blooming nature. Her face has no panic or despair. Although death is inevitable, in the picture the time seems to be frozen. Millais managed to masterfully capture the moment that passes between life and death.

Read more »

Portrait of Rabindranath Tagore. 1940. Colored ink, mineral paints. Painting by Chinese artist Xu Beihong (1895-1953)

Painting by Chinese artist Xu Beihong
The remarkable life and work of Xu Beihong (19 July 1895 – 26 September 1953) are well known in the homeland of the artist and beyond. Unlike many of his predecessors and even his contemporaries, he influenced not only the development of any of the genres of painting, but also the fate of Chinese art in general. His rebellious seeking spirit, embodied in unique artistic images, still attracts us with his unbridled, overwhelming energy.
Unfortunately, Xu Beihong lived a short life, however, it was bright and eventful. Born in the era of turbulent political upheavals and explosions experienced by his homeland, he became not only a witness, but also an active participant in its revolutionary events and political transformations.
Born in 1895 in a village in Yixing County, Jiangsu Province, his first teacher was his father Xu Dazhang, a teacher of drawing in a village school, an engraver and a poet. A subtle connoisseur of ancient Chinese literature and painting, who himself worked in the classical manner of “guohua”, he instilled in his son a love of art, and revealed to him the richness and originality of China’s ancient culture. A dreamy and impressionable youth set out to follow in the footsteps of his father. Years of childhood spent in close collaboration with nature, largely contributed to the formation of the personality of Xu Beihong.
Read more »

Self-portrait. 1921. Bulgarian artist Vladimir Dimitrov Maistor (1 February 1882 – 29 September 1960)

Bulgarian artist Vladimir Dimitrov Maistor
After Maistor became famous, he chose to live in poverty and gave away all of his possessions to poor people. Thus, he wore old clothes, gave up shaving and preferred only vegetarian food. In fact, many people thought him to be a saint and showed great affection for him even in his lifetime.
Born on February 1, 1882 in the village of Frolosh in the present Stankedimitrovsky district, just four years after the liberation of the Bulgarian people from the five-century Turkish yoke. Growing up in a poor peasant family, he learned early of poverty. One of his early works is a portrait of his father, created in 1907. All permeated with filial love, executed with picturesque ease, it gives an idea of ​​the impetuous nature and deep observation of a person close to nature. By nature, the spiritual world and temperament, Maistor has much in common with the father. Meanwhile, his father, an inquisitive and gifted man by nature, played several folk musical instruments. Subsequently, his son not only sang in the field with reapers, at weddings and other village festivities, but he himself liked to play the folk string instrument.
Read more »

Spas Emmanuil (Christ Emmanuel). 1668. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Work by Russian icon painter Simon Ushakov (1626-1686)

Russian icon painter Simon Ushakov
In the history of Old Russian fine arts this name stands alongside with the names of Andrei Rublev and Dionysius. According to GD Filimonov, the author of the first monographic essay on Simon Ushakov (1873), Ushakov was the first to look at icon painting as art. Ushakov was both an educator and, apparently, an able organizer, who for more than thirty years headed the artistic activity of all Russian state. Simon Ushakov demonstrated a new attitude to art and to the artist. It was a broader and freer nature of the world perception, conditioned by the general process of the development of Russian culture. Noteworthy, the biographical information about Simon Ushakov can be compiled from the well-known detailed information in the archives of the Armory Chamber. Thus, according the signatures on some icons, the autographs show that the real name of the artist was Pimen, and Simon is only a nickname. Besides, the inscription of one icon makes it possible to establish that Ushakov was born in 1626, and it is known that he died in 1686.
Read more »

Self-portrait. Russian painter Leonid Osipovich Pasternak (3 April 1862 – May 31, 1945)

Russian painter Leonid Osipovich Pasternak
Rubinstein and Scriabin, Tolstoy and Gorky, Mechnikov and Einstein posed for him. He was famous for being a brilliant portraitist and master illustrator. His paintings are in the world’s largest museums and in galleries of hundreds of collectors. However, for many decades the name of Leonid Pasternak was forgotten. Perhaps the genius of his father overshadowed his brilliant son – the poet Boris Pasternak.

Born in April 1862 in Odessa, Leonid Pasternak was the youngest child in a large Jewish family, one of the oldest and most respected Jewish families, which comes from King David. Apparently, from an excess of feelings, his parents named him just two names – Abram and Isaac. However, the relatives called him exclusively Leonid. On this occasion, the artist even had to write explanations in official institutions. By the way, the name originally sounded not Pasternak, but Posternak.
Read more »

Portrait of a gray cat. Beads, glass beads, buttons, river pearl. Sarah Jane Connors bead painting art

Sarah Jane Connors bead painting art
Beautiful British artist Sarah Connor works in the field of applied art for no more than 3 years, but what she creates with her own hands raises delight and admiration of the audience. Connor creates incredibly realistic pictures, using instead of paints beads, glass, buttons and other small things. Meanwhile, the main direction of her activity and the main inspiration are portraits of animals. In particular, in her gallery portraits of a cat, a dog, a leopard, a deer and a panda. And of course, the young and talented artist has many creative ideas. According to Connor, found “treasures” – pieces of broken ceramics, glass fragments and beads inspired her from childhood. So, combining love of treasure and creativity, she enjoys shopping in charity stores of second-hand things where beads and buttons are sold. In addition, even walks along the beach of Brighton also give rich material for her creativity.

And if to talk about her technique of creating paintings, Connor glues beads and buttons on wooden panels. In general, the creation of one picture takes months of painstaking work.
Read more »