Paris, the artistic rebirth for Chagall

In 1910, the Russian and French artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985) left Russia for Paris: "I felt that, if I stayed in Vitebsk any longer, I should be covered with hair and moss», he wrote in his autobiography.

A year later, in La Ruche, he came into contact with the artistic community of the nearby quarter of Montparnasse and made friends with Guillaume Apollinaire (who would define his work "supernatural"), Robert Delaunay, Fernand Léger and Blaise Cendrars, the poet who, from that point on, would name all his French works.

Vyacheslav Korolenkov, 1958 | Impressionist painter

Vyacheslav (Slava) Korolenkov / Вячеслав Короленков was born in the small city of Tula, not far from Moscow.

Before entering Art School he studied drawing with a sculptor, and as a result was accepted to the Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Industrial and Applied Arts on his first attempt.

While still a student one of his paintings represented the Stroganov Academy at an exhibition in Prague.

Oleg Oprisco, 1987 | Surrealist / Conceptual photographer

Ukrainian Fine Art photographer Oleg Oprisco is born in the small town of Lviv, in western Ukraine.

Oprisco is known for his conceptual shots that involve elaborately constructed props and scenes that capture his distinct sense of surreality.

Relying on neutrals and subdued tones rather than a bold color palette, the mysterious, dreamlike images tend to center on a single figure within a quiet and unoccupied landscape.

Marina Podgaevskaya, 1963 | Abstract painter

Professional artist from Saint Petersburg, Marina Podgaevskaya / Марина Подгаевская is a prolific painter.

She has created more than 1000 canvases.

Marina Podgaevskaja graduated from the Higher Art School in 1983 with a degree in "interior designer", in 1998 - the school-studio at the old painting techniques.

Victor Bregeda, 1963 | Surrealist painter

Victor Viktorovich Bregeda /Виктор Викторович Брегеда is an Russian painter working in the surrealism* and metarealism styles.

He was born in the Russian city of Taganrog into a family of painters. He was attracted by the Dutch school of painting.

Igor Venski, 1962 | Impressionist painter

Igor Venski / Игорь Венский was born in Krasnodar, Russia, and he began drawing and painting very early in his youth.

He studied painting at Krasnodar School of Fine Arts.

Igor Venski is adhering to the aesthetic principles and the classical traditions.

Konstantin Korovin | Il maestro dell'Impressionismo

Il pittore e scenografo, Konstantin Korovin / Константи́н Коро́вин (Mosca, 1861 - Parigi, 1939) è stato uno dei maggiori rappresentanti russi dell'Impressionismo.

Korovin è nato il 23 novembre 1861 a Mosca da una famiglia di mercanti, che in realtà, però, risultano da alcuni documenti ufficiali come "contadini della regione di Vladimir Gubernia".

Suo padre, Aleksey Mikhailovich Korovin, conseguì una laurea e si interessò molto alle arti ed alla musica che diffondeva, perfino, nell'azienda di famiglia fondata dal nonno di Korovin.

Ilya Repin | A Parisian Café, 1875

Repin's time as an academic pensioner in Paris 1873-76 was a fruitful as well as confusing time for the rising young star of Russian realist painting and he responded to a bewildering variety of new stimuli with enthusiasm and uncertainty, painting both Russian motifs as well as the sights of contemporary France.

In particular it was a period of burgeoning experimentation as Repin (1844-1930) took cognisance of modern French artistic developments, the major outcome of which was his large canvas "A Parisian Café", which was sold in London in June 2011 for a record price by the artist.

Andrew Atroshenko, 1965 | Ballet dancers

Born in the City of Pokrovsk, Russia, Andrew Atroshenko became part of a gifted child program at the Children’s Art School there, and was later accepted at the St. Petersburg Academy of Art, one of the world’s most prestigious art schools.

In 1999 Atroshenko spent the entire year in the U.S.

He was invited by "Bay Arts", a New England based group, to take part in their exhibitions and activities.

M. and I. Garmash | Romantic Impressionist painters

Michael and Inessa Garmash have created beautiful paintings, stained-glass windows, mosaics and drawings exhibited all over Europe.

Michael Garmash began a painting of their daughter for a project at school several years after their marriage.

However, their two-year-old found the painting during his absence and painted her own version of the subject.

Inessa Garmash, not wanting Michael to be upset, fixed the painting, packed it up and gave it to him to submit.

Michael handed the painting over for review and was told it was his best work ever.

The Dying Swan

The Dying Swan (originally The Swan) is a solo dance choreographed by Mikhail Fokine to Camille Saint-Saëns's Le Cygne from Le Carnaval des animaux as a pièce d'occasion for the ballerina Anna Pavlova, who performed it about 4,000 times.

The short ballet (four minutes) follows the last moments in the life of a swan, and was first presented in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1905.

The ballet has since influenced modern interpretations of Odette, heroine of Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, and has inspired non-traditional interpretations as well as various adaptations.

Antoon van Welie | Anna Pavlova as the Dying Swan, 1938

Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky | At School Doors, 1897

Descending from peasant class, Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky dedicated a significant portion of his work to rural schoolchildren.

His heroes hover indecisively at the classroom door, solve problems at the blackboard, read books or converse with the teacher.

The master's idealistic paintings upheld the notion that education was capable of improving public morality and overcoming the backwardness of the Russian countryside.

This lovingly painted and slightly sentimental canvas was possibly inspired by the personal memories of the artist, who attended Sergei Rachinsky's village school in Tatevo, Smolensk Province.

Ilya Repin | Historical / Genre painter

Ilya Yefimovich Repin / Илья́ Ефи́мович Ре́пин, (1844-1930), Russian painter of historical subjects known for the power and drama of his works.

Born to a poor family near Kharkov, Repin learned his trade from a painter of icons named Bunakov and in 1864 became a student at the Academy of Fine Arts at St. Petersburg.

Czárdás | Hungarian Dance

Inscribed in 2024 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Csárdás is a Hungarian dance that is performed by couples consisting of a man and a woman, or, in some regions, of two women.

Multiple couples participate in the dance at the same time, forming one large or several smaller circles.

Each region has its own themes, gestures and figures, which are improvised according to well-known, established rules and patterns.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner | Czardas dancers, 1908 | Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

Adolf von Becker | Genre painter

Adolf von Becker (1831-1909) was a Finnish genre painter and art professor of German descent.

He was one of the first Finnish artists to study in Paris, who taught many of the young artists of the Golden Age of Finnish Art.

Becker was born in Helsinki, where he began his artistic studies at the newly founded Finnish Art Society Drawing School; he also studied law.

Alexei Antonov, 1957 | Still life painter

Aлексей Антонов is a Russian artist who has studied art in Russia, Azerbaijan and Italy, and has been living in the US since 1990.

TAlexei Antonov has created a stunning collection of still life paintings that embody hyper realism and classic work of Renaissance masters.

Antonov was literally born an artist, began to draw, as he remembers - since the age of three.

The first drawings were made by mom’s lipstick, right on the wallpaper.

Tatiana Deriy, 1973 | Figurative painter

Tatiana Deriy / Татьяна Дерий is a dynamically growing painter, whose major creative goal is comprehension of unity of the world's esthetic beauty and its profound meaning as well as rendering them to viewers through painting.

Born in a wonderful part of Moscow region, not far from "Archangelskoye" estate full of creations of famous architects and sculptors, refinement of palace parks and canvases by Veronese and Tintoretto, at an early age she developed special world outlook which later on defined the tenor of her work, based on the sense of harmony and beauty.

Vladimir Mukhin, 1971 | Romantic painter

Vladimir Mukhin captivates audiences with his art, seamlessly blending lyricism, refined lines, and vibrant energy.

His works harmoniously merge the rich color palette of impressionism with the dynamism of Art Nouveau and the foundational techniques of traditional academic painting.

Born in Kazakhstan, Vladimir Mukhin honed his skills at the Penza Savitsky Art College before embarking on a transformative journey at the renowned Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture in Moscow.

Vladimir Volegov | Il pittore Romantico delle figure

Vladimir Volegov nacque nella città di Khabarovsk il 19 dicembre 1957.

All'età di due anni, sua madre abbandonò il padre, prese il figlio e si trasferì a Sverdlovsk (ex Ekaterinburg).

Da allora in poi, la famiglia si trasferì spesso da una città all'altra.

La madre desiderava che Volegov diventasse medico, ma lui nutriva un forte desiderio di dipingere.

Alexei Butirskiy, 1974 | Cityscape painter

Born in Moscow, Russian painter Алексей Бутырский entered Moscow Art College in 1992.

In 1996 he completed his studies at the Art College and graduated with an Excellence Diploma.

In 1998 he graduated from the Russian Academy of the Arts where he studied under respected professor, L.S. Hasyanova.

He graduated from the Academy with the highest honors attainable.

Alexei currently serves as Professor of Drawing at the same academy.