Unearthly beauty: women in painting in different directions. Shocking Masterpieces of Classical Nude Painting by Contemporary Artists

If you think that all great artists are in the past, then you have no idea how wrong you are. In this article, you will learn about the most famous and talented artists of our time. And, believe me, their works will sit in your memory no less deeply than the works of the maestro from past eras.

Wojciech Babski

Wojciech Babski is a contemporary Polish artist. He graduated from the Silesian Polytechnic Institute, but connected himself with. Lately he has been painting mostly women. Focuses on the manifestation of emotions, seeks to obtain the greatest possible effect by simple means.

Loves color, but often uses shades of black and gray to achieve the best impression. Not afraid to experiment with new techniques. Recently, he has been gaining more and more popularity abroad, mainly in the UK, where he successfully sells his works, which can already be found in many private collections. In addition to art, he is interested in cosmology and philosophy. Listens to jazz. Currently lives and works in Katowice.

Warren Chang

Warren Chang is a contemporary American artist. Born in 1957 and raised in Monterey, California, he graduated magna cum laude from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1981 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fine Arts. For the next two decades, he worked as an illustrator for various companies in California and New York before starting his career as a professional artist in 2009.

His realistic paintings can be divided into two main categories: biographical interior paintings and paintings depicting working people. His interest in this style of painting is rooted in the work of the 16th-century painter Jan Vermeer, and extends to objects, self-portraits, portraits of family members, friends, students, studio, classroom and home interiors. His goal is to create mood and emotion in his realistic paintings through the manipulation of light and the use of muted colors.

Chang became famous after the transition to traditional visual arts. Over the past 12 years, he has earned numerous awards and honors, the most prestigious being the Master Signature from the Oil Painters Association of America, the largest oil painting community in the United States. Only one person out of 50 is honored with the opportunity to receive this award. Currently, Warren lives in Monterey and works in his studio, he also teaches (known as a talented teacher) at the San Francisco Academy of the Arts.

Aurelio Bruni

Aurelio Bruni is an Italian artist. Born in Blair, October 15, 1955. Graduated with a degree in scenography from the Art Institute in Spoleto. As an artist, he is self-taught, as he independently “built the house of knowledge” on the foundation laid back in school. He began painting in oils at the age of 19. Currently lives and works in Umbria.

Bruni's early painting is rooted in surrealism, but over time he begins to focus on the closeness of lyrical romanticism and symbolism, reinforcing this combination with the exquisite sophistication and purity of his characters. Animate and inanimate objects acquire equal dignity and look almost hyper-realistic, but at the same time, they do not hide behind a curtain, but allow you to see the essence of your soul. Versatility and sophistication, sensuality and loneliness, thoughtfulness and fruitfulness are the spirit of Aurelio Bruni, nourished by the splendor of art and the harmony of music.

Aleksander Balos

Alkasandr Balos is a contemporary Polish artist specializing in oil painting. Born in 1970 in Gliwice, Poland, but since 1989 he has been living and working in the USA, in the city of Shasta, California.

As a child, he studied art under the guidance of his father Jan, a self-taught artist and sculptor, so from an early age, artistic activity received full support from both parents. In 1989, at the age of eighteen, Balos left Poland for the United States, where his schoolteacher and part-time artist Cathy Gaggliardi encouraged Alcasander to enroll in art school. Balos then received a full scholarship to the University of Milwaukee Wisconsin, where he studied painting with philosophy professor Harry Rosin.

After completing his studies in 1995 with a bachelor's degree, Balos moved to Chicago to study at the School of Fine Arts, whose methods are based on the work of Jacques-Louis David. Figurative realism and portraiture made up the bulk of Balos' work in the 90s and early 2000s. Today, Balos uses the human figure to highlight the features and shortcomings of human existence, without offering any solutions.

The plot compositions of his paintings are intended to be independently interpreted by the viewer, only then the canvases will acquire their true temporal and subjective meaning. In 2005, the artist moved to Northern California, since then the scope of his work has expanded significantly and now includes freer methods of painting, including abstraction and various multimedia styles that help express the ideas and ideals of being through painting.

Alyssa Monks

Alyssa Monks is a contemporary American artist. She was born in 1977 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. She became interested in painting when she was still a child. She attended The New School in New York and Montclair State University, and graduated from Boston College in 1999 with a bachelor's degree. At the same time, she studied painting at the Lorenzo Medici Academy in Florence.

Then she continued her studies under the program for a master's degree at the New York Academy of Art, in the Department of Figurative Art, graduating in 2001. She graduated from Fullerton College in 2006. She briefly lectured at universities and educational institutions around the country, and taught painting at the New York Academy of Art, as well as Montclair State University and Lyme Academy College of Art.

“Using filters such as glass, vinyl, water and steam, I distort the human body. These filters allow you to create large areas of abstract design, with islands of color peeking through them - parts of the human body.

My paintings change the modern look at the already established, traditional poses and gestures of bathing women. They could tell an attentive viewer a lot about such seemingly self-evident things as the benefits of swimming, dancing, and so on. My characters are pressed against the glass of the shower cabin window, distorting their own body, realizing that they thereby influence the notorious male look at a naked woman. Thick layers of paint are mixed together to mimic glass, steam, water and flesh from afar. Up close, however, the amazing physical properties of oil paint become apparent. By experimenting with layers of paint and color, I find the moment when abstract strokes become something else.

When I first started painting the human body, I was immediately fascinated and even obsessed with it and felt that I had to make my paintings as realistic as possible. I "professed" realism until it began to unravel and deconstruct itself. Now I am exploring the possibilities and potential of a style of painting where representational painting and abstraction meet – if both styles can coexist at the same moment in time, I will do it.”

Antonio Finelli

Italian artist - time watcher” – Antonio Finelli was born on February 23, 1985. Currently lives and works in Italy between Rome and Campobasso. His works have been exhibited in several galleries in Italy and abroad: Rome, Florence, Novara, Genoa, Palermo, Istanbul, Ankara, New York, and they can also be found in private and public collections.

Pencil drawings " Watcher of time” Antonio Finelli send us on an eternal journey through the inner world of human temporality and the rigorous analysis of this world associated with it, the main element of which is the passage through time and the traces it inflicts on the skin.

Finelli paints portraits of people of any age, gender and nationality, whose facial expressions indicate the passage through time, and the artist also hopes to find evidence of the ruthlessness of time on the bodies of his characters. Antonio defines his works with one general title: “Self-portrait”, because in his pencil drawings he not only depicts a person, but allows the viewer to contemplate the real results of the passage of time inside a person.

Flaminia Carloni

Flaminia Carloni is a 37-year-old Italian artist, the daughter of a diplomat. She has three children. Twelve years she lived in Rome, three years in England and France. Received a degree in art history from the BD School of Art. Then she received a diploma in the specialty restorer of works of art. Before finding her calling and devoting herself entirely to painting, she worked as a journalist, colorist, designer, and actress.

Flaminia's passion for painting arose as a child. Her main medium is oil because she loves “coiffer la pate” and also plays with the material. She learned a similar technique in the works of the artist Pascal Torua. Flaminia is inspired by the great masters of painting such as Balthus, Hopper, and François Legrand, as well as various art movements: street art, Chinese realism, surrealism and renaissance realism. Her favorite artist is Caravaggio. Her dream is to discover the therapeutic power of art.

Denis Chernov

Denis Chernov is a talented Ukrainian artist, born in 1978 in Sambir, Lviv region, Ukraine. After graduating from the Kharkov Art College in 1998, he stayed in Kharkov, where he currently lives and works. He also studied at the Kharkov State Academy of Design and Arts, Department of Graphics, graduated in 2004.

He regularly participates in art exhibitions, at the moment there have been more than sixty of them, both in Ukraine and abroad. Most of Denis Chernov's works are kept in private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Italy, England, Spain, Greece, France, USA, Canada and Japan. Some of the works were sold at Christie's.

Denis works in a wide range of graphic and painting techniques. Pencil drawings are one of his favorite painting methods, the list of topics of his pencil drawings is also very diverse, he paints landscapes, portraits, nudes, genre compositions, book illustrations, literary and historical reconstructions and fantasies.

There are eternal themes in art. One of them is the theme of a woman, the theme of motherhood. Each era has its own ideal of a woman, the whole history of mankind is reflected in how people saw a woman, what myths surrounded her and helped her to create. Exactly one thing - in all ages and times The feminine character has attracted, attracts and will attract the special attention of artists.

The images of women created in portrait art carry the poetic ideal in the harmonious unity of its spiritual qualities and external appearance. From the portraits, we can judge how the appearance of a woman, her mental warehouse is influenced by social events, fashion, literature, art and painting itself.

We present you a variety of images of women in painting in different directions

REALISM

The essence of the direction is the most accurate and objective fixation of reality. The birth of realism in painting is most often associated with the work of the French artist Gustave Courbet, who opened his personal exhibition "Pavilion of Realism" in 1855 in Paris. It is opposed to romanticism and academism. In the 1870s, realism split into two main areas - naturalism and impressionism. Naturalists were called artists who sought to capture reality as accurately as possible, photographically.

Ivan Kramskoy "Unknown"

Serov "Girl with peaches"

ACADEMISM

Academism grew up following the external forms of classical art. Academism embodied the traditions of ancient art, in which the image of nature is idealized. Russian academicism of the first half of the 19th century is characterized by sublime themes, high metaphorical style, versatility, multi-figures and pomposity. Biblical scenes, salon landscapes and ceremonial portraits were popular. Despite the limited subject matter of the paintings, the works of the academicians were distinguished by their high technical skill.

Bouguereau "Pleiades"

Bouguereau "Mood"

Cabanel "The Birth of Venus"

IMPRESSIONISM

Representatives of the style sought to capture the real world in its mobility and variability in the most natural and unbiased way, to convey their fleeting impressions. French Impressionism did not raise philosophical issues. Instead, impressionism focuses on superficiality, the fluidity of the moment, mood, lighting, or angle of view. Their paintings represented only the positive aspects of life, did not violate social problems, and bypassed such problems as hunger, disease, death. Biblical, literary, mythological, historical plots inherent in official academicism were discarded. They took subjects of flirting, dancing, staying in cafes and theaters, boat trips, on beaches and in gardens. Judging by the paintings of the Impressionists, life is a series of small holidays, parties, pleasant pastimes outside the city or in a friendly environment.

Boldini "Moulin Rouge"

Renoir "Portrait of Jeanne Samary"

Manet "Breakfast on the Grass"

Mayo "RosaBrava"

Lautrec "Woman with an umbrella"

SYMBOLISM

The Symbolists radically changed not only various types of art, but also the very attitude towards it. Their experimental nature, the desire for innovation, cosmopolitanism have become a model for most contemporary art movements. They used symbols, understatement, allusions, mystery, mystery. The main mood was often pessimism, reaching the point of despair. Unlike other trends in art, symbolism suggests the expression of "unattainable", sometimes mystical ideas, images of Eternity and Beauty.

Redon "Ophelia"

Franz von Stuck "Salome"

Watts "Hope"

Rosseti "Persephone"

MODERN

Art Nouveau strove to combine the artistic and utilitarian functions of the created works, to involve all spheres of human activity in the sphere of beauty. As a result, there is an interest in applied arts: interior design, ceramics, book graphics. Art Nouveau artists drew inspiration from the art of ancient Egypt and ancient civilizations. The most notable feature of Art Nouveau was the rejection of right angles and lines in favor of smoother, curved lines. Often, modern artists took ornaments from the plant world as the basis of their drawings.

Klimt "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I"

Klimt "Danae"

Klimt "Three Ages of Woman"

Fly "Fruit"

EXPRESSIONISM

Expressionism is one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century. Expressionism arose as a reaction to the most acute crisis of the first quarter of the 20th century, the First World War and subsequent revolutionary movements, the ugliness of bourgeois civilization, which resulted in the desire for irrationality. The motifs of pain, screaming were used, the principle of expression began to prevail over the image.

Modigliani. With the help of the bodies and faces of women, he tries to penetrate the souls of his characters. “I am interested in the human being. The face is the greatest creation of nature. I use it tirelessly,” he repeated.

Modigliani "Sleeping Nude"

Schiele "Woman in black stockings"

CUBISM

Cubism is a modernist trend in the visual arts (mainly in painting) of the 1st quarter of the 20th century, which highlighted the formal task of constructing a three-dimensional form on a plane, minimizing the figurative and cognitive functions of art. The emergence of cubism is traditionally dated to 1906-1907 and is associated with the work of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. In general, cubism was a break with the tradition of realistic art that developed during the Renaissance, including the creation of a visual illusion of the world on a plane. The work of the Cubists was a challenge to the standard prettiness of salon art, to the vague allegories of symbolism, and the fragility of impressionist painting. Entering the circle of rebellious, anarchist, individualistic movements, cubism stood out among them by its gravitation towards the asceticity of color, towards simple, weighty, tangible forms and elementary motifs.

Picasso "Weeping Woman"

Picasso "Playing the Mandolin"

Picasso "The Girls of Avignon"

SURREALISM

The basic concept of surrealism, surreality- the combination of dream and reality. To do this, the surrealists offered an absurd, contradictory combination of naturalistic images through collage and moving the object from non-artistic space to artistic space, due to which the object opens from an unexpected side, properties that were not noticed outside the artistic context appear in it. The surrealists were inspired by the radical left ideology, but they proposed to start the revolution from their own consciousness. Art was conceived by them as the main instrument of liberation. This direction was formed under the great influence of Freud's theory of psychoanalysis. Surrealism was rooted in Symbolism and was initially influenced by Symbolist artists such as Gustave Moreau and Odilon Redon. Many of the popular artists were surrealists, including Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, Alberto Giacometti.

Gil Elvgren (1914-1980) was a major pin-up artist of the twentieth century. Throughout his professional career, which began in the mid-1930s and lasted over forty years, he has established himself as a clear favorite among collectors and pin-up fans around the world. And although Gil Elvgren is considered mainly a pin-up artist, he deserves the title of a classic American illustrator who was able to cover various areas of commercial art.

25 years of work for advertising Coca-Cola helped him establish himself as one of the great illustrators in this field. Coca-Cola ads included pin-up images of Elvgren's Girls, most of these illustrations depicting typical American families, children, teenagers - ordinary people going about their daily business. During World War II and the Korean War, Elvgren even drew military-themed illustrations for Coca-Cola, some of which became icons in America.

Elvgren's work for Coca-Cola depicted the American dream of a safe, comfortable life, and some magazine story illustrations depicted the hopes, fears, and joys of their readers. These images were published in the 1940s-1950s in a number of well-known American magazines such as McCall's, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Woman's Home Companion. Along with Coca-Cola, Elvgren has also worked with Orange Crush, Schlitz Beer, Sealy Mattress, General Electric, Sylvania and Napa Auto Parts.

Elvgren stood out not only for his paintings and advertising graphics - he was also a professional photographer who wielded the camera as deftly as he did with the brush. But his energy and talent did not stop there: in addition, he was a teacher, whose students later became famous artists.

Even in his early childhood, Elvgren was inspired by the pictures of famous illustrators. Every week he tore out sheets and covers from magazines with images that he liked, as a result of which he amassed a huge collection that left its mark on the work of the young artist.

Elvgren's work was influenced by many artists, such as Felix Octavius ​​Carr Darley (1822-1888), the first artist who managed to refute the superiority of English and European schools of illustration over American commercial art; Norman Rockwell (1877-1978), whom Elvgren met in 1947, and this meeting marked the beginning of a long friendship; Charles Dana Gibson (Charles Dana Gibson) (1867-1944), from whose brush came the ideal of a girl, which combined “neighbor” (girl-next-door) and “dream girl” (girl-of-your-dreams) , Howard Chandler Christy, John Henry Hintermeister (1870-1945) and others.

Elvgren closely studied the work of these classical artists, as a result of which he created the basis on which the further development of pin-up art was based.

So, Gil Elvgren was born March 15, 1914, grew up in St. Paul Minneapolis. His parents, Alex and Goldie Elvgren, owned a downtown store that sold wallpaper and paint.

After graduating from high school, Gil wanted to be an architect. His parents approved of this desire, as they noticed his talent for drawing when, at the age of eight, the boy was removed from school due to the fact that he painted the margins of textbooks. Elvgren eventually enrolled at the University of Minnesota to study architecture and design while attending art courses at the Minneapolis Art Institute. It was there that he realized that drawing interested him much more than designing buildings.

In the autumn of the same year, Elvgren married Janet Cummins. And now, for the New Year, the newlyweds move to Chicago, where there were many opportunities for artists. Of course, they could have chosen New York, but Chicago was closer and safer.

Upon arrival in Chicago, Gil tried to do everything to develop his career. He enrolled at the prestigious American Academy of Arts in downtown, where he befriended Bill Mosby, an accomplished artist and teacher who has always taken pride in seeing Gil develop under his guidance.

When Gil Elvgren came to the Academy, of course, he was talented, but he did not stand out from most of the students who studied there. But only one thing distinguished him from others: he knew exactly what he wanted. Most of all, he dreamed of becoming a good artist. In two years of study, he mastered a course designed for three and a half: he attended classes at night, in the summer. In his free time, he always painted.

He was a good student and worked more than others. Jill attended every course where he could get at least some knowledge of painting. In two years he made phenomenal progress and became one of the best graduates of the Academy.

Jill is an amazing artist that few can match. Strong in build, he looks like a football player; his large hands do not at all look like the hands of an artist: the pencil literally “burrows” in them, but the accuracy and painstakingness of his movements can only be compared with the skill of a surgeon.

During his time at the institute, Gil never stopped working. His illustrations already adorned the brochures and magazines of the academy where he studied.

There Gil met many artists who became his lifelong friends, such as: Harold Anderson (Harold Anderson), Joyce Ballatrin (Joyce Ballantyne).

In 1936, Jill and his wife returned to their hometown, where they opened their own studio. Shortly before that, he does his first paid commissioned job: a fashion magazine cover featuring a handsome man wearing a double-breasted jacket and light-colored summer trousers. Immediately after Elvgren sent his work to the customer, the director of the company called him to congratulate him and order half a dozen more covers.

Then came another interesting commission, which was to draw the five twins Dionne (Dionne Quintuplets), the birth of which became a sensation for the media. The client was Brown and Biglow, the largest calendar publisher. This work was printed in the calendars of 1937-1938, which were sold in millions of copies. Since then, Elvgren began to draw the most famous girls in America, which brought him great success. Other companies began to invite Elvgren to cooperate, for example, Brown and Biglow's competitor Louis F. Dow Calendar Company. The artist's works began to be printed on booklets, playing cards and even matchboxes. Then many of his life-size paintings made for Royal Crown Soda appeared in grocery stores. The same year becomes especially important for Elvgren, as he and his wife had their first child, Karen.

Elvgren continues to take orders and decides to return to Chicago with his family. He soon met Haddon H. Sundblom (1899-1976), who was his idol. Sandblom is a huge influence on Elvgren's work.

Thanks to Sundblom, Elvgren became an advertising artist for Coca-Cola. Until now, these works are icons in the history of American illustration.

Immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Elvgren was asked to paint pictures for the military campaign. His first drawing for this series was published in 1942 in Good Housekeeping magazine under the heading “She knows what “freedom” really is” and depicted a girl dressed in a Red Cross officer's uniform.

In 1942, Jill Jr. was born, and in 1943 his wife was already expecting a third child. Elvgren's family grew, however, as did his business. Jill is engaged in advertising projects and also sells his old work. He enjoyed life, as he himself was already a respected artist and a happy family man. When the third child was born in his family, Elvgren was already receiving about $1,000 per painting, i.e. about $24,000 a year, which at the time was a huge amount. This meant that Gil could become the highest paid illustrator in the US and, of course, have a special place in Brown and Bigelow.

Before working exclusively for Brown and Bigelow, he took his first (and only) commission from the Philadelphia firm of Joseph Hoover. To avoid problems with Brown and Bigelow, he accepted the offer on the condition that the painting not be signed. For this work, called “Dream Girl,” he received $ 2,500, because. it was the largest he had ever painted (101.6cm x 76.2cm).

The collaboration with Brown and Bigelow allowed Elvgren to continue painting for Coca-Cola, although he could work for any other company that did not have conflicts with Brown and Bigelow. Thus began a collaboration between Elvgren and Brown and Bigelow in 1945 that lasted over thirty years.

Brown and Bigelow director Charles Ward made Elvgren's name recognizable. He also suggested that Gil make a nude pin-up, to which the artist agreed with great enthusiasm. This painting was of a naked blond nymph on a beach, under a lilac blue-purple moonlight. This illustration was released in a deck of cards, in conjunction with the work of another artist - ZoÎ Mozert. The following year, Ward commissioned another nude pin-up from Elvgren for more maps, but this time Elvgren did it entirely on his own. This project broke Brown and Bigelow sales records and was called "Mais Oui by Gil Elvgren".

The first three pin-up projects for Brown and Bigelow became the company's bestsellers after just a couple of weeks. These images were soon used for playing cards.

By the end of the decade, Elvgren had become the most successful Brown and Bigelow artist, thanks to the media, his work was widely known to the public, even magazines published articles about him. Companies he worked with included Coca-Cola, Orange Crush, Schlitz, Red Top Beer, Ovaltine, Royal Crown Soda, Campana Balm, General Tire, Sealy Mattress, Serta Perfect Sleep, Napa Auto Parts, Detzler Automotive Finishes, Frankfort Distilleries, Four Roses Blended Whiskey, General Electric Appliance and Pangburn's Chocolates.

Faced with such a demand for his work, Elvgren thought about opening his own studio, because there were already many artists who admired his work and the so-called “mayonnaise painting” (the so-called style of Sandblom and Elvgren because the colors on the works looked “creamy” and smooth as silk). But after weighing all the pros and cons, he abandoned this idea.

Gil Elvgren traveled a lot, met many influential people. His salary at Brown and Bigelow changed from $1,000 per canvas to $2,500 and painted 24 paintings a year, plus he received a percentage of the magazines that printed his illustrations. He moved with his family to a new house in the suburb of Winnetka, where he began building his studio in the attic, which allowed him to work even more productively.

Gil had excellent taste, and he was also witty. His works are always interesting in composition, color schemes, and carefully thought out poses and gestures make them alive and exciting. His paintings are sincere. Gil felt the evolution of female beauty, which was very important. Therefore, Elvgren was always in demand by customers.

In 1956, Gil moved with his family to Florida. He was completely satisfied with the new place of residence. There he opened an excellent studio, where he studied Bobby Toombs, who rightfully became a recognized artist. He said that Elvgren was an excellent teacher who taught him to use all his skills thoughtfully.

In Florida, Gil painted a huge number of portraits, among his models were Myrna Loy, Arlene Dahl, Donna Reed, Barbara Hale, Kim Novak. In the 1950s and 1960s, every aspiring model or actress would like Elvgren to draw a girl in her likeness, which would then be printed on calendars and posters.

Elvgren was always on the lookout for new ideas for his paintings. Although many of his artist friends helped him in this, he relied most of all on his family: he discussed his ideas with his wife and children.

Elvgren worked in a circle of artists whom he taught or, conversely, from whom he studied; who were his friends with whom he had much in common. Among them were Harry Anderson, Joyce Ballantyne, Al Buell, Matt Clark, Earl Gross, Ed Henry, Charles Kingham and others.

Gil Elvgren lived life to the fullest. As an avid hiker, he loved fishing and hunting. He could spend hours in the pool, was fond of racing cars, and also shared his children's passion for collecting antique weapons.

Over the years, Elvgren had many assistants in the studio, most of whom went on to become successful artists. When Elvgren had to turn down companies because of the sheer amount of work, the art directors agreed to wait a year or more just to have Jill work for them.

But all this success of Gil in 1966 was overshadowed by the terrible tragedy that overtook his family: Gil's wife, Janet, died of cancer. After that, he plunged into work even more. His popularity remains unchanged, he does not need to worry about anything except the result of his work. It was the best period of Elvgren's career, if not for the death of his wife.

Elvgren's ability to convey feminine beauty was unsurpassed. While painting, he usually sat in a wheelchair so that he could easily move around and look at the drawing from different angles, and a large mirror behind him allowed him to have an overall view of the picture as a whole. Girls were the main thing in his work: he preferred models of 15-20 years old who were just starting their careers, as they had an immediacy that disappears with experience. When asked about his technique, he said that he adds his touches: lengthens the legs, enlarges the chest, narrows the waist, makes the lips more plump, the eyes more expressive, the nose snub-nosed, thereby giving the model more attractiveness. Elvgren always carefully worked out his ideas from start to finish: he selected the model, props, lighting, composition, even the hair was very important. After all, he photographed the scene and started painting.

A distinctive feature of Gil's work was that looking at the paintings, it seemed that the girls in them were about to come to life, say hello or offer to drink a cup of coffee. They looked pretty and full of enthusiasm. Always charming, armed with a friendly smile, even during the war they gave the soldiers strength and hope to return to their girls home.

Many artists dreamed of painting the way Elvgren did, and everyone admired his talent and success.

Each year he painted with greater ease and professionalism, his early paintings appearing more "tough" than later ones. He has reached the pinnacle of excellence in his field.

On February 29, 1980, Gil Elvgren, a man who had dedicated himself to making people happy with his art, died of cancer at the age of 65. His son Drake found in his father's studio the last unfinished, but nevertheless magnificent painting for Brown and Bigelow. Three decades have passed since Elvgren's death, but his art still lives on. Without a doubt, Elvgren will go down in history as an artist who made a great contribution to twentieth-century American art.

Genres of painting appeared, gained popularity, faded away, new ones arose, subspecies began to be distinguished within the existing ones. This process will not stop as long as a person exists and tries to capture the world around him, whether it be nature, buildings or other people.

Previously (before the 19th century), there was a division of the genres of painting into the so-called "high" genres (French grand genre) and "low" genres (French petit genre). Such a division arose in the 17th century. and was based on what subject and plot were depicted. In this regard, the high genres included: battle, allegorical, religious and mythological, and the low genres included portrait, landscape, still life, animalism.

The division into genres is rather arbitrary, because. elements of two or more genres can be present in the picture at the same time.

Animalism, or animalistic genre

Animalism, or animalistic genre (from lat. animal - animal) - a genre in which the main motive is the image of an animal. We can say that this is one of the most ancient genres, because. drawings and figures of birds and animals were already present in the life of primitive people. For example, in the well-known painting by I.I. Shishkin's "Morning in a Pine Forest", nature is depicted by the artist himself, and the bears are completely different, just specializing in depicting animals.

I.I. Shishkin "Morning in a pine forest"

How can a subspecies be distinguished Ippian genre(from the Greek hippos - horse) - a genre in which the image of a horse acts as the center of the picture.

NOT. Sverchkov "Horse in the stable"

Portrait

Portrait (from the French word portrait) is a picture in which the image of a person or a group of people is central. The portrait conveys not only an external resemblance, but also reflects the inner world and conveys the artist's feelings towards the person whose portrait he paints.

I.E. Repin Portrait of Nicholas II

The portrait genre is subdivided into individual(picture of one person), group(image of several people), by the nature of the image - to the front when a person is depicted in full growth against a prominent architectural or landscape background and chamber when a person is depicted chest-deep or waist-deep against a neutral background. A group of portraits, united according to some attribute, forms an ensemble, or a portrait gallery. An example is portraits of members of the royal family.

Separately allocated self-portrait on which the artist depicts himself.

K. Bryullov Self-portrait

The portrait is one of the oldest genres - the first portraits (sculptural) were already present in ancient Egypt. Such a portrait acted as part of a cult about the afterlife and was a “double” of a person.

Landscape

Landscape (from French paysage - country, area) is a genre in which the image of nature is central - rivers, forests, fields, sea, mountains. In a landscape, the main point is, of course, the plot, but it is equally important to convey the movement, the life of the surrounding nature. On the one hand, nature is beautiful, admired, and on the other hand, it is rather difficult to reflect this in the picture.

C. Monet "Field of poppies at Argenteuil"

The subspecies of the landscape is seascape or marina(from French marine, Italian marina, from Latin marinus - sea) - an image of a sea battle, the sea or other events unfolding at sea. A prominent representative of marine painters - K.A. Aivazovsky. It is noteworthy that the artist wrote many details of this picture from memory.

I.I. Aivazovsky "The Ninth Wave"

However, often artists also strive to draw the sea from nature, for example, W. Turner to paint the painting “Snowstorm. The steamer at the entrance to the harbor gives a distress signal, hitting the shallow water, "spent 4 hours tied up on the captain's bridge of a ship sailing in a storm.

W. Turner “Snowstorm. The steamer at the entrance to the harbor gives a distress signal, hitting the shallow water.

The water element is also depicted in the river landscape.

Separately allocate cityscape, in which city streets and buildings are the main subject of the image. The urban landscape is Veduta- the image of the urban landscape in the form of a panorama, where the scale and proportions are certainly maintained.

A. Canaletto "Piazza San Marco"

There are other types of landscape - rural, industrial and architectural. In architectural painting, the main theme is the image of the architectural landscape, i.e. buildings, structures; includes images of interiors (interior decoration). Sometimes Interior(from French intérieur - internal) is distinguished as a separate genre. In architectural painting, another genre is distinguished — Capriccio(from Italian capriccio, caprice, whim) - an architectural fantasy landscape.

Still life

Still life (from the French nature morte - dead nature) is a genre dedicated to the depiction of inanimate objects that are placed in a common environment and form a group. Still life appeared in the 15th-16th centuries, but as a separate genre was formed in the 17th century.

Despite the fact that the word "still life" is translated as dead nature, in the pictures there are bouquets of flowers, fruits, fish, game, dishes - everything looks "like a living thing", i.e. like real. From its inception to the present day, still life has been an important genre in painting.

C. Monet "Vase with flowers"

How can a separate subspecies be distinguished Vanitas(from Latin Vanitas - vanity, vanity) - a genre of painting in which the central place in the picture is occupied by a human skull, the image of which is intended to remind of the vanity and frailty of human life.

The painting by F. de Champagne presents three symbols of the frailty of being - Life, Death, Time through the images of a tulip, a skull, an hourglass.

historical genre

Historical genre - a genre in which the paintings depict important events and socially significant phenomena of the past or present. It is noteworthy that the picture can be dedicated not only to real events, but also to events from mythology or, for example, described in the Bible. This genre is very important for history, both for the history of individual peoples and states, and for humanity as a whole. In the paintings, the historical genre is inseparable from other types of genres - portrait, landscape, battle genre.

I.E. Repin "Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan" K. Bryullov "The Last Day of Pompeii"

Battle genre

The battle genre (from the French bataille - battle) is a genre in which the paintings of which depict the climax of the battle, military operations, the moment of victory, scenes from military life. Battle painting is characterized by the image in the picture of a large number of people.

A.A. Deineka "Defense of Sevastopol"

Religious genre

The religious genre is a genre in which the main storyline in the paintings is biblical (scene from the Bible and the Gospel). According to the subject matter, iconography also belongs to religious, their difference lies in the fact that paintings of religious content do not participate in the services held, and for the icon this is the main purpose. icon painting translated from Greek. means "prayer image". This genre was limited by strict limits and laws of painting, because. designed not to reflect reality, but to convey the idea of ​​God's beginning, in which artists are looking for an ideal. In Russia, icon painting reached its peak in the 12th-16th centuries. The most famous names of icon painters are Theophanes the Greek (frescoes), Andrei Rublev, Dionysius.

A. Rublev "Trinity"

How the transitional stage from icon painting to portrait stands out Parsuna(distorted from lat. persona - personality, person).

Parsuna of Ivan the Terrible. author unknown

household genre

The paintings depict scenes from everyday life. Often the artist writes about those moments of life, of which he is a contemporary. Distinctive features of this genre are the realism of the paintings and the simplicity of the plot. The picture can reflect the customs, traditions, structure of the everyday life of a particular people.

Household painting includes such famous paintings as “Barge Haulers on the Volga” by I. Repin, “Troika” by V. Perov, “Unequal Marriage” by V. Pukirev.

I. Repin "Barge haulers on the Volga"

Epic-mythological genre

Epic-mythological genre. The word myth comes from the Greek. "mythos", which means tradition. The paintings depict the events of legends, epics, legends, ancient Greek myths, ancient legends, plots of folklore.

P. Veronese "Apollo and Marsyas"

allegorical genre

Allegorical genre (from the Greek allegoria - allegory). Pictures are written in such a way that they have a hidden meaning. Intangible ideas and concepts, invisible to the eye (power, good, evil, love), are transmitted through the images of animals, people, other living beings with such inherent characteristics that have symbolism already fixed in the minds of people, and help to understand the general meaning of the work.

L. Giordano "Love and vices disarm justice"

Pastoral (from French pastorale - shepherd, rural)

A genre of painting that glorifies and poetizes the simple and peaceful rural life.

F. Boucher "Autumn Pastoral"

Caricature (from Italian caricare - to exaggerate)

A genre in which, when creating an image, a comic effect is deliberately used by exaggerating and sharpening features, demeanor, clothing, etc. The purpose of a caricature is to offend, unlike, for example, a cartoon (from French charge), the purpose of which is simply to play a joke. Closely related to the term "caricature" are such concepts as splint, grotesque.

Nude (from French nu - naked, undressed)

Genre, in the paintings of which a naked human body is depicted, most often a female.

Titian Vecellio "Venus of Urbino"

Deception, or trompley (from fr. trompe-l'œil - optical illusion)

A genre whose characteristic features are special techniques that create an optical illusion and allow you to blur the line between reality and image, i.e. the deceptive impression that the object is three-dimensional, while it is two-dimensional. Sometimes snag is distinguished as a subspecies of still life, but sometimes people are also depicted in this genre.

Per Borrell del Caso "Escape from Criticism"

For the completeness of the perception of tricks, it is desirable to consider them in the original, because. a reproduction is unable to fully convey the effect that the artist depicts.

Jacopo de Barberi "The Partridge and the Iron Gloves"

Plot-thematic picture

A mixture of traditional genres of painting (everyday, historical, battle, landscape, etc.). In another way, this genre is called a figurative composition, its characteristic features are: the main role is played by a person, the presence of an action and a socially significant idea, relationships (a conflict of interests / characters) and psychological accents are necessarily shown.

V. Surikov "Boyar Morozova"

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This artist, who graduated from the Tver Art College in 1994 with a degree in graphic design, strikes the imagination with his extraordinary style and beautiful compositions.

He is the creator of truly unique illustrations with a retro touch. Waldemar Kazak is an artist with a sense of humor, he has a special vision of everyday life, he knows how to laugh at everyday life, often makes fun of the meaning of children's fairy tales, politicians and modern youth.

The modern illustrator works in the genre of everyday life with an emphasis on caricature. It is difficult not to notice and not remember the characters from the works of the Cossack. All of them are very colorful, expressive, and bright.

His breathtaking compositions are filled with the style of post-war aesthetics, which came into its own in the 50s of the twentieth century, retro shine is evident in literally everything: from the choice of the subject of the picture, and ending with the choice of colors.

Here is what Waldemar Kazak himself says about his style:

Like any person (or artist), I have my own handwriting. But I don’t nurture it, because I’m afraid to fall into mannerisms. In addition, a bright individual letter is in demand by the market. Yes, this is exactly what everyone knows.

Stunningly bright, exciting, eye-catching art drawings in the retro style of Waldemar Kazak will not leave anyone indifferent!