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Title: Soviet Impressionism by Vern Grosvenor Swanson ISBN: 1-85149-280-1 Publisher: Antique Collectors Club Pub. Date: June, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $75.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Impressions of the Art, not the author
Comment: This book displays the great Russian Impressionists, who ignored the weak, blotter-like colors and meekly dabbing brush work of the French. The book is well worth the price. Russian, Italian, Spanish and even American, Impressionism by far exceeds in style, vigor, spontonaety and boldness of color, that of the French. The French, however, because so many Americans lived there got more headlines. Serov, Irolli, Michetti, Mancini, Sarolla, Fattori and even Sargeant and Brangwyn, are all superior draughtsmen and colorists, with broad slashing, powerful, brush work and able to maintain brilliant color use in huge paintings, as anyone who paints knows is a prodigious feat. Among the French only Manet comes close to those I've mentioned, but even he pales in comparison.
Rating: 3
Summary: Case of Mistaken Identity
Comment: It is hard to disagree that this book is well published and probably, along with Bown's Socialist Realist Painting, is the best book on the official Art in the Soviet Union. The quality of reproductions is superb. However, Swanson chooses to see the Socialis Realist Art as Impressionism, and under this newly changed name tag he begins the revisionist compaign ( as did Mr.Bown). What could possibly lead to such a switch in style's identities? It seems that this erroneous view is based on the fact that many of the sketches, landscape studies, and other works ,done from nature, by the Soviet artist do bear some stylistic affinity to the loose and airy impressionist technique. However, such affinity is due to the educational methods of the Soviet academies, where students worked with live models, worked outdoors, etc. Such practices , together with the influence of French and Russian Impressionists of the Nineteenth century, would definitely lead the artists to a more impressionistic portrayal of nature. But, as majority of the works reproduced in the book show, contrary to Mr. Swanson's thesis, Soviet Impressionism has NEVER existed in the form other than small percentage of the Soviet artists artistic output, and as such, it was motivated to be "impressionistic" more by the fact that people would rather buy something "pretty", like a landscape or a still life. Official commisions of oversized Communist compositions were only occasional for many artists, and "Impressionism" provided them with the Marketable Style on the side. This would classify the Soviet Impressionism more as the Soviet Opportunist Realism inside the Larger Socialist Realist Tradition. Soviet Impressionism/ Socialist Realism has never been interested in the portrayal of real world around, it was staging the reality, beautifying it and distorting it. As such it is not worthy of being "Impressionism", if one calls the art of Degas, Cezanne, and Manet the same name. In short the book is the sad example of great pictorial beauty and false revisionist doctrines.
Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful!
Comment: Not only are the photos fabulous, but the text is the most comprehensive and informative account yet of this powerful school of art. Vern Swanson is not afraid to tell it as he sees it. This book is so far the best one written on the subject of Russian Impressionism/Socialist Realism.
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Title: Socialist Realist Painting by Matthew Bown, Matthew Cullerne Bown ISBN: 0300068441 Publisher: Yale University Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 1998 List Price(USD): $90.00 |
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Title: Valentin Serov : Portraits of Russia's Silver Age by Elizabeth Valkenier ISBN: 0810118262 Publisher: Northwestern University Press Pub. Date: 27 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Asaro: A New Romanticism by Robert Perine ISBN: 0936725060 Publisher: John Asaro Pub. Date: February, 1992 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Frank W. Benson : American Impressionist by Faith Andrews Bedford, William H. Gerdts ISBN: 0847816095 Publisher: Rizzoli Pub. Date: 03 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $60.00 |
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Title: Sight & Insight: The Art of Burton Silverman by Burt Silverman, the Butler Institute of American Art, Butler Institute of American Art, Burton, P. Silverman, Robert L. McGrath, Phillip Saietta ISBN: 0942604687 Publisher: Madison Square Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 1999 List Price(USD): $59.00 |
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