Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art presented an exhibition by Yuri Rysukhin whose artworks evoke an idealised, seemingly timeless vision of the Orenburg countryside
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More than 20 paintings inviting unhurried contemplation by the attentive viewer
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Idyllic scenes of languid country life
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Natural and architectural landscapes full of enchanting beauty
In the course of a half-century career, Yuri Rysukhin fleshed out his inimitable vision of an idealised, seemingly timeless Orenburg countryside. Here, scenes of languid country life seamlessly blend in with harmonious landscapes comprised of hills, riverbends, churches, and houses. Winter, spring, summer, and autumn views, ostensibly segueing into each other, form a measured cycle, conveying a lyrical version of a slow-paced and self-contained existence wherein the real is in accord with the ideal, and prose turns into melodic poetry. One feels compelled to enter this world, see this distant land, and immerse oneself in this pastoral.
Always visually rich, the artist’s works do not boil down to the immediate effect of several striking chromatic combinations. On the contrary, being quite a feast for the eyes, they invite unhurried contemplation by the attentive viewer. Grand vistas are complemented by amazing details of landscape and everyday life – scenes of labour and leisure, bathing and celebration. As a rule, any action takes place against the backdrop of universal being. Even paintings of interiors show blue stretches of horizon bursting in through the windows.
All these dreamlike reminiscences, soul’s yearnings for an earthly paradise that has been lost or simply never existed seem to be superimposed on the actual Orenburg landscapes, church domes, and tree branches. Views of nature and architecture accommodating scenes of the pristine daily life are full of enchanting beauty. In Rysukhin’s paintings, man is part of the Creation, while the Orenburg land is a world unto itself, harmonious and intrinsically valuable. Should we resort to metaphor in assuming that the role of an artist is to remind us that humans were made in the image and likeness of God and that Earth was created inherently beautiful, then Yuri is one of those few intuitively working in this paradigm. Ultimately, the artist manages to locate the ideal life of his in the pastoral Orenburg.
Holder of the honorary title Distinguished Artist of the Russian Federation, an extraordinary and original talent, Yuri Rysukhin (b. 1947) is one of the linchpins of the Orenburg cultural scene. Rysukhin has been organising the annual 100 Pictures by Orenburg Artists show since 1997 and acts as Art Director of the Orenburg gallery. In 2013, Yuri had a solo show at the Marble Palace, a branch of the State Russian Museum. His artworks were showcased in many other regional, national, and international exhibitions, as well as featured in an auction at Hôtel Drouot in Paris, among other institutions. Yuri Rysukhin’s art is in the permanent collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, Russian Museum, Orenburg Oblast Museum of Fine Arts, G.A. Travnikov Kurgan Oblast Art Museum, Novokuznetsk Art Museum, Magnitogorsk Art Gallery, and private collections in Germany, France, and Italy.
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