Product Description
When the original edition of this book was published, John Russell hailed it as a ‘massive contribution to our knowledge of one of the most fascinating and mysterious episodes in the history of modern art.’ It still remains the most compact, accurate and reasonably priced survey of sixty years of creative dynamic activity that profoundly influenced the progress of Western art and architecture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Book that Inspired My Interest in Russian Art
The best single volume on the Russian Avant Garde movement is 'The Russian Experiment in Art, 1863-1922 (World of Art)', orignally written by Camilla Gray (daughter in law of the composer Sergei Prokofiev), and revised by Dr. Marian Burleigh-Motley.Useful for anyone looking to understand how art is inspired by the historical climate of a period, in this case climaxing in a burst of optimism and energy after the end of Tsarist rule.

A perfect introduction
Gray provides an excellent introduction to Russian artists who are less well-known in the West only because of the Cold War and the lack of marketing on the part of the Russian museums. If Western museums had owned paintings by these artists, they would have been splashed across every screen saver, coffee mug and calendar. Gray does an admirable job of putting these artists into their fascinating historical context. If anyone is planning a trip to the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow or the Russian States Museum in Petersburg, this book is well worth reading. ... Read more

Product Description
The Art of Russian Cuisine brings 500 authentic russian recipes into your home, along with historical and cultural background that will capture your imagination.Amazon.com Review
The Art of Russian Cuisine is almost as immense as thevast expanses of Mother Russia. Filled with 500 recipes for classicRussian dishes, it also provides a history of Russian food andculinary life. Anne Volokh, a Russian food writer who eventuallyemigrated to the U.S., enlivens her work by including passages fromRussian literature and historical works. She concentrates on authenticcooking, often drawing recipes from A Gift to Young Housewiveswritten by Ellena Molokhovets in the 1870s. The result brings to lifehow Russians ate when their rivers ran thick with fish and aristocratshad French chefs invent elaborate dishes like Veal Orloff, made withtwo creamy sauces.

Naturally, Volokh starts with zakuski,the antipasto-like ceremony that can constitute a meal in itself;including herring, caviar, salads, even suckling pig in aspic. Forsoups, there are peasant-hearty borschts--which are actuallyUkrainian, not Russian--and spicy Selianka, an example of upper-classcooking. In Russia, each soup has a proper garnish or accompaniment;Volokh provides them all, from sliced eggs in cold borscht to yeastygarlic rolls with the hot kind. Dishes such as Beef Stroganoff,Stuffed Cabbage, proper Bliny and Pashka (the sweetened cheesedessert), require culinary expertise, great patience, or both tomake. But dishes such as Roasted Chicken with Raisin-Studded Stuffingand Baked Trout with Walnut-Based Satsivi Sauce are simple butrich.

If Russian food interests you, The Art of RussianCuisine is worth having for its traditional recipes and theenlightening exploration of their origins. --Dana Jacobi ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Ridiculous
I ordered this book November 2, and by the 30th it still hadn't arrived. When I contacted the seller she said that she had sent it out the next day, so it must have gotten lost in the mail. However, after reading the other negative reviews, I saw that this is not an uncommon complaint. She offered to send me a used copy, but having ordered and paid for a new one, I thought this ridiculous. I chose a refund fearing that it would take another month to never receive the second book. I would really like to know who's in charge of shipping out her products because they're horribly incompetent. Bad service.

Excellent book
I grew up in Russia.
Very good recipes, an excellent introduction to Russian cooking tradition.
Not the most complete.
The book is excellent at taking into account the availability (or the lack of) certain ingredients in US supermarkets.

great collection of recipes, with a few reservations
Love her quotes from Russian literature and summary of food preparation at the beginning of each chapter -- reading these intro sections makes your mouth water.In addition, most of the recipes are Russian or Franco-Russian, in contrast to certain other "Russian" cookbooks which include an overwhelming number of non-Russian ones from Commonwealth or Baltic countries (if I wanted recipes from those regions I wouldn't be shopping for a Russian cookbook, would I?)

I have tried many recipes in this book, and most have turned out quite well (her borshch is excellent).However, i use some as a general guide and improvise, and to jog my memory of the time i used to cook with my grandmother -- they are just not up to her standards.A number of them seem "sovietized" (my opinion, i've never lived there, but i know money was tight and some unusual or expensive ingredients were difficult to find for many years).

Example:my granny's paskha recipe calls for 5 lbs. bakers cheese, 20 yolks, 4 cups sugar, whipping cream, nearly 2 lbs. butter, lots of vanilla beans (among other things); Volokh's recipe is quite frugal in comparison.

I realize that good food takes time, but some recipes are WAY too time consuming, particularly those in the Pirogi section due to the way the chapter is structured, which forces you to flip back and forth between pages to assemble.

Overall, an excellent, comprehensive collection of Russian recipes (with a few from non-Russian Commonwealth regions).The Wild Game chapter is particularly impressive.

Would not call it the art, but the best Russian cookbook ...
It took me a long time to find a good Russian cookbook.This is the best one I discovered so far.
I was born in Russia, however, never learned how to cook Russian food.I missed my grandmother's cooking from my childhood.So, I started looking... "Taste of Russia" & "Please to the Table" are wonderful cookbooks with great recipies.However, they are not the recipies I remember my grandmother cooking."The Art of Russian Cuisine" includes almost all the recipies I could think of.
I definitely recommend this book to those of you who wants to taste the real Russian food, the one that Russians cook daily or for holidays.

Not impressed with the book
Knowing Russian cooking I haven't been impressed at all... ... Read more

Product Description
Defining Russian Graphic Arts explores the energy and innovation of Russian graphic arts during the period which began with the explosion of artistic creativity initiated by Serge Diaghilev at the end of the nineteenth century and which ended in the mid-1930s with Stalin's devastating control over the arts. This beautifully illustrated book represents the development of Russian graphic arts as a continuum during these forty years, and places Suprematism and Constructivism in the context of the other major, but lesser-known, manifestations of early twentieth-century Russian art. About 100 works borrowed from the National Library of Russia and the Research Museum of the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia-many seen here for the first time outside of Russia-are featured in this book. Additional works have been drawn from the Zimmerli Art Museum, The New York Public Library, and from other public and private collections. Together they provide a rare opportunity to view and learn about a wide variety of artists, from the acclaimed to the lesser known. ... Read more

Product Description
The book is the complete account of the history, production, varieties, and creators of the nesting doll that has become a symbol of Russian folk culture, if not Russia itself. Contributing to the history are commissioned studies from three of Russia's leading authorities on toys and folk art. The book includes 330 color plates, 200 of which are carefully selected examples of dolls. The examples include: historical dolls from museums in Russia; factory products made throughout the Soviet period in the villages of Sergiev Posad, Polkhovsky Maidan, Semyonov, Kirov, and Nolinsk; and artwork of independent artists, photographed in several of the artists' home-studios, in private collections, and in the inventory of importer-author Rett Ertl. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

excelent
the book Matrioska is excelente. The history, the artists, the evolution, all is very well explained and it is very easy understain. I am very happy to have this book, that I saw in Saint Petersburg, in a popular fair in front of the big church in the center city.

Not enough history
This is a beautiful book, and the pieces illustrated are variously charming, complex, and gorgeous.However, if you are more interested in older dolls than contemporary ones, there are very, very few photographs of historical pieces, maybe (not a scientific count) six to eight in the entire book.This is really a book on the modern industry and its techniques and artists, with only a 12 page history at the beginning to cover all the past.If contemporary dolls are your interest, you will be thrilled, but if you like older, traditional ones (not the Clintons and the Beatles), then it seems there may still be a need for another book to be written.

Russian Matryoshka Dolls
An extremely comprehensive book on the art of Matryoshka.Wonderfully enlightening with beautiful photograph. One of the best I've seen.

russian dolls
beautifully illustrated book.informative.however, the values of the dolls are not discussed.

Toy Woodcraft in Russia
This book is a wealth of information on Russian wooden toy and doll manufacture, especially the section on Sergei Posad, the major monastery
sited in the Golden Ring at what was formerly known as Zagorsk.
Founded by St Sergei of Radonyezh, carpenter and wood carver,
it still produces Russian ethnic folk art.
This book also covers the woods used, such birch or linden,
which is common in my native land of Highland Scotland
as well as Russia. The processes for the production of matrioshki
is described in detail;as are the artists who paint them.
A brilliant book!
PS: Amazon.com promised arrival of this item to Scotland in 30 days.
It took only two weeks to arrive. Well done Amazon and the shippers
and a Happy New Year!
John C Cameron, Easter Ross, Beautiful Sunny Scotland
... Read more

Product Description
This book argues that Socialist Realist paintings, typically seen by western art historians as examples of retrograde art and by scholars of Soviet history simply as propaganda, were a part of an extensive program of skillful artistic practice coupled with masterful propaganda. Socialist Realist painting generally has been seen as mass art - in other words, not considered to be of the caliber of high art such as traditional oil painting. Yet, painting was indeed a form of mass art and, at the same time, qualifies as being considered high art. Socialist Realist painting was neither one thing exclusively nor the other, but will be explored as having developed as a continual and constant interplay among three complimentary threads: representations of the future and the present; legitimate art and adroit propaganda; and, a configuration of both mass art and high art. Did Socialist Realist paintings present the storied future or the contemporary milieu? How, and in what way, did these paintings depict a here-and-now reality and, at the same time, propagate the mythic elements of future Soviet achievements?What enabled Socialist Realist paintings to be fine art and concurrently function as tools of propaganda? How did Socialist Realism operate as both high art and mass art? These are the main questions answered in this monograph through relevant images of collectivization, one of the two major branches of Stalin's five-year plans. ... Read more

Product Description
In the 1960s and 1970s, an American professor of Soviet economics forayed on his own in the Soviet Union, bought the work of underground “unofficial” artists, and brought it out himself or arranged to have it illegally shipped to the United States. Norton Dodge visited the apartments of unofficial artists in at least a dozen geographically scattered cities. By 1977, he had a thousand works of art. His ultimate window of interest involved the years from 1956 to 1986, and through his established contacts he eventually acquired another eight thousand works—by far the largest collection of its kind.

John McPhee investigates Dodge’s clandestine activities in the service of dissident Soviet art, his motives for his work, and the fates of several of the artists whose lives he touched. The Ransom of Russian Art is a suspenseful, chilling, and fascinating report on a covert operation like no other. It offers unprecedented insight into Soviet culture at the brink of the Union’s collapse.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Mr. Magoo smuggles art out of a dictatorship and creates the only real collection of an era
The Ransom of Russian Art, by John McPhee.McPhee is a Pulitzer Prize winner who in the past has specialized in geology but really can write anything that has real people in real situations (e.g., Giving Good Weight and Looking for a Ship).In this book a chance encounter with a truly eccentric man on a train leads to a story about -- an unparalleled rescue from the Soviet Union, not of Jews, not of intellectuals, not of political dissidents or of oppressed minorities, but of the canvases of dissident artists.
The leading character is Norton Townshend Dodge.He is so well detailed by McPhee and his on words, and so far off the bubble from a boring American standard, that he must surely be a bit self aware and self-inventing.Mysterious money (basically the story is that the family knew Benjamin Graham and paid attention to him), academic economic curiosity coupled with an interest in art, a way of blundering around that worked in the U.S.S.R for no apparent reason, too many friends and acquaintances that were in the CIA, and a strange moldering estate in America that housed the only significant collection of Soviet dissident art in the world - what's not to like?
The portrayal of the Russian artists is less compelling, either because McPhee had less contact and a looser type of relationship with the artists after the fact, or because these artists are largely lost without the suppressing force of authority to define their art and ideas.There are some lovely sections that show fear, jealousy (beating up a rival lover and throwing her papers into the lions' den of the Moscow zoo), alcoholism, the need to hide and the need to show. Others' opinion of Dodge is both amusing and makes him more multi-dimensional.
In the end, Dodge was one of the few forms of subsidization and patronage that kept a select, but large, number of Soviet artists alive and in vodka.The lovely color plates of select Dodge paintings show a bewildering number of styles and a vibrant culture of hidden art.Perhaps creativity does feed off crisis and suppression.
Buy this book, but give it to a good friend.

Buff writing about emotion and tragedy
An eccentric American professor of economics, Norton Dodge, travelsthroughout the Soviet Union during the 1960s and `70s and into the `80s. Hespends several million dollars on dissident art, smuggling it out of thecountry, in deep violation of Soviet law but not the US's. John McPheereports on the story, after the fact, and includes vivid descriptions ofthe artists and their relationships with one another, Dodge and the Sovietstate. The Soviet state, of course, is the hulking force behind the story,responsible for making the artists dissidents and causing various amongthem, from time to time, to disappear or die. So McPhee asks Dodge how hemanaged to assemble the collection. Was Dodge a representative of the KGB?the CIA? McPhee defers to Dodge's explanations, but McPhee's recounting ofhis conversation with Dodge about CIA involvement in the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement of Slavic Studies may engender in theimagination of some readers a hint of the suspicion and paranoia thatsuffused the culture that originally created the art. About Norton Dodgeand his collection (now housed at Rutgers University), the poet KonstantinKuzminsky says, "Norton thinks art is international. I insist it'spurely national." "Americans are afraid of everything whichcauses too much emotion and tragedy. That is the problem between East andWest." Which suggests the gulfs in passion and experience separatingthis story of Russian art from the trig completeness suggested by McPhee'sprose.

Bob Niles ... Read more

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An Exhibition from the Soviet Union ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

19th century Russian Art

Beautiful work I had never seen before.And probably not seen by many in the west.

An Excellent Catalog of an Exhibition of the Wanderers (Itinerants)
If you are primarily interested in precise color as well as good explanations of the movement in all of its stages, I'd strongly recommend THE WANDERERS: MASTERS OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY RUSSIAN PAINTING: AN EXHIBITION FROM THE SOVIET UNION, which does include a number of well-known (to those familiar with the artists) paintings of the Itinerants/Wanderers. Entire sections on the patrons and critics of the artists as well as biographies of artists are an added bonus in this catalog. That three of my favorite paintings, which weren't part of the exhibition, were at least shown in black and white and discussed also made this catalog well worth purchasing, especially as I found a good copy of it for $18!

If, however, you are looking for a comprehensive study that includes all of the major works and if you can find a copy of it, I'd strongly recommend Elena Nesterova's THE ITINERANTS: THE MASTERS OF RUSSIAN REALISM.The only criticism I have of it is that the color is a bit off, especially in the larger paintings.Nevertheless, that this book includes 2-page color spreads of Repin's "Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council" and Surikov's "Morning of the Streltsy Bodyguards' Execution" is worth much, as are the excellent explanations of the movement and its members. ... Read more

Product Description

The notion of the frame in art can refer not only to a material frame bordering an image, but also to a conceptual frame. Both meanings are essential to how the work is perceived. In Framing Russian Art, art historian Oleg Tarasov investigates the role of the frame in its literal function of demarcating a work of art and in its conceptual function affectingthe understanding of what is seen.

            The first part of the book is dedicated to the framework of the Russian icon. Here, Tarasov explores the historical and cultural meanings of the icon’s,setting, and of the iconostasis. Tarasov’s study then moves through Russian and European art from ancient times to the twentieth century, including abstract art and Suprematism. Along the way, Tarasov pays special attention to the Russian baroque period and the famous nineteenth century Russian battle painter Vasily Vereshchagin.  This enlightening account of the cultural phenomenon of the frame and its ever-changing functions will appeal to students and scholars of Russian art history.

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Customer Reviews (3)

Incredible
This is an incredible book! The projects are beautiful. The instructions are clear. I love this book.

Love this book!
I am so happy with this book. I am new to this style of painting, and the projects are made very easy!

Russian Decorative Painting - Techniques & Projects Made Easy
A book by Priscilla Hauser and Boris Grafov which is beautifully presented but I think a beginner would have difficulty with the projects.There are pages dealing with some of the "basics" (such as brush loading, palette preparation etc) which would not be necessry for a painter with some experience.What is helpful to anyone new to the Zhostovo style are the techniques required to paint the leaves and flowers and this is shown in close-up and color very well. There are 10 projects featured and the book finishes with a superb gallery of completed pieces from various collections and these are an inspiration in themselves.The paintings throughout the book are in oils. ... Read more

Product Description
This revised and up-dated history confines itself to Russia west of the Urals, the Russia whose artistic beginnings lay in the response of a newly settled people to the impact of Christianity and the Byzantine Empire. In the first centuries the arts flourished and developed in the independent states and principalities, but gradually native schools in centres like Novgorod and Kiev gave way to centralization based on Moscow. From the emergence of Russia under Peter the Great until the late 19th century, specifically Russian qualities gave way to Western European inspiration and advice. However, as the 19th century developed, there was a reaction from foreign domination and this led to the rediscovery of native traditions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Plain but correct
English books about Russian art history are usually just covering separate areas. This book gives a nice overview covering early architecture, icon painting up to modern times. There are other books out there that are more comprehensive, but the once I could find were all written in Russian. And although I can read Russian, for ease of reading I was happy to at least find one book written in English to complete my Russian library and prepare for my exams. The book covered most I needed to know and I could find little places were the information was not in sync with the information I got from Russian books and my lectures.

It would, like other reviewers already pointed out, had been nice if at least some pictures were printed in colour, but I didn't find this a very big problem since pictures of the art presented in this book are easily found on the internet. More important to me is that the text, although dry at times, is well written, correct, informative and covering a lot of ground.

scholarly books aren't always "pretty"
This book is a volume in a scholarly series designed to present the largest number of pictures and plans at a reasonable price (I know, $30 is hardly cheap, but look at some prices for scholarly books).It is not meant to be much fun.Sorry!

Art and Architecture in Russia
I'm very disappointed in this book.Except for the cover, there is not asingle colored picture.The text is difficult both because it is tootechnical and because the type is too small.For a $30 soft cover book, Iexpected stunning pictures of Russia's fascinating architecture and art,accompanied by interesting text.Each museum in Russia has a beautiful,full color book at a much lower cost than this one.If you get to Russia,make sure you buy everything you want there, because there seems to benothing comparable available in this country. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

interesting subject and coverage but the book is too small
While agreeing with the generally laudatory comments posted by the other reviewers of this book, I would like to inform the prospective purchaser of a few negative aspects to take into consideration. Firstly the size of the publication is roughly equivalent to that of a large paperback novel; ideally given its nature it should be bigger.

The book is very liberally illustrated-an average of 2 photographs per page (although they tend to be clumped together). Thus some of the reproductions-which are of good quality- can be very small in dimension. Furthermore the print size of the text is also small and not particularly comfortable to read. I realise I might be sounding picky, but had the publishers presented this book in a more generous dimension, it would be far more recommendable.

The most fascinating period in the world of art
I have been fascinated by this short yet very special period in history where amazing artistic creations occured, which casted longlasting influences on all the art forms later on.There have been bits and pieces of information about this period in English, but this book summerizes beautifully with gorgeous illustrations.This is the great source of inspirations for art curators to make a very magical exhibition.

a stunning book
as I looked through it, I was amazed that it didn't contain the same tired photographs and reproductions of the period. Where the author found them is not anywhere as important as that he did and I must laud him for including them in his book. A thoroughly first rate book on a subject that something is known about but not as much as many of us would like. Definitely worth the 5 stars!

The artistic personalities and achievements represented by two outstanding decades of an artistic renaissance in Tsarist Russia
Before the domination of Communist state-sponsored and approved art with the political ascension of the Bolsheviks, Moscow and St. Petersburg, the premier cities of Russia, were home to vibrant, creative, and extraordinary communities of artists, architects, writers, dancers, and musicians. "Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920 -- Art, Life & Culture Of The Russian Silver Age" by academician and specialist in Russian art history John Bowlt (Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Southern California, Los Angeles) is a superbly written work of meticulous scholarship providing an informed and informative history of the artistic personalities and achievements represented by two outstanding decades of an artistic renaissance in a Tsarist Russia that were the last free form art movement that country was to see until the collapse of the Soviet Union. Enhanced with the inclusion of 650 illustrations (400 of which are in color), "Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920" also features a section of extensive notes, a glossary of terms and abbreviations, a bibliography for further reading, and a comprehensive index. A truly seminal work, "Moscow & St. Petersburg: 1900-1920" is especially recommended for academic library European Art History and Russian Cultural Studies reference collections in general, and the personal reading lists for students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in pre-Soviet Russian contributions to the arts in particular.

A lush, invaluable reference guide to the Silver Age
This lushly illustrated volume captures the artistic explosion that was Russia's Silver Age. From Blok
and Akhmatova, to Stravinsky, Bakst, Repin, Pasternak, Vrubel and Meyerhold, the first two decades of the 20th century were a time of exciting and colorful artistic experimentation in Russia. As Bowlt (a member of this magazine's Advisory Board) writes in the introduction: "there was something unique and unrepeatable about the Russian Silver Age. It acknowledged the new art and science of the West, but tailored them to local exigencies so as to produce an effervescent cocktail..."

With thematic chapters exploring everything from ballet to Symbolism (and of course the glowering backdrop of revolution and imperial decline) and a thoroughly enthralling collection of photography and artwork (650 illustrations in all), Bowlt has assembled an uncommonly beautiful and useful reference on an era which too often is overshadowed by the hurricane of repression that inundated it.

We will never see anything again like the Silver Age, not in Russia, nor anywhere else. But, thanks to this new work, we can walk through it again, albeit at our almost incomprehensible historical remove. (Reviewed in Russian Life) ... Read more

Product Description
This first comprehensive survey of Ilya Repinís work to be overseen by a Western art historian features a wealth of previously unseen paintings, eye-catching and dramatic works that bring to life Russian society in the last years of the tsars. Repin, who lived from 1844 to 1930, was the finest and most celebrated painter of his generation, and an important influence in shaping a distinctly Russian school within nineteenth-century Realism. His often-controversial works addressed subjects including the hard lives of the peasants, the fates of revolutionary activists, loaded episodes of Russian history and some of the nationís greatest cultural figures, many of whom he counted as personal friends, including Tolstoy, Musorgsky and Gorky. His vibrant, colorful and topical canvases offer a fascinating panorama of the issues that were swirling in the minds of his contemporaries, and an unusual view of all strata of life during this crucial period of historical change. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Repin who?
To those of you (us) artist looking for inspiration away from the shrill squeal of Koons, Hirst, etc., take heart. There is art available to inspire as never before. This book is the perfect example of inspiration. Ten years ago Repin was all but unknown to most of us in the west. Thanks to a groundbreaking show in 2002 at the Groninger Museum in Holland his genius has been exposed to the rest of the world. Now we have this wonderful resource.

I count about 100 color reproductions in this books. Of that 100, I would say that about six are below standard. Most are in the good to excellent range. That assessment might change were I to be standing in front of the paintings with the book in hand. But I, like most of the reviewers here, will most likely never be in the presence of the originals. My guess is that we might be very disheartened by most of our art books were we to judge their reproductions by the originals. If you are worried about the quality of the reproductions, do not.

Repin is rightly held in the highest esteem for his portrayal of personalities in his portraits and his dramatic compositions in many of his large historical work. His portraits are stunning! The book does an outstanding job of reproducing some of his best. To top it all off, the book is very readable. No deconstruction. No revelations regarding his sexual life. The text follows a thematic approach as opposed to a strait biography. The author quite clearly states his reason for writing the book: "The purpose of this book then is simple if ambitious; to place Repin back in the public arena and to re consolidate a formidable and once familiar talent within the discipline of art history." Well done Dr Jackson!

For those of you who like Serov, Kroyer, Zorn, Zuloaga, Sorolla, Degas, Sargent, Mancini, etc., you will really appreciate this book on Repin!

A word from the author
As the author of this work I would like to thank all those who have made such complimentary remarks. In defence of my publisher I would like to point out that we relied solely for our reproductions on the images supplied by Russian museums and galleries, where quality control could be better. Many times we were faced with the dilemma either to go with the reproduction supplied, or show nothing, and given the range and scope of Repin's work we always felt it best to at least show something, rather than just write about it. Given that this is the only title on the market that is so extensively illustrated we hope it will serve its purpose of boosting Repin's appeal. Thanks again to everybody who has been so kind with their comments. It was indeed for me `a labour of love.'

A keystone of Russian Art
Westerners have little cultural exposure to Russian art, which is extremely unfortunate since there are several naturalist painters - Aivazovsky, Levitan, Repin and Shishkin come to mind - whose works should be widely known and appreciated for technical execution, even if the viewer is not a particular fan of representational painting. I was introduced to the painters above through a chapter in Paul Johnson's Art: A New History (a 5-star book), and based on the limited samples therein, I set about acquiring one good book on each of them.

The specific painting chosen by Johnson to celebrate Repin's skill is "The Return," a dramatic evocation of the family turmoil and shock created by the unexpected release of a political prisoner from a labor camp, and his entrance into the family sitting room. This painting is so compelling that acquiring a Repin book became a high priority. I had especially wanted to see other examples of his work detailing the environment of Russian political repression. After several years of false starts and trying to order books on perpetual back-order, I succeeded in locating this volume, which probably ranks as the definitive Repin book available in English.

It is true, as another reviewer stated, that the color reproductions leave something to be desired - and may even be atrocious - but the book showcases Repin's development as a painter, and his historical importance as a member of the Wanderers school. In particular, it demonstrates his mastery of many themes going far beyond the scope of "political repression," which is what Johnson's example and text discussion had led me to expect.

My quibble with the book is the dearth of color plates. Given that Repin's oeuvre is so inaccessible to Westerners, the more that could have been stuffed in the book, the better.

GREATTT!!
Repin is the great virtuoso of the russian art.This beautiful book showing his art and his period.Book's paper quality and binding extra fine.As well giant art catalog!If you want a repin book, you will order this!

Took me twenty five years to get an Ilya Repin book!
If you love art - wonderful meaningful art - get this book. If you need a gift idea for a culture vulture friend or a sentimental Russian - buy this book.
It is really a satisfying art book. I have over a thousand art books and this one floats my boat. ... Read more

Product Description
Spanning generations and genres, from Sots Art and Necrorealism to neo-Marxist performance groups and emerging artists, this comprehensive catalogue presents a fresh look at contemporary Russian art. Russian Art in Translation showcases both new and midcareer artists and scholars through a range of commissioned contributions including original writing and scholarship, new translations and a diverse array of artists' projects.Produced through an approach that was both curatorial and editorial, this unique printed document captures the energy and dissent of Russian cultural production in a globalized art world and a post-Communist milieu. Reaching beyond the cultural capitals of St. Petersburg and Moscow to provincial cites as well as expatriate and emigre communities, Russian Art in Translation provides a compelling and unprecedented portrait of Russian art. Designed by Dmitri Siegel using the Cyrillic alphabet. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Worth reading for Russian avant-garde art history
This is a very interesting book about the collector of one of the world's largest collections of Russian and Soviet avant-garde art.George Costakis, ethnically a Greek but culturally a Russian, as the title suggests, worked in the Canadian embassy during the mid-20th century and also collected Malevich, Rozanova, Filonov, Popova, Rodchenko, and Kandinsky during a time when the art was completely devalued and seen as worthless.The most interesting part of the book deals with Costakis' collecting, which can be seen as saving the art.For example, some paintings had been used as building material for dachas or for children's treehouses when Costakis rescued them.
The author of the book, however, isn't a professional writer, and it shows.Parts of the book are awkward and don't really go together.He did conduct extensive interviews with Costakis, some of which are interesting for Soviet history more broadly, as are Costakis' drawing of a gulag camp at Kotlas.
Overall, however, if you have an interest in Russian and Soviet avant-garde art, this is definitely a book worth having. ... Read more

Product Description
From the first Modernist exhibitions in the late 1890s to the Soviet rupture with the West in the mid-1930s, Russian artists and writers came into wide contact with modern European art and ideas. Introducing a wealth of little-known material set in an illuminating interpretive context, this sourcebook presents Russian and Soviet views of Western art during this critical period of cultural transformation. The writings document complex responses to these works and ideas before the Russians lost contact with them almost entirely. Many of these writings have been unavailable to foreign readers and, until recently, were not widely known even to Russian scholars. Both an important reference and a valuable resource for classrooms, the book includes an introductory essay and shorter introductions to the individual sections. ... Read more

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