Unearthly beauty: women in painting in different directions. Illustrations by Waldemar Cossack Nude paintings by famous artists

In art, there are eternal themes... One of them is the topic of women, the topic 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 to create her. 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 a poetic ideal in the harmonious unity of his spiritual qualities and external appearance. From the portraits, we can judge how social events, fashion, literature, art and painting itself affect a woman's appearance, her emotional makeup.

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

REALISM

The essence of the direction is the most accurate and objective recording of reality. The birth of realism in painting is most often associated with creativity French artist Gustave Courbet, who opened his personal exhibition "Pavilion of Realism" in Paris in 1855. Opposite 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 and photographically as possible.

Ivan Kramskoy "Unknown"

Serov "Girl with Peaches"

ACADEMISM

Academism grew up following the outer forms of classical art. Academism embodied tradition antique art, in which the image of nature is idealized. For Russian academism of the first half of the 19th century, sublime themes, a high metaphorical style, versatility, multi-figuredness and pomp are characteristic. Biblical subjects, salon landscapes and ceremonial portraits were popular. While the subject matter of the paintings was limited, the works of the academics were distinguished by their high technical skill.

Bouguereau "Pleiade"

Bouguereau "Mood"

Cabanel "The Birth of Venus"

IMPRESSIONISM

Representatives of the style sought to most naturally and impartially capture the real world in its mobility and changeability, to convey their fleeting impressions. French impressionism did not raise philosophical problems. 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 avoided such problems as hunger, disease, death. Biblical, literary, mythological, historical plots inherent in official academicism were discarded. They took plots of flirting, dancing, staying in cafes and theaters, boat trips, on beaches and in gardens. Judging by the paintings of the Impressionists, then life is a line of small holidays, parties, pleasant pastime 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, striving for innovation, cosmopolitanism have become a model for most modern art trends. They used symbols, innuendo, hints, mystery, enigma. The main mood was often pessimism, reaching despair. Unlike other trends in art, symbolism assumes the expression of "unattainable", sometimes mystical ideas, images of Eternity and Beauty.

Redon "Ophelia"

Franz von Stuck "Salome"

Watts "Hope"

Rosseti "Persephone"

MODERN

Modern sought 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, an interest in the applied arts: interior design, ceramics, book graphics... Art Nouveau artists drew inspiration from art 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. Art Nouveau artists often took ornaments from the flora as the basis of their drawings.

Klimt "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I"

Klimt "Danae"

Klimt "Three ages of women"

Fly "Fruit"

EXPRESSIONISM

Expressionism is one of the most influential art movements of the 20th century. Expressionism arose as a reaction to the 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 a desire for irrationality. The motives 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 a human being. The face is nature's greatest creation. I use it tirelessly, ”he repeated.

Modigliani "Sleeping Nude"

Schiele "Woman in Black Stockings"

CUBISM

Cubism is a modernist movement in the visual arts (mainly in painting) of the 1st quarter of the 20th century, which brought to the fore the formal task of constructing a three-dimensional form on a plane, minimizing the visual and cognitive functions of art. The emergence of Cubism is traditionally dated 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 visual illusion of the world on a plane. The work of the Cubists was a challenge to the standard beauty of salon art, vague allegories of symbolism, and the fragility of impressionist painting. Entering the circle of rebellious, anarchic, individualistic trends, Cubism stood out among them with a tendency towards the asceticism of color, towards simple, weighty, tangible forms and elementary motives.

Picasso "Weeping Woman"

Picasso "Mandolin player"

Picasso "Maidens of Avignon"

SURREALISM

The basic concept of surrealism, surreality- combination of sleep and reality. For this, the surrealists proposed an absurd, contradictory combination of naturalistic images through collage and the movement of an object from a non-artistic space to an artistic one, 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 radical leftist ideology, but they suggested starting the revolution from their own minds. They thought of art as the main instrument of liberation. This direction developed under the great influence of the theory of psychoanalysis by Freud. Surrealism was rooted in Symbolism and was originally 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.

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This artist, who graduated from the Tver Art School in 1994 with a degree in graphic design, boggles the mind with his extraordinary style and beautiful compositions.

He is the creator of truly unique illustrations with a retro twist. 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 a genre genre with a bias towards caricature. It is difficult not to notice and remember the characters from the works of Cossack. All of them are very colorful, expressive, and bright.

His breathtaking compositions are filled with the style of the post-war aesthetics, which came into its own in the 50s of the twentieth century, retro brilliance manifests itself in literally everything: from the choice of the plot of the painting, to 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 foster it, because I’m afraid of falling into pretentiousness. In addition, a bright individual letter is in demand by the market. Yes, in fact, and so everyone knows.

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

World history visual arts remembers many amazing incidents associated with the creation and further adventures famous paintings... This is because for real artists, life and work are too closely linked.

The Scream by Edvard Munch

Year of creation: 1893
Materials: cardboard, oil, tempera, pastel
Where is: National Gallery,

Famous painting The Scream by the Norwegian expressionist painter Edvard Munch is a favorite topic of discussion for mystics around the world. Some people think that the canvas predicted the terrible events of the 20th century with its wars, environmental disasters and the Holocaust. Others are sure that the painting brings misfortune and illness to its offenders.

Munch's own life can hardly be called prosperous: he lost many relatives, was repeatedly treated in a psychiatric clinic, and was never married.

By the way, the artist reproduced the painting "The Scream" four times.

It is believed that she is the result of the manic-depressive psychosis from which Munch suffered. One way or another, the sight of a desperate man with a large head, open mouth and hands applied to his face still shocks everyone who looks at the canvas today.

"The Great Masturbator" by Salvador Dali

Year of creation: 1929
Materials: oil, canvas
Location: Reina Sofia Center for the Arts,

The general public saw the painting "The Great Masturbator" only after the death of the master of outrageous and the most famous surrealist Salvador Dali. The artist kept it in his own collection at the Dalí Theater-Museum in Figueres. It is believed that an unusual canvas can tell a lot about the personality of the author, in particular about his painful attitude towards sex. However, we can only guess what motives are actually hidden in the picture.

This is akin to solving a puzzle: in the center of the picture there is an angular profile looking down, similar to either Dali himself or a rock on the coast of a Catalan city, and a naked female figure rises in the lower part of the head - a copy of the artist's mistress Gala. The painting also features locusts, which caused Dali an inexplicable fear, and ants are a symbol of decay.

Egon Schiele's "family"

Year of creation: 1918
Materials: oil, canvas
Location: Gallery "Belvedere",

At one time, the beautiful painting of the Austrian artist Egon Schiele was called pornography, and the artist was imprisoned for allegedly seducing a minor.

At such a price, he was given the love of his teacher's model. Schiele's paintings are one of the best examples of Expressionism, yet they are naturalistic and full of frightening despair.

Schiele's models were often teenagers and prostitutes. In addition, the artist was fascinated by himself - his legacy includes a wide variety of self-portraits. Schiele wrote the painting The Family three days before his own death, depicting his pregnant wife who died from the flu and their unborn child. Perhaps not the strangest, but definitely the most tragic work of the painter.

"Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer" by Gustav Klimt

Year of creation: 1907
Materials: oil, canvas
Location: New Gallery,

History of creation famous painting Austrian artist Gustav Klimt "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer" can rightfully be called shocking. The wife of the Austrian sugar magnate Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer became the artist's muse and mistress. Wanting to take revenge on both of them, the wounded husband decided to resort to an original method: he ordered a portrait of his wife from Klimt and tormented him with endless quibbles, forcing him to make hundreds of sketches. In the end, this led to the fact that Klimt lost his former interest in his model.

Work on the painting continued for several years, and Adele watched her lover's feelings fade away. Ferdinand's insidious plot was never revealed. Today the "Austrian Mona Lisa" is considered a national treasure of Austria.

"Black Supermatic Square" by Kazimir Malevich

Year of creation: 1915
Materials: oil, canvas
Where is: State Tretyakov Gallery,

Almost a hundred years have passed since the Russian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich created his famous creation, and disputes and discussions continue to this day. The picture that appeared in 1915 at the futuristic exhibition "0.10" in the "red corner" of the hall intended for the icon shocked the public and forever glorified the artist. True, today few people know that supermatic paintings are non-objective painting in which color rules the ball, and the "Black Square" is not really black and not at all square.

By the way, one of the versions of the history of the creation of the canvas says: the artist did not have time to finish the work on the painting, so he was forced to cover the work with black paint, at that moment his friend came into the studio and exclaimed: “Brilliant!”.

The Origin of the World by Gustave Courbet

Year of creation: 1866
Materials: oil, canvas
Location: Musée d'Orsay,

The painting by the French realist artist Gustave Courbet was considered extremely provocative for a very long time and was not known to the general public for more than 120 years. A naked woman lying on a bed with outstretched legs, and today causes an ambiguous reaction from viewers. For this reason, in the Musée d'Orsay, the painting is guarded by one of the employees.

In 2013, a French collector announced that he had stumbled across the part of the picture in which the model's head is visible in one of the antique shops in Paris. Experts have confirmed the assumption that the artist posed for Joanna Hiffernan (Joe). While working on the painting, she was love affair with Courbet's student - the artist James Whistler. The picture provoked their separation.

"A man and a woman in front of a heap of excrement" by Joan Miró

Year of creation: 1935
Materials: oil, copper
Location: Joan Miró Foundation,

A rare viewer when looking at a painting Spanish artist and the sculptor Joan Miró would be associated with horror civil war... But it was precisely the period of pre-war unrest in 1935 in Spain that served as the theme of the painting with the promising title "A Man and a Woman in Front of a Heap of Excrement." This is a premonition picture.

She depicts a ridiculous "cave" couple who are drawn to each other, but cannot budge. Enlarged genitals, poisonous colors, scattered figures against a dark background - all this predicted, according to the artist, the approaching tragic events.

Most of Joan Miró's paintings are abstractions and surrealistic works, and the mood they convey is joyful.

"Water Lilies" by Claude Monet

Year of creation: 1906
Materials: oil, canvas
Location: private collections

The cult painting of the French impressionist Claude Monet "Water Lilies" is notorious - it is no coincidence that it is called "fire hazardous". This string of suspicious coincidences continues to amaze many skeptics. The first incident happened right in the artist's studio: Monet and his friends were celebrating the completion of work on the painting, when suddenly a small fire broke out.

The picture was saved, and soon it was bought by the owners of the cabaret in Montmartre, but less than a month later, the institution also suffered from a severe fire. The next "victim" of the canvas was the Parisian philanthropist Oscar Schmitz, whose office caught fire a year after the "Water Lilies" were hung there. And again the painting managed to survive. This year, a private collector purchased Water Lilies for $ 54 million.

"Maidens of Avignon" by Pablo Picasso

Year of creation: 1907
Materials: oil, canvas
Where is the museum contemporary art,

“It feels like you wanted to feed us tow or to give us gasoline,” - this is how Picasso’s friend, artist Georges Braque, spoke of the painting “Maidens of Avignon”. The canvas really became scandalous: the public adored the artist's old, tender and sad, works, and the abrupt transition to Cubism caused alienation.

Feminine figures with rough masculine faces and angular arms and legs were too far from the graceful Girl on the Ball.

Friends turned away from Picasso, Matisse was extremely unhappy with the picture. However, it was the "Maidens of Avignon" who determined not just the direction of development of Picasso's work, but the future of fine art in general. The original title of the painting is "Philosophical Brothel".

"Portrait of the Artist's Son" by Mikhail Vrubel

Year of creation: 1902
Materials: watercolor, gouache, graphite pencil, paper
Location: State Russian Museum,

The genius Russian artist of the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries Mikhail Vrubel excelled in almost all types of fine arts. His first-born Savva was born with a "hare lip", which deeply upset the artist. Vrubel frankly portrayed the boy on one of his canvases, without trying to hide his innate deformity.

The delicate tones of the portrait do not make it serene - one can read the shock in it. The very same baby is depicted with an amazingly wise, childish look. The child died shortly after completing work on the painting. From that moment in the life of the artist, who was grieving over tragedy, began a "black" period of illness and madness.

Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com

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

25 years working for Coca-Cola advertising has helped him establish himself as one of the great illustrators in the field. Coca-Cola's ads included pin-up images of Elvgren's Girls, most of which depicted typical American families, children, teenagers - ordinary people engaged in daily activities. During World War II and the Korean War, Elvgren even drew illustrations on military theme for Coca-Cola, some of which have become icons in America.

Elvgren's work for Coca-Cola reflected the American dream of a safe, comfortable life, and some of the illustrations for the stories in magazines reflected the hopes, fears and joys of their readers. These images were published in the 1940s and 1950s in a number of prominent 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 professional photographer who wielded a camera as deftly as a brush. But his energy and talent did not stop there: in addition, he was a teacher, whose students later became famous artists.

Also in early childhood Elvgren was inspired by pictures of famous illustrators. Every week, he tore from magazines sheets and covers with images that he liked, as a result of which he collected huge collection, which 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 succeeded in refuting the superiority of the 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 (1867-1944), from under whose brush came the ideal of a girl, which combined a "neighbor" (girl-next-door) and "girl-of-your-dreams" , Howard Chandler Christy, John Henry Hintermeister (1870-1945) and others.

Elvgren closely studied the work of these classical artists, eventually creating the basis on which he was based further development art in pin-up style.

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

After graduation high school Jill wanted to become an architect. Parents approved of this desire, as they noticed his talent for drawing when, at the age of eight, the boy was eliminated from school due to the fact that he painted the fields of textbooks. Elvgren eventually entered 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 he was interested in drawing much more than designing buildings.

In the fall of the same year, Elvgren married Janet Cummins. And so, on New Year the newlyweds moved 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, Jill tried to do everything to develop his career. He enters the prestigious downtown American Academy of Arts, where he befriended Bill Mosby, an accomplished artist and teacher who has always prided himself on the fact that Jill has developed under his guidance.

When Jill Elvgren came to the Academy, of course, he was talented, but nothing stood out from most of the students who studied there. But he was distinguished from the others only by one thing: he knew exactly what he wanted. Most of all he dreamed of becoming a good artist... For 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 harder than others. Jill attended all the courses in which 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 are not at all like the hands of an artist: the pencil literally "sinks" in them, but the accuracy and meticulousness of his movements can only be compared with the skill of a surgeon.

During his studies at the institute, Jill never stopped working. Even then, his illustrations were adorned with brochures and magazines of the academy in which he studied.

There, Jill met many artists who became his lifelong friends, for example: Harold Anderson, Joyce Ballantyne.

In 1936, Jill and his wife returned to hometown, where he opens his studio. Not long before that, he does his first paid job to order: a cover for a fashion magazine, which depicts handsome man wearing a double-breasted jacket and light summer trousers. Right after Elvgren sent his work to the client, the director of the company called him to congratulate and order half a dozen more covers.

Then another interesting order came in, which was to draw the five Dionne Quintuplets, whose birth became a media sensation. The client was Brown and Biglow, the world's largest calendar publisher. This work was printed in calendars from 1937-1938, which were sold in millions of copies. Since then, Elvgren began to paint the most famous girls in America, which brought him great success. Elvgren is beginning to be invited to cooperate with other companies, 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 the Royal Crown Soda appeared in grocery stores. The same year becomes especially important for Elvgren, as their first child, Karen, was born to him and his wife.

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

Thanks to Sandblom, Elvgren became an artist for Coca-Cola advertisements. Until now, these works are icons in the history of Amercanian illustration.

Immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Elvgren was asked to paint for the military campaign. His first drawing for this series was published in 1942 in Good Housekeeping under the headline “She Knows What“ Freedom ”Is” and depicted a girl wearing 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 involved 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 in his family was born, Elvgren was already receiving about $ 1000 per painting, i.e. about $ 24,000 a year, which was a huge amount at the time. This meant that Jill could become the highest paid illustrator in the United States and naturally have a special place at Brown and Bigelow.

Before starting to work exclusively for Brown and Bigelow, he accepted the first (and only) order from Joseph Hoover's Philadelphia firm. To avoid problems with Brown and Bigelow, he accepted the offer on the condition that the painting was not signed. For this work, entitled "Dream Girl", he received $ 2,500, because it was the largest he ever painted (101.6cm x 76.2cm).

The collaboration with Brown and Bigelow allowed Elvgren to continue to paint for Coca-Cola, but he could work for any other company that had no conflicts with Brown and Bigelow. Thus, in 1945, Elvgren and Brown and Bigelow began a collaboration 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 showed a naked blonde nymph on the beach, under the purple-blue light of the moon in lilac flowers. This illustration was released in a deck of cards, in conjunction with the work of another artist - ZoÎ Mozert. The following year, Ward ordered another nude pin-up from Elvgren for more maps, but this time entirely done by Elvgren alone. This project broke Brown and Bigelow's 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 artist of Brown and Bigelow, thanks to the media his work was widely known to the public, even articles about him were published in magazines. 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 works, Elvgren thought about opening his own studio, because there were already many artists who admired his work and the so-called "mayonnaise painting" smooth as silk). But after weighing all the pros and cons, he abandoned this idea.

Jill Elvgren traveled a lot, met many influential people. His salary at Brown and Bigelow changed: if he was previously paid $ 1,000 for canvas, he now received $ 2,500 and painted 24 paintings a year, plus he received interest from magazines where his illustrations were printed. He moved with his family to new house in the suburb of Winnetka, where he began to build his studio in the attic, the presence of which allowed him to work even more productively.

Jill had great taste, and he was witty. His works are always interesting in composition, color schemes, and carefully thought-out postures and gestures make them lively and exciting. His paintings are sincere. Jill felt the evolution of female beauty, which was very important. Therefore, Elvgren has always been in demand by customers.

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

In Florida, Gill 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 have liked 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 on his family: he discussed his ideas with his wife and children.

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

Jill Elvgren lived full life... As an avid tourist, he loved fishing and hunting. He could spend hours in the pool, was fond of racing cars, he also shared his children's hobby for collecting old weapons.

Over the years, Elvgren had many assistants in the studio, most of whom later became successful artists. When Elvgren was forced to refuse to cooperate with companies due to huge amount work, art directors agreed to wait a year, or even more, if only Jill worked for them.

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

Elvgren's ability to transmit female beauty was unrivaled. While drawing, 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 in the back allowed him to have general idea about the whole picture. The main thing in his work were girls: he preferred models 15-20 years old, who were just starting their careers, since they had an immediacy that disappears with experience. When asked about his technique, he said that he adds his own touches: lengthens the legs, enlarges the chest, narrows the waist, makes the lips more plump, the eyes more expressive, the nose is snub, thereby giving the model more attractiveness. Elvgren always worked out his ideas carefully from start to finish: choosing the model, props, lighting, composition, even the hairstyle was very important. After that, he photographed the scene and started drawing.

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

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

Every year he painted with greater ease and professionalism, his early paintings seem to be more "harsh" compared to the later ones. He reached the pinnacle of skill in his field.

On February 29, 1980, Jill Elvgren, a man who dedicated himself to delighting people with his creativity, died of cancer at the age of 65. His son Drake found the last unfinished yet magnificent painting for Brown and Bigelow in his father's studio. Three decades have passed since Elvgren's death, but his art still lives on. There is no doubt that Elvgren will go down in history as an artist who made great contributions to American art in the twentieth century.

Chinese artist and photographer Dong Hong-Oai was born in 1929 and passed away in 2004 at the age of 75. He left behind incredible pictorial works - amazing photographs, similar to works of traditional Chinese painting.

Dong Hong-Oai was born in 1929 in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China. He left the country at seven years after unexpected death your parents.

As the youngest of 24 children, Dong went to live with the Chinese community in Saigon, Vietnam. Later he visited China several times, but never lived in that country again.

Upon arriving in Saigon, Dong became a student at a Chinese immigrant photography studio. There he learned the basics of photography. He also loved taking pictures of nature, which he often did with one of the cameras in the studio. In 1950, at the age of 21, he entered the Vietnam National University of Art.

In 1979, a bloody border opened between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the People's Republic of China. The Vietnamese government has launched a repressive policy against ethnic Chinese living in the country. As a result, Dong became one of the millions of boatmen who fled Vietnam in the late 70s and early 80s.

At the age of 50, without knowing English and having no family or friends in the United States, Dong arrived in San Francisco. He was even able to acquire a small room for developing photographs.

By selling his photographs at local street fairs, Dong was able to make enough money to periodically return to China to take pictures.

Moreover, he had the opportunity to study for some time under the guidance of Long Chin-San in Taiwan.

Long Ching-San, who died in 1995 at the age of 104, developed a photography style based on traditional Chinese depictions of nature.

For centuries, Chinese artists have created majestic monochromatic landscapes using simple brushes and ink.

These paintings did not have to depict nature exactly, they had to convey the emotional atmosphere of nature. V last years In the Song Empire and in the early Yuan Empire, artists began to combine three different art forms on one canvas ... poetry, calligraphy and painting.

It was believed that this synthesis of forms allowed the artist to fully express himself.

Long Ching-San, born in 1891, studied this very classical tradition in painting. At some point in his long career, Lune began experimenting with transferring the impressionist style of art into photography.

While retaining a layered approach to scale, he developed a method of layering negatives that corresponded to the three levels of remoteness. Long taught this method to Dong.

In an attempt to imitate the traditional Chinese style even more closely, Dong added calligraphy to the photographs.

Dong's new work, based on ancient Chinese painting, began to gain critical attention in the 1990s.

He no longer needed to sell his photographs at street fairs; he was now represented by an agent, and his work began to be sold in galleries throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

He no longer had to depend on individual clients; his work was now in demand not only by private art collectors, but also by corporate buyers and museums. He was in his 60s when he reached some level of financial success for the first time in his life.

Pictorialism is a movement in photography that emerged around 1885 after the extensive presentation of the process of photography on a non-wetted plate. The movement reached its peak at the very beginning of the 20th century, and the period of decline fell in 1914, after the emergence and spread of modernism.

The terms "pictorialism" and "pictorialist" became widely used after 1900.

Pictorialism touches the idea that art photography should imitate the painting and engraving of that century.

Most of these photographs were in black and white or sepia tones. Among the methods used were: unstable focus, special filters and lens coating, as well as exotic printing processes.

The purpose of these techniques was to achieve the "personal expression of the author".

Despite this goal of self-expression, the best of these photographs ran parallel to the Impressionist style, rather than in step with contemporary painting.

In retrospect, one can also see a close parallel between composition and the pictorial subject of genre paintings and pictorial photographs.