Moscow arts centre – Abramtsevo
Situated 30 miles from Moscow, in a forest in close proximity to the Trinity Monastery at Sergiev Posad, lies the Abramtsevo museum and artists colony, an intellectual and artistic center that played a significant role in the development of Russian culture in the 19th Century.
Abramtsevo first came to prominence in 1843, when the estate was bought by Sergei Aksakov, a writer famous for his semi-autobiographical tales of aristocratic Russian life and treatises on country pursuits. In 1870, the estate was bought by Savva Mamontov, heir to a railroad fortune and one of the most significant figures in the development of Russian national art. He established an artists’ colony at Abramtsevo, and urged his artistic friends to return to Moscow and pursue there interests at his expense. The group that gathered around him included Art Nouveau painter Mikhail Vrubel, Realist Ilya Repin, Impressionist Valentin Serov, landscape painter Vasili Polenov, and the Vasnetsov brothers, Viktor and Apollinarius.
Abramtsevo Bath House
The original intention of the art centre was to increase attention on the national arts, and the preservation and development of traditional folk art. The creativity of the Abramtsevo community reflects a broader cultural tendency that emphasizes both the aesthetic and spiritual realms. Abramtsevo continues to be used as an artists retreat and there is still a School of Applied Arts operating on the estate. Many of Abramtsevo’s activities centre not just on the crafts, visual arts, and architecture but also on drama, music, and set design. Below are a collection of young ceramic artists who have graduated from Abramtsevo and have a flair for creating wonderful figurines.
Eli Kaluga Innocent : Eli worked for many years in a porcelain factory, and has since branched out to producing miniture figurines, usually of a lively and expressive nature.
El Innocent
El Innocent
El Innocent ceramic figurine
Four Dancing Ballerinas – El Innocent
El Innocent
Preferring floor to bed – El Innocent
El Innocent
Tea Gossip – El Innocent
Dancing Couple – El Innocent
The main house at Abramtsevo has been well preserved and has distinct French Empire style, designed during the Aksakov era, and a Neo-Russian interior from Mamontov’s time at the complex. It is believed that the main house at Abramtsevo was the basis of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.
Alexey Illarionov :
Lizard sitting on a rock – Alexey Illarionov
Alexey Illarionov
Galina Bulganin :
‘Girl and cat’ – Galina Bulganin
‘The Creative Process’ – Galina Bulganin
‘Abduction of Europe’ – Galina Bulganin
Elya Yalonetskaya ;
‘Lady with fan’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Nezhnost’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Isadora’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Love’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Malishka’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Dreamer’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘For a walk’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Curious Eyes’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Girl with flowers’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘One that brings children’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Ptica’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Spring’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Best Number’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Ms.A’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘magi4eskaya mnogostupen4atost’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Teatralka’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘Tam visoko’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
‘The release of the unconscious’ – Elya Yalonetskaya
Marina Nelyubina :
Marina Nelyubina
Marina Nelyubina
Many various buildings have been built on the Abramtsevo estate by the resident artists. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Church of the Saviour Not Made by Human Hand, a miniscule church based on the medieval Novgorod designs. Inside the church are icons courtesy of Ilya Repin and Michael Nesterov, and the tiled stove and mosaic floor (in the shape of a blooming flower) are examples of Vrubel’s and Viktor Vasnetsov’s work respectively.
Anastasia Tarasova :
Anastasia Tarasova
Anastasia Tarasova
Abramtsevo students and veterans meet at 125 year anniversary
more on Abramtsevo artists here
