Academic literature on the topic 'Moldavian Painting'

In Orthodox Last Judgements in sixteenth-century Moldavia, both Adam and Eve appear as saintly intercessors on behalf of mankind. The presence of these suppliant figures, on either side of the throne of hetimasia (Plate i), suggests that Orthodoxy and Catholicism differed significantly in their evaluations of the gender implications of the Fall. In medieval Catholicism the portrayal of a nimbed figure of Eve, or even of Adam, was inconceivable. In the West the ideas of the Fall as the cause of the crucifixion and of Mary as the antithesis of Eve produced a powerful set of negative views of women’s nature. The weaker sex was inherently vulnerable to temptation, flattery, and persuasion, endangering not only women’s souls but those of all mankind. The veneration of Mary tempered this negative image, but Mary’s extraordinary nature could never entirely erase the assumptions of innate female inferiority based on the role of Eve in the Fall. The depiction of Eve as a saint in Orthodox wall painting appears to offer an unexpected challenge to the view that such gender associations are the only possible outcome of the Genesis account. It is also tempting to relate the presence of such representations in Moldavia to the highly unusual social position of women in Moldavian society, based on inheritance customs which divided estates equally between both sons and daughters.

The article highlights the stages of the life and work of the artist from the Republic of Moldova — Sergei Galben, who asserts the value of the emotionality of fine arts and viability of traditions of plastic culture, offering an example of their deep development and individual implementation in his works. Though his achievements were marked by awards in different competitions, being also appreciated by critics in press, and many paintings were purchased by museums and private collectors, the artist's creative way wasn't investigated. The author of the article fills this gap, having studied his numerous works and documentary materials. Most of S. Galben's paintings are connected with the images of Moldavian village. Genre motifs are interpreted as a part of the eternal course of life. His inclination for lyrical expression of feelings helps to reflect the spiritual purity and spontaneity of emotions in his portraits of rural residents, painted with great sympathy. Panoramic views and fragmentary sketches recreate the image of Moldova, “breathing” and emitting a soft light. The “landscape vision” of the artist, who lives in harmony with Nature, is also reflected in those rare semi-abstract compositions, characterized by well considered architectonics and correlation of color spots that express the mobility of the atmosphere. The integrity of the creative personality of Sergei Galben is largely due to the organic connection with the land on which he grew up. The artist is close to the ethical basis of the life of the people and the traditions preserved in everyday life, in the forms of folklore. В статье освещены этапы жизни и творчества молдавского живописца Сергея Галбена, известного c 1970-х годов по многим республиканским и международным выставкам. Его достижения отмечались победами в конкурсах, многие полотна хранятся в музеях и частных коллекциях. В 2020 году на ретроспективной выставке его произведений в Национальном художественном музее Молдовы с презентацией альбома «Сергей Галбен» наиболее полно раскрылось своеобразие творческой личности. Картины, разнообразные по мотивам и экспрессивным средствам, выявили гармоническое единение автора с природным миром, открытость эмоций и умение придать живописи свободное дыхание. Творческий путь художника до недавнего времени не исследовался, и автор статьи восполнил этот пробел, изучив его многочисленные работы и документальные материалы. Сергей Галбен утверждает ценность эмоциональности искусства, жизнеспособность традиций пластической культуры, давая пример их глубинного освоения и индивидуального претворения. Труд этого мастера достоин введения в широкий искусствоведческий оборот.

Abstract. Issues are discussed regarding the means of decorative and artistic expression in folk architecture (ornamental and plastic decor, artistic carving and painting, artistic forging), which are characterized by a certain symbolism that has developed in traditions. The type of the original form (natural, objective, constructive), which is the basis of the ideological and creative concept, is not always obvious, especially in geometrized, complexly stylized contours, that is why it is recognized only as a result of stage-by-stage research. The process of forming a decorative element is read through visual and morphological analysis. The author formulated the following research objectives: to discover the connection between the initial form and the final artistic image in the decor of traditional residential architecture; to identify the varieties of initial forms ‒ figurative prototypes; to reveal the course of compositional complication in the process of forming decorative means of expressiveness; provide relevant illustrative examples. The article examines the architectural decor used both on the residential building itself (wall planes, pediments, pilasters, etc.), and within the estate. Sometimes there are no analogues, and the creation of decorative furnishings is conditioned by a clear adherence to natural samples, and in some compositions there may be direct borrowings (citation) of stylistically established and well-known examples inherent in urban buildings. Comparing the samples of a certain ornamental motif, it is noticed that the drawn version can subsequently form the basis of the relief or sculptural variants, and the prototype shape predetermines the place (by the similarity of the contour features) for placing the decor. Hence - important observations about what kind of people may be inherent in the use of certain artistically designed architectural details. The table illustrates decorative elements of residential buildings and estates (stylization and transformation of the original form, the development of constructive and compositional design). Examples of the formation of folk decor in the traditional residential architecture of the Slavic and Romanic peoples (Ukrainians, Russians, Bulgarians, Moldavians, Romanians) are given. Conclusions are made and prospects for further research on this topic are highlighted.

About the painting “The Siege of Constantinople” as found on six churches from the 16th century in Moldavia. In the first decades of the 16th century the late Byzantine iconography flourished in Moldavia on church exteriors. On six churches within a radius of 30 kilometres are found a siege scene, “The Siege of Constantinople”, in connection with a painting of the Akathist Hymn. The article seeks the historical background of the painting in the siege of Constantinople by the Turkish army in 1453. In uncovers, through an interpretation of the painting from the Moldovita Monastery, the Moldavian painters’ knowledge of the fall of Constantinople. At the same time, this was the defeat of the centre of the Orthodox Church to which Moldavia belonged. From the connection with the Akathist Hymn and the explanatory text which follows the painting on the church in Arbore, the religious aspect of the paintings is connected to the Persian siege of Constantinople in 626, where an intervention by Virgin Mary was believed to have saved the city. During the Turkish pressure in the 1530’s, this tradition is moulded into an anti-Turkish ideological manifest in Moldavia. This takes place by altering the historical scene for the events in 626, and in this manner the situation of Moldovia is incorporated into the paintings. The church of Arbore has been painted as the last one and has an account which varies in considerable degree from the five others regarding the historical aspect, because at that time Turkish control of the area increased. However, its religious aspect is still Christian and anti-Turkish. After 1541 the picture is no longer painted, probably because of even stronger Turkish control.

С течением лет глубже осознается масштаб художника Михаила Греку (1916 – 1998), неординарной и многогранной Личности. Среди видных молдавских мастеров ХХ века он выделялся ярким талантом живописца, духовно-философским даром и беспримерной моральной позицией борца за свободу творчества. Автор данного обзора стремится привлечь внимание читателей журнала к сути новаторства мастера в разные периоды, акцентируя его особую роль в развитии искусства Молдавии. With the years passed we come to a deeper understanding of such a great personality as famous painter Mihail Grecu has been (1916 – 1998). Among the important Moldavian artists of the XX century he was standing out not only by virtue of his talent in painting. He also has been gifted with spiritual and philosophical qualities, having the unexampled moral position in his struggle for freedom in creative activity.

В статье освещается творческая эволюция живописца Молдавии Ольги Орловой, чье искусство основано на принципах реализма, допускающего цветовую экспрессию. Материалом исследования стали многочисленные живописные произведения художника с 1950-х годов по настоящее время, которые впервые введены в широкий международный искусствоведческий оборот. Автор анализирует динамику тем и мотивов, композиционных особенностей, колорита картин, отмечая их тональность, декоративность и гармонию. В результате исследования определено, что при всем разнообразии задач Ольга Орлова верна традициям, которые близки ей с 1960-х годов. Это интерес к проявлению сущностного в человеке и в природном мире, лаконизм языка пластики, эмоциональная содержательность колорита. The article elucidates the creative evolution of the Moldavian painter Olga Orlova, whose art is based on the principles of realism, but allowing also color expression. The research material is the artists numerous paintings from the 1950s to the present, which were first introduced into a wide, international art history circulation. The author analyzes the dynamics of themes and motives, compositional features, color of paintings, noting their tonality, decorativeness and harmony. As a result of the study, it is determined that, with all the variety of tasks, Olga Orlova is true to the traditions that have become close to her since the 1960s. It is her interest for manifestation of the human essence and for the world of nature, as well as the laconism of the plastic language and the emotional content of color.