Portrait of Catherine Balebina is a 1956 painting by Russian portrait artist Lev Russov (1926–1987), which depicts his wife Catherine Balebina (Russian: Екатери′на Васи′льевна Бале′бина; 1933–2002).[1]
The portrait was painted in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1956 and is one of the most famous portraits by the artist. Catherine Balebina was born December 29, 1933, the daughter of Vasily Balebin, a famed military pilot and torpedo-bomber, Hero of the Soviet Union and Great Patriotic War. Russov met Catherine Balebina in 1955 and they were married on 31 January 1959. His son Andrew Russov was born April 27, 1960, and was his primary muse. Charming and lively, he posed for his father for many paintings and portraits.
In this portrait of his wife, Russov puts on a pedestal a gamine image of feminine beauty and charm. It seems Rusov meant only to canonize and sing of this perfection, and he does it according to the laws of the genre. The painting's neutral background makes Catherine the focal point of the piece. Catherine's closed, dark blue dress focuses attention on her face, shaded by her chestnut hair, and her expressive eyes. Her gaze directed to the side, she hides a smile at the corner of her sensuous lips. In contrast to the stillness of her pose, her eyes speak of a passionate and independent nature, also seem in her expression.
No details of the portrait belong to a specific time or place. Yet we do not hesitate to recognize the young woman as a contemporary of the middle - second half of the 1950s.
Until the early 1990s, Portrait of Catherine Balebina was kept in the artist's family. Subsequently, it was acquired as part of a private collection. In 2007 Portrait of Catherine Balebina has been described and reproduced in the book Unknown Socialist Realism: The Leningrad School, among 350 selected works by artists of the Leningrad School.[2]
^Sergei V. Ivanov. Mysteries of early portraits of Lev Russov. (Rus)
^Sergei V. Ivanov. Unknown Socialist Realism. The Leningrad School. Saint Petersburg, NP-Print Edition, 2007. P.65.
Sourcesedit
Directory of Members of the Union of Artists of USSR. Volume 2.Moscow, Soviet artist, 1979. P.290.
Directory of members of the Leningrad branch of Union of Artists of Russian Federation. Leningrad, Khudozhnik RSFSR, 1980. P.103.
Иванов С. О ранних портретах Льва Русова // Петербургские искусствоведческие тетради. Выпуск 23. СПб., 2012. С.7-15.
External linksedit
«Portrait of Catherine Balebina» on VIDEO "Artist Lev Alexandrovich Russov. Masterpieces of Painting of 1950-1970s"
Portrait of Catherine Balebina (1956). Lev Russov Solo Exhibition in The Museum of Art
March 16, 2024
portrait, catherine, balebina, 1956, painting, russian, portrait, artist, russov, 1926, 1987, which, depicts, wife, catherine, balebina, russian, Екатери, на, Васи, льевна, Бале, бина, 1933, 2002, artistlev, russovyear1956mediumoil, canvasdimensions60, locatio. Portrait of Catherine Balebina is a 1956 painting by Russian portrait artist Lev Russov 1926 1987 which depicts his wife Catherine Balebina Russian Ekateri na Vasi levna Bale bina 1933 2002 1 Portrait of Catherine BalebinaArtistLev A RussovYear1956MediumOil on canvasDimensions60 cm 50 cm 24 in 20 in Locationprivate collection Moscow Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 Sources 5 External linksHistory editThe portrait was painted in Leningrad now Saint Petersburg in 1956 and is one of the most famous portraits by the artist Catherine Balebina was born December 29 1933 the daughter of Vasily Balebin a famed military pilot and torpedo bomber Hero of the Soviet Union and Great Patriotic War Russov met Catherine Balebina in 1955 and they were married on 31 January 1959 His son Andrew Russov was born April 27 1960 and was his primary muse Charming and lively he posed for his father for many paintings and portraits In this portrait of his wife Russov puts on a pedestal a gamine image of feminine beauty and charm It seems Rusov meant only to canonize and sing of this perfection and he does it according to the laws of the genre The painting s neutral background makes Catherine the focal point of the piece Catherine s closed dark blue dress focuses attention on her face shaded by her chestnut hair and her expressive eyes Her gaze directed to the side she hides a smile at the corner of her sensuous lips In contrast to the stillness of her pose her eyes speak of a passionate and independent nature also seem in her expression No details of the portrait belong to a specific time or place Yet we do not hesitate to recognize the young woman as a contemporary of the middle second half of the 1950s Until the early 1990s Portrait of Catherine Balebina was kept in the artist s family Subsequently it was acquired as part of a private collection In 2007 Portrait of Catherine Balebina has been described and reproduced in the book Unknown Socialist Realism The Leningrad School among 350 selected works by artists of the Leningrad School 2 See also editPortrait of Yevgeny Mravinsky Artist Lev A Russov 1926 1987 Leningrad School of PaintingReferences edit Sergei V Ivanov Mysteries of early portraits of Lev Russov Rus Sergei V Ivanov Unknown Socialist Realism The Leningrad School Saint Petersburg NP Print Edition 2007 P 65 Sources editDirectory of Members of the Union of Artists of USSR Volume 2 Moscow Soviet artist 1979 P 290 Directory of members of the Leningrad branch of Union of Artists of Russian Federation Leningrad Khudozhnik RSFSR 1980 P 103 Ivanov S O rannih portretah Lva Rusova Peterburgskie iskusstvovedcheskie tetradi Vypusk 23 SPb 2012 S 7 15 External links edit Portrait of Catherine Balebina on VIDEO Artist Lev Alexandrovich Russov Masterpieces of Painting of 1950 1970s Portrait of Catherine Balebina 1956 Lev Russov Solo Exhibition in The Museum of Art Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Portrait of Catherine Balebina amp oldid 1183081442, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
