Contemplation of the present Automatic translate

The Russian Academy of Arts presents an exhibition of works by People’s Artist of the Russian Federation and Academician of the Russian Academy of Arts Vyacheslav Konstantinovich Stekolshchikov "Contemplation of the Present". The exposition is based on more than 100 paintings and graphic works of different years, including landscapes, portraits and still lifes.

Vyacheslav Stekolshchikov is a recognized master of the lyrical landscape, a successor to the traditions of the Russian realistic school of painting. According to the artist, the landscape genre for him is “an opportunity to reflect on time together with nature. … Sometimes time slows down, as if conveying something important to us – something that I tried to discern and tell in my works.” Traveling a lot around the world, he embodied his impressions in numerous graphic series and sketches that enriched the collections of the largest museums in the country.

Over time, the image of the Motherland was formed on the master’s canvases, in which the traditions of Russian painting and the impressions of subsequent years were entrenched. The Russian town of Borisogleb, located not far from Rostov the Great, became the breeding ground for his work. This place, as the artist saw it in the second half of the 20th century, retained the historical patina of past centuries. Having changed his long-term nomadic way of life to a sedentary one and settled there, he discovered in himself the desire to return to his roots, to plunge into the atmosphere of antiquity. Hence, in the works of the author, the motive of contemplation, the calm flow of thought, arose. V.K. Stekolshchikov paints a generalized image of the Russian land, capturing vast expanses, forests and fields with peacefully grazing herds (“Ancient Borisogleb”, 1989; “The Last Ray”, 2011). He is fascinated by the way of life of the inhabitants, as if they have preserved the old way of life in our modern life (“The Pond at the Monastery” 1986; “Indian Summer” 1986, 2010; “Emerald Domes” 1988; “Borisoglebsky Gardens” 1988; “Noon” 1990; “Day of the Holy Trinity” 2022). The author tells about his works in the following way: “My Borisogleb was filled with the aroma of woodpile of freshly chopped firewood, it smelled of fragrant hay, potato tops and rye bread. In its morning air, the battle call of roosters triumphed, the clatter of horseshoes on the cobblestones near the monastery and the evening lowing of cows returning home were heard. All the windows of the posada, in lace frames that did not repeat in the pattern, looked hopefully at the gray walls of the monastery and the crosses shining in the disturbing sky of the 20th century.” "Day of the Holy Trinity" 2022). The author tells about his works in the following way: “My Borisogleb was filled with the aroma of woodpile of freshly chopped firewood, it smelled of fragrant hay, potato tops and rye bread. In its morning air, the battle call of roosters triumphed, the clatter of horseshoes on the cobblestones near the monastery and the evening lowing of cows returning home were heard. All the windows of the posada, in lace frames that did not repeat in the pattern, looked hopefully at the gray walls of the monastery and the crosses shining in the disturbing sky of the 20th century.” "Day of the Holy Trinity" 2022). The author tells about his works in the following way: “My Borisogleb was filled with the aroma of woodpile of freshly chopped firewood, it smelled of fragrant hay, potato tops and rye bread. In its morning air, the battle call of roosters triumphed, the clatter of horseshoes on the cobblestones near the monastery and the evening lowing of cows returning home were heard. All the windows of the posada, in lace frames that did not repeat in the pattern, looked hopefully at the gray walls of the monastery and the crosses shining in the disturbing sky of the 20th century.” one could hear the clatter of horseshoes on the cobblestones near the monastery and the evening lowing of cows returning home. All the windows of the posada, in lace frames that did not repeat in the pattern, looked hopefully at the gray walls of the monastery and the crosses shining in the disturbing sky of the 20th century.” one could hear the clatter of horseshoes on the cobblestones near the monastery and the evening lowing of cows returning home. All the windows of the posada, in lace frames that did not repeat in the pattern, looked hopefully at the gray walls of the monastery and the crosses shining in the disturbing sky of the 20th century.”

Time flies by, changing the surrounding world beyond recognition, and the 21st century is rapidly bursting into the measured life of Borisogleb. Having chosen the difficult path of continuing the traditions of the Russian realistic school, the artist considers it important to preserve in his paintings what makes Russian painting recognizable. This exhibition is an attempt to slow down the passage of time, to turn to eternal truths, to the origins, to a calm contemplation of life.

Vyacheslav Konstantinovich Stekolshchikov was born in 1938 in Moscow. In 1957 he graduated from the Moscow secondary art school, then studied at the Surikov Institute with Professor Yu. P. Reiner. Since 1964 he has been a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. In the late 80s, V. Stekolshchikov headed the creative association "Russian Painting" of the Moscow Union of Artists. Author of the graphic series "Moscow in a Soldier’s Overcoat", the cycles of paintings "Love the Motherland", "Borisoglebskaya Chronicle". Together with his son A.V. Stekolshchikov, he took an active part in the painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The author’s works are represented in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the Institute of Russian Realistic Art (IRRI), in many Russian museums and foreign collections.

The text is based on articles by V. K. Stekolshchikov and V. S. Manin.