The Chinese Academy of Oil Painting has always focused on the teaching of Russian oil painting, and has held several exhibitions of Russian oil painting, hoping to through exhibitions of Russian oil painting which include “The Distant Transparent” to allow artists and students of the academy see excellent works, in order to improve their learning and study.

The exhibition focuses on the famous Russian artist Mr. Melnikov and his school. It presents 40 paintings, mainly created by the familiar Mr. Melnikov and his students, Фомин (Fomin) and his son, Repin C.N, БЫСТРОВ (Bystrov), and other well-known contemporary artists in St. Petersburg, Russia. Now they are teachers of Repin Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg (Санкт Петербургскийгосударственныйакадемическийинститутживописи,скульптуры и архитектурыим. И.Е.Репина), on the one hand, they teach students at school, adhering to the teaching tradition of realism; on the other hand they are artists, also exploring the new topics faced during the new historical stage. They reflect on the past large-scale monumental creations, then the sensitivity of form and decoration of the screen and intimacy of religious painting art, entering a new period for the exploration of freedom. When they continue and further develop the Melnikov School, their own styles are blended in, through their own attempts.

These paintings are dominated by landscape, but it reflects the features of the Melnikov School in Repin Academy of Fine Arts from this side: It changes realistic painting and sketches to a screen that is inclined towards freehand and composition, then they examine the stage to strengthen the artists’ subjective generalization and induction. This ability is mainly diverted from a large number of practices in sketching, and the rational study of the formal beauty of the screen, in addition to the Russian religious icon painting congenital impact on them.

These works are like the shadows of the Repin Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg as reflected on Neva River, although we can’t see the full view, the artistic characteristics of Melnikov School are objectively reflected. We hope through the exhibition to inspire the artists towards an in-depth study of easel painting. I wish the exhibition a great success!

In addition, I want to thank Professor Sun Tao of CAFA, who offers a lot of help with the exhibition.

About the exhibition

Duration: November 15 to December 15, 2014

Hosts: Chinese Academy of Oil Painting, St. Petersburg Art Center in Russia, China Shenzhen JiBrothers Cultural Development Co., Ltd.

Organizer: Beautiful Gate Gallery at ChineseAcademy of Oil Painting

Academic Director: Yang Feiyun

Curators: Cai Jihong, Huang Yuanpeng

Artists: Melnikov A.A, Sokolov, Fomin P.T., Zaguanniko V.F., Belyaev D.V., Repin C.N., Melnikova, БЫСТРОВ (Bystrov A.G.), НигитаФомин (NigitaFomin), Yakhnin O.U, SudhoffВаси́лий

Venue: Beautiful Gate Gallery • Chinese Academy of Oil Painting (No. 1704Gaobeidian New Culture Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing)

Courtesy of the artists and Chinese Academy of Oil Painting, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO.