Turistický portál Královéhradeckého kraje

Detailed description:

Grigory Alexeyevich Musatov (1889–1941) was an important artist of Russian origin who lived in Czechoslovakia for a long time, and his work is today richly represented in galleries and private collections. He arrived in Czechoslovakia at the age of thirty-one as a trained painter. Musatov soon established himself in his new homeland, became a member of the artistic association Umělecké Besedy, repeatedly exhibited, enjoyed the attention of viewers and professional critics, sold paintings and also illustrated books for leading publishing houses. His canvases offered society something different and special compared to the domestic art scene, something wild and at the same time magical and peculiarly naive. From the beginning, Musatov’s works raised questions: How was the painting At the Barber created and who was the model for the artist? Why is electrification the subject of the paintings? Why does the fisherman not fish on the Berounka river but on the distant Volga? Why does the painter depict not green pears but a juicy red watermelon, and why does he return to this topic? A beekeeper bathed in sunlight appears in front of the viewer – does this represent Musatov’s joy in life, or does the canvas convey a completely different personal experience? The artist himself allegedly never commented on the subjects of his works and did not explain anything to interested parties, leaving the viewer to interpret them in their own way, thus personally communicating with the painting, becoming a bit of a psychological co-author of the work. The exhibition seeks answers to these and other questions in the artist’s past, where the facts are entwined with many legends. But the key to understanding the themes of Musatov’s work apparently lies deep in the Russian stage of the artist’s life. There are a number of materials from Russian and Czech archives that shed light on key moments in the life of not only Grigory Musatov, but also his ancestors. Such knowledge makes it possible to formulate new insights into the artist’s soul and the unique poetry of his work. The exhibition Dreams of Grigory Musatov (1889–1941), containing a selection of paintings, drawings and illustrations, will present a set of essential themes of Musatov’s work, accompanied by a curatorial commentary.