Exploiting the possibilities of the Russian Museum"s graphic arts collection, the authors of this book have focused their attention on the development of art over the course of the past century and put together a visual sequence composed of items of the highest artistic quality. The examples chosen belong mainly to the type of independent works connected neither with preparatory, so-called "laboratory" graphics, nor with book illustration or theatrical production. These drawings not only provide bold and imaginative solutions to professional problems and explore new forms and aesthetic tastes but also give us an idea of their creators" exhibiting activities and their participation in the events which the chronicle of Russia"s artistic life is so rich in. But the main thing is the drawings themselves: each one "speaks" of a particular attitude towards reality and the various ways the latter can be artistically transformed.

The main innovation of 20th-century graphic art was to change the very method of drawing: unlike in the previous century, the artist now brought his idea to completion without relying on preparatory studies and sketches, often creating the final version of his drawing in one go. No longer did numerous obligatory sketches and studies stand between an idea and its embodiment. A compositional sketch took on the look of a finished work, without any interim stages. Portraits or still-lifes drawn from nature, even those with an "unfinished" appearance, possessed artistic value and had the right to be offered to the public, which considered such drawings in no way inferior to paintings.

In the modern consciousness, 20th-century drawings and watercolors are regarded as forms of artistic creation absolutely equal in significance to paintings.

Формат: 25 см х 32 см. Это и многое другое вы найдете в книге Государственный Русский музей. Альманах, №209, 2008. Drawings and Watercolours in Russia: XX Century (Наталья Козырева)