Go Along a Free Road…: Graphic Works by the People’s Artist of Russia Myud Mechev at the Press Center of the “Arguments and Facts” Publishing House in Moscow

The Russian Academy of Arts presents in association with Arguments and Facts publishing house a solo show of 70 works by the Full Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Honored Art Worker of Karelia Myud Mechev produced in various graphic techniques – gouache, tempera, watercolor, mixed media, colored prints and others.

 

Myud Mechev was born in Moscow in 1929 in a family of the artist Konstantin Panteleev-Kireev. He graduated from S. Stroganov Moscow State Arts and Industrial Academy (the former Stroganov Institute). Myud Mechev began his career in 1949 when he took part in the All-USSR illustrations to the Finnish and Karelian epic “Kalevala” competition. The edition of “Kalevala” illustrated by Myud Mechev brought him a deserved fame. Since 1975 it has been repeatedly published in the Russian and Finnish languages. For his illustrations to “Kalevala” Myud Mechev was awarded a silver medal of the Government of Finland. Since 1975 the artist has been an Honorary Foreign Member of “Kalevala” Association (Finland).     

 

Themes of his works range from historical and Biblical topics to lyrical landscapes devoted to the Russian North. For over 15 years Myud Mechev has worked on the illustrations to the famous example of the Old Slavic literature “The Russian Primary Chronicle” (Tale of Bygone Years) containing the earliest history of the Russian state and the first years of Christianity in Old Russia. 

 

On display in the press center of the Arguments and Facts publishing house are the artist’s easel series depicting the nature of Karelia and Finland in all the variety and greatness of their severe beauty, landscapes of Moscow and St. Petersburg, works from his series “Cities of Europe”.

 

The centerpiece is his colored prints from the “Gospel” cycle of over 300 illustrations to four books of the Gospel that are a result of Myud Mechev’s  enormous  work for over 15 years. It was completed last year and in February, 2009 there was a presentation of the Gospel illustrated by Myud Mechev to the public.  

 

Works by Myud Mechev are in collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSIZO, Museum of Fine Arts of Karelia, Russian Foundation for Culture, in many other museums of Russia and CIS countries, as well as in the Library of Congress of the United States, the Vatican collection, collection of the National Bank of Finland and private collections. 






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