Facets of Creativity: Solo Show of the Honored Artist of Russia Maria Fedorova at the Russian Academy of Arts

On display at the Russian Academy of Arts, 21 Prechistenka street are almost 50 graphic works and collages – colorful compositions on themes of Russian folklore, sketches for costumes by the Honored Artist of Russia Maria Fedorova. The recognized master of a theater costume, she has designed costumes for many concert programs of the Moscow Musical Folklore Theater “The Russian Song” headed by Nadezhda Babkina, whose soloists will take part in the opening of the exhibition.

Maria Fedorova belongs to the Osipov-Fedorov dynasty of painters. The founder of the dynasty Alexander Osipov (1892-1981) who studied under N. Rerikh and A. Rylov at the school of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts in St. Petersburg and later under A. Makovsky at the Imperial Academy of Arts, as well as Tamara Osipova (1924-1989) and Vladislav Fedorov (1924-1993) – graduates of S. Gerasimov Studio of V. Surikov Moscow Art Institute have been brilliant colorists and representatives of the Russian lyric painting. Following their creative credos and having her own artistic vision Maria Fedorova has found her original way in art.

In the 1960-70s she studied painting under Vera Favorskaya, a pupil of K. Korovin, A. Kuprin, R. Falk. In 1974 Maria Fedorova graduated from the Moscow Textile Institute where she majored in applied arts. Her subsequent work for eight years was connected with designing for the All-Union Fashion House where she had been invited by the fashion designer Vyacheslav Zaitsev, supervisor of her diploma work.

The Russian suprematism focused on geometrical, active pure color forms and the ornamental richness of the Russian folk art, austere classics and violent fantasy, laconic graphic works and refined picturesqueness organically co-exist in her costumes, sketches and paintings produced with a special manner for the decorative organization of the canvas surface.

The vector of her creative energy lies in the traditions of Russian theater design and costume of the 20th century promoted by Natalya Goncharova, Alexander Golovin, Boris Kustodiev. She has made active use of Russian folklore in her costumes for the Moscow Musical Folklore Theater “The Russian Song” headed by Nadezhda Babkina, the State Dance Ensemble of Russia, State Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments “Bayan”. Maria Fedorova has also designed costumes for musical and drama performances represented in the exhibition by sketches and concert posters.

The artist’s graphic works are in collections of many Russian museums, including the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, M. Glinka State Museum of Musical Culture, A. Bakhrushin State Theater Museum, the Bolshoi Theater Museum, as well as museums in other countries and private collections.




print version