Elizaveta Buluchevskaia
Saint Petersburg State University, Russia
The perception of Italy by Russian emigrant artists of the 20th century is connected with the image of the country formed by the early 1900s. In the 20th century Italian theme was revealed in the art of N. N. Lochoff and V. D. Falileev, whose works have not yet been thoroughly investigated in Russian emigrant context.
Lochoff, a copyist who had no artistic education, created a gallery of copies of canvases and frescoes of the Renaissance artists. Lochoff studied the technique of medieval artists by himself, made paints according to ancient recipes, elaborately copied brushstrokes and the texture of canvases. Not only did he imitate individual style of the artists, but also contributed his own artistic sense to the paintings, revealing the peculiarity of the Renaissance originals. Lochoff is a rare example of a copyist who achieved self-realization only in this profession.
Unlike Lochoff, Falileev was a professional artist. He was one of the first masters to appreciate artistic qualities of linocut and the first to transfer a print to the linoleum. Falileev created etchings after Rembrand’s, Veronese’s and Pussen’s paintings. In 1924 Falileev emigrated to Sweden, then to Berlin and, finally, to Italy (1938). During his Roman period he actively participated in exhibitions. Falileev created paintings dedicated to the Roman theme (landscapes of modern Italy), but still his favourite theme was Russian nature.
To sum up, Lochoff’s art was entirely focused on Italy, whereas in Falileev’s art Italian theme co-existed with the Russian one. Both artists were interested in the Renaissance (Lochoff — through copying, Falileev — through creating etchings), however their perception of Italy was not the same. While Lochoff was attracted by the eternal masterpieces, Falileev concentrated mostly on Italy of the 20th century. Both painters were innovators. For both of them the emigration was an impulse to the creative growth. From the point of view of unique technique the image of Italy was brightly revealed in the creations of Lochoff and Falileev.