II international art exhibition-festival "Portrait of a cat". II International Art Exhibition-Festival "Portrait of a Cat" Exhibition of cats in the Union of Artists
They say that cats are loners and rarely gather in prides, but this time there are thousands of them under one roof! The first international exhibition “Portrait of a Cat” opened at the Exhibition Center of the Union of Artists in St. Petersburg.
Paintings with cats and about cats, cats and kittens filled all five halls of the historical building on Bolshaya Morskaya. Artists from 70 cities around the world (Russia, France, Germany, China, Finland, Israel, New Zealand, South Africa, North Korea) brought more than a thousand works to this exhibition. There is everything here: masterly watercolors, an experimental sculpture of a cat, designer dolls, jewelry made of gold and silver, and much more.
Portrait of a cat: sad and cheerful
It's a cat lover's dream to be among so many mustaches and tails! The works are so different that even people with completely opposite tastes are sure to find “their” cats here, outwardly corresponding to the ideal and close in spirit.
There are cats here, cheerful and sad, domineering and timid, crafty and simple-minded, predatory and cozy - one artist will never capture so many shades of feline diversity, even if he devotes his whole life to depicting these amazing animals.
An artist from Bryansk, Anna Petrova, for example, presented her project “Warm Space” at the exhibition and conveyed greetings to all readers of “Around the Cat” with wishes for miracles and fairy tales nearby. Her cats are actually surprisingly warm and touching.
Greetings from the artist of the “Warm Space” project Anna Petrova
“My cats are so gentle because I mainly draw with pastels,” says Anna. - This material is airy, not flashy, calm, intimate. It’s simply wonderful that such an exhibition opened in St. Petersburg: this city has always been associated with cats. It seems to me that this exhibition will become traditional here.
The exhibition in St. Petersburg is the first and successful
This assumption was confirmed. Chairman of the Union of Artists of St. Petersburg Alexander Saikov reminded the guests who came to the opening of the exhibition that it is no coincidence that St. Petersburg is called the cat-culture capital of Russia: cats have been guarding the treasures of the Hermitage for centuries; during the terrible years of the siege, mustachioed guards saved the city from hordes of rats, and today, only according to official According to data, more than a million cats live in the homes of St. Petersburg residents.
Chairman of the Union of Artists of St. Petersburg Alexander Saikov And, although the organizers initially doubted whether they would be able to collect enough good works to fill the area of 1.5 thousand square meters, the reality exceeded all expectations. A selection problem has arisen, and the exhibition will have to be made regular so that all talented authors can present their cats to the audience.
Paintings with cats from masters
Of course, a special place in the exhibition is given to the work of already recognized masters, whose works are well known both in narrow creative circles and among ordinary cat lovers. In the central hall there are sculptures by Vladimir Petrovichev (the author of the famous cat Elisha and the cat Vasilisa from Malaya Sadovaya), the famous St. Petersburg cats of Vladimir Rumyantsev and watercolors by the world-famous artist Elena Bazanova.
“Any watercolor artist who has a cat at home will confirm that the cat is always next to the artist - it drinks water from a jar and watches,” says Elena. - My cats have always watched my work with great curiosity and tried to stay as close as possible to the place where I work.
Watercolors by artist Elena Bazanova One day, the black shaggy cat Shushun, while I was painting a still life, lay down on the still life table. And it was so tempting to see a cat instead of a still life that, willy-nilly, I wanted to draw it. That is, we can say that the cat itself got into the picture. This is how my first cat job appeared.
Bublik the cat is a special guest of the festival
Only one creature managed to distract cat lovers from admiring the contemplation of works of art on the opening day of the exhibition - a handsome cat named Bublik. He came to the exhibition hall as a guest along with his owner and instantly attracted the attention of the public. We must pay tribute to the tailed one, he behaved very dignified - he posed professionally for photographers and allowed himself to be stroked by everyone.
Bagel the cat with his owner It turns out that Bublik is an experienced traveler who has already visited several countries and repeatedly rafted down rivers. Another living confirmation that cats are extraordinary creatures worthy of an artist’s brush, a sculptor’s chisel and the admiration of mere mortals.
By the way, on June 8, St. Petersburg residents celebrated World Day of St. Petersburg Cats - there were a lot of visitors on that day. But do real cat lovers really need a reason to go to an exhibition, pick up a brush or pencil and draw their own pet? Let “Portrait of a Cat” reach the people and open its own small branch in every home!
Svetlana Mosolova
What canned food tastes best for cats?
RESEARCH ATTENTION! You and your cat can take part in it! If you live in Moscow or the Moscow region and are ready to regularly observe how and how much your cat eats, and also remember to write it all down, they will bring you FREE WET FOOD SETS.
Project for 3–4 months. Organizer - Petkorm LLC.
The whole world is divided into cat lovers and dog lovers. At the Exhibition Center of the Union of Artists, no one is divided into anyone, because all its visitors are art lovers. Although, in truth, it is worth warning that passionate and fanatical dog lovers should not get acquainted with the following information.
According to statistics, in art, portraits of beautiful ladies come first, and, imagine, cats come second. For many craftsmen, cats are a “calling card”. After all, every third artist always has a purring friend wandering around his studio or home.
The exhibition includes classical and applied art of various types, techniques and styles: painting, sculpture, graphics, watercolors, stained glass, designer jewelry and collectible toys. From realism to abstractionism.
The exhibition will be visited by famous authors - Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation sculptor Vladimir Petrovichev, famous Russian watercolorist Elena Bazanova, Honored Artist of Russia Irina Makoveeva, famous artist and monumental sculptor Mikhail Edomsky and many other outstanding contemporary artists of Russia, Great Britain, Germany, Finland, Australia, Israel .
Many master classes are planned as part of the festival.
Schedule of master classes
== October 4, Thursday ==
- 17:00 - Gathering of guests. Opening of the exhibition-festival - Portrait of a cat. Official part, performance by the duo QUATTROMANIa, inspection of the exhibition. Special guest - the Hermitage cat Achilles.
== October 5, Friday ==
- 13:00 and 14:30 - Master classes by Ekaterina Zhegulova - Sumi-e (Japanese technique, ink, rice paper)
- 17:00 - Master class by Marina Loginova - Eco-bag with a cat (DPI)
== October 6, Saturday ==
- 13:00 - Master class by Elena Bazanova (watercolor)
- 14:00 - Master class by Peter Kozmin - Watercolor sketching. Cat stylization (watercolor)
- 16:00 - Demonstration master class by Mikhail Edomsky - There can never be too many cats
== October 7, Sunday ==
- 12:00 - Master class by Olga Ivanova - Watercolor fantasies (watercolor)
- 12:00 - Master class by Marina Repnevskaya - Gingerbread cats
- 15:00 - Master class by Natalie Makarova - painting with wool
== October 10, Wednesday ==
- 15:00 - Master class by Vyacheslav Sinkevich - Guohua cat (Chinese Guohua painting technique)
== October 11, Thursday ==
- 17:00 - Master class by Sergei Fedenko - Drawing cats (mixed media)
== October 13, Saturday ==
- 12:00 - Master class by Olga Ivanova - St. Petersburg cats (acrylic)
- 12:00 - Master class by Marina Repnevskaya - Gingerbread cats
- 15:00 - Master class by Tatyana Petrova - Master of the Jungle (watercolor)
== October 14, Sunday ==
- 12:00 - Creative meeting with children's writer Olga Malyshkina, author of books about the adventures of the cat Brysya
- 12:00 - Master class by Marina Repnevskaya - Gingerbread cats
- 16:00 - Master class by Olga Ivanova - Decorative brooch (dry felting technique)
== October 16, Tuesday ==
- 17:00 - Demonstration master class by Konstantin Sterkhov - Watercolor cats (watercolor)
== October 17, Wednesday ==
- 15:00 - Master class by Galina Shargina - Watercolor kitten (watercolor)
- 15:00 - Master class by Marina Repnevskaya - Gingerbread cats
- 17:00 - Master class by Olga Ivanova - My favorite cat (pastel)
== October 18, Thursday ==
- 17:00 - Master class Sergey Fedenko - City catfey (master class on composition)
== October 19, Friday ==
- 17:00 - Master class by Marina Loginova - calligraphy
== October 20, Saturday ==
- 12:00 - Children's master class Tatyana Glushchenko - Magic cat (watercolor)
- 12:00 - Master class by Marina Repnevskaya - Gingerbread cats
- 15:00 - Master class by Tatyana Petrova - Fluffy cats (oil pastel)
== October 21, Sunday ==
- 12:00 - Master class by Marina Repnevskaya - Gingerbread cats
- 15:00 - Master class by Tatyana Petrova - Lynx - a wild cat of the northern forests (watercolor)
Attention! Participation in some master classes may be for an additional fee or by prior registration (check the schedule of events). When attending several master classes, preferential conditions for visiting the exhibition are possible.
The first International exhibition-festival “Portrait of a Cat” opened on May 31 at the Exhibition Center of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists. This project is dedicated not just to all lovers of mustachioed and tabby cats, but to cats as one of the symbols of St. Petersburg. How can one not recall the Hermitage cats, the inhabitants of the Republic of Cats, and the numerous monuments dedicated to the cat family that saved the post-war city from small rodents? Yes, our city undoubtedly has a special relationship with these proud, independent and graceful animals.
« In ancient times, cats were revered as deities; and they didn't forget about it»
Terry Pratchett
According to the art director of the project, Andrei Vladimirovich Vinogradov, the idea of organizing a large-scale exhibition came to him a year ago. Combine your love for cats and modern art? Why not? In addition, every second artist has a tailed pet, which he draws - for himself, without exhibiting his work, often considering this matter to be frivolous.
The result was unexpected even for the organizers - 5 completely filled halls of the Exhibition Center of the Union of Artists, over 1000 works, participants from 80 cities of Russia and from 17 countries of the world! Such eminent artists as Andrey Vetrogonsky, Mikhail Edomsky, Evgeny Dobrovinsky, Dmitry Kustanovich, Konstantin Sterkhov and many others presented their works.
It is curious that the curators of the exhibition decided not to separate the works by technique, of which, by the way, a huge number were presented: in one room both watercolor and pastel paintings were presented, as well as those embroidered on silk, painted in ink, and pencil. Not every visitor could immediately identify the source material: there are objects made of papier-mâché, wool, textile, stone, metal, mosaic! It is also noteworthy that, along with such masters as Vladimir Rumyantsev or Elena Bazanova, guests of the exhibition could appreciate young talents. For example, Boris Marina is an artist from Dmitrov, who has her own unique style, who is just beginning her path to fame. The story of Alla Ivashintsova is interesting - the woman began to draw at the age of 70! Now she is 74 years old, and her paintings are exhibited in many galleries: a great example of the fact that you should always believe in yourself and go towards your dreams!
Separately, it is worth mentioning another participant in the exhibition - Vladimir Petrovichev - a sculptor who gave the city such symbols as “The Bunny Saved from the Flood” at the Peter and Paul Fortress, “Vasilisa the Cat” on Malaya Sadovaya Street, “Silence to the Matroskin” on Marata Street.
A rich program of events is planned as part of the festival: concerts, seminars, master classes, creative meetings with artists. The organizers have grandiose plans - to hold such an exhibition annually, attracting more and more participants (this year there were so many applications that not everything could be processed), to increase the number of photographs. Oddly enough, this popular genre of art was represented by only four works.
The excitement around the exhibition is great: connoisseurs of classical and modern painting come, as well as families introducing children to art in such a pleasant way, and couples in love, touched by the skillfully depicted favorite animal. One thing is certain - this “purring” exhibition will give every guest a charge of excellent mood!
Text and photo: Natalya Starodubtseva
From May 31 to June 18, the Exhibition Center of the Union of Artists will host the first international exhibition-festival “Portrait of a Cat,” dedicated not just to everyone’s favorite animals, but to cats as one of the symbols of St. Petersburg.
The exhibition will feature a large and very diverse exhibition of art objects - classical and applied - of a wide variety of types, techniques and styles. Visitors will see paintings, sculpture, graphics, photography, mosaics, stained glass, designer jewelry, toys and much more.
In total, the exhibition will feature more than 1,000 original works. The entertainment program of the exhibition will be no less important. A daily program of events is planned: lectures, creative meetings, master classes, concerts.
The exhibition will occupy all five halls of the exhibition center, located in the historical building of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. The format of the exhibition-festival is designed for both serious art connoisseurs and the widest audience.
Ticket prices:
- Entrance ticket - 300 rubles.
- For pensioners, students and schoolchildren - 150 rubles.
- For participants of the Second World War and military operations, residents of besieged Leningrad and disabled people of all groups, admission is free.
- For preschool children (up to 7 years old) admission is free.
- For members of the Union of Artists - admission is free.
- For owners of “cat” surnames (Kotov, Kotofeev, Lvov, Tigers, etc.) admission is free.
You can find out more on the organizers' website.
