TMORA is an interesting museum - Russian art housed in a repurposed Spanish Colonial Revival church. It may seem like an odd combination, but it works well. More on that later.There are two exhibits currently on display at TMORA, "Photographer to the Tsar: Revealing the Silk Road", and "Russkiy Salon: Select Favorites and Newly Revealed Works."
BUT WAIT! There is a twist in the plot this week! Upon walking into TMORA, it was discovered that there is NO PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED! OOOooooooOOOOOooooooOOOO! In keeping with the pattern of being a respectful and responsible adult, the only shots I took myself were of the exterior. This means....we shall have to rely mainly on the power of words for description(with a little help from other sources)! Hold on tight, my lovely readers..."Photographer to the Tsar: Revealing the Silk Road" is an exhibition that features the works of Sergei M. Prokudin-Gorskii, a groundbreaking figure in the field of color photography. Prokudin-Gorskii developed a revolutionary way of producing color photographs at a time when photography itself was getting started. His plan, fully supported by Tsar Nicholas II, was to document the expanse of the Russian Empire using his photographic techniques. The images featured in this exhibition come from two trips he made along the ancient Silk Road, in 1906-1907, and 1911. He was able to capture images on big glass slides in his revolutionary color technique, and then presented them to the Tsar. I was told by the museum employee that the images were displayed by lighting the slides from behind, and the images in the exhibition were of the same format, allowing us to see them as the Tsar himself originally did.
The exhibition is being shown in the lower level of the museum, and the way the photographs were displayed allowed for a truly incredible experience. The room itself is dark grey and unlit, with the photographic slides displayed on the front of specially designed light boxes, illuminated from behind. This gives a glowing effect to the large images, as the only light in the room emanates from them, illuminating the rich colors in an incredible way. The beautiful presentation really brought the images to life, made them stand out in an exceptional way.
Fortunately for us, the surviving slides were purchased by the Library of Congress many years ago, making them freely accessible to all, though the reproduced images really don't have the same effect as the slides that were displayed at TMORA.
(Courtesy of the Library of Congress)The images are quite incredible, documentation of people, places, a way of life from long ago, yet the incredible fact that the images are in color brings the experience to a whole new level. Also, the photographic quality of the images is exceptional. The focus and detail is comparable to some of the best photographic methods we have today. That quality, combined with the vivid color, makes the images feel real and present, as if this excursion had been undertaken last year, not last century, more like a feature you'd find in National Geographic than a glimpse into a bygone era.
(Courtesy of the Library of Congress)It is hard to keep in mind that most of the images from this time are faded black and white, representations of a reality that seem disconnected and hard to place in proper context as they lack the colors and tones that make up this world. That the images are in color makes them a wonderful representation of a life and a time that feels much more real, like you can step into this place and connect with these people.
(Courtesy of the Library of Congress)As the images feel much more present, it makes me wonder what has changed, or what is the same as it was 100 years ago.
Heading back upstairs, the main and mezzanine levels are displaying "Russkiy Salon: Select Favorites and Newly Revealed Works." These are all paintings, oil on canvas, and all pretty modern, in that the oldest work displayed was from 1884. The works covered the span from then to modern day. Unfortunately, we do not have other sources of images of these works, so you'll have to use your imagination, or go see for yourself!
There were a good number of pieces, though not a large variety. Most of the paintings were images representative of real life, perhaps "realism" would be the term, and only a handful of other styles like impressionist/expressionist, abstract, ect.
One of my favorites was "Ironworkers" by Olga Dmitrievna Yanovskaya (1930). It was a smaller piece, depicting the dark silhouettes of ironworkers in the foreground, captured in animated poses, their bodies strong and bent, hammering and working with iron, imposed in front of a fiery red background. Though the image was simple, one could almost hear the clang of metal, feel the intense heat of the fire, smell the sweat of the workers. It was a very powerful image.
Another was found up on the mezzanine level, and I have to say, I didn't realize it was a painting until I was standing right in front of it. The painting was so realistic that from a casual glance it looked like a display box that housed accouterments from a life in the Soviet Republic. It is called "Social", by Geli Mikhailovich Korzhev (1992). The background is a single sheet of Russian newspaper, hung flat, and set or hung in front of that are certain trappings of a certain life: an axe, sitting on its head, with its handle resting against the newspaper, casting a shadow towards a dirty and beat-up pair of old leather work boots, above which hangs a drab, olive green jacket, with a fur hat hanging beside it. It is a very realistic display, and evokes a sense of a lifetime of hard and unforgiving work.
Lastly, the is a painting whose image I have been unable to get out of my head. It is "Female Portrait" by Leonid Pavlovich Zusman (1930s). It is a simple image, but different than almost all the others here portraying people, which are all images of citizens engaging in activities of their everyday life, working or socializing, the things they are doing as much of a part of the image as they themselves are. This particular painting, however, was a portrait of a woman against a dark background, her head thrown back, looking directly at the viewer with slitted eyes, and pursed lips, evaluating the viewer with a slightly hostile tone, her dark hair unkempt. She has a sense of being totally self-possessed, the opposite of the female form reclining submissively for all to criticize. She looks down at the viewer with the tables turned, as you stand in judgement before her. She is very powerful.
(In Soviet Russia, paintings look at YOU!)
The TMORA building itself is interesting as well. What was once a church that was constructed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style was recreated into a museum for Russian art.
(my loyal steed Face Grater rests alone at the bike rack they thoughtfully provide)Though it may seem an odd combination, it works well. The interior space is used well, with the center altar area used to display large works, and the smaller areas created by pillar along the sides of the nave work as smaller display areas. This allows for pieces to be paid individualized attention, as they are not all displayed in one open area, but rather given a special cove. The great height has been used to create another level (mezzanine) above the main area, with works hung all around the edges and accessed by a walkway that is open to the area below in the center, so as not to cut off the open space. even the separate rooms off the side of the altar have been repurposed into an educational area on the techniques of restoring paintings, complete with a short video that was quite interesting. Though the entire area is not that big, the space is used well.
One note I would like to make about TMORA is that I was surprised at the limited scope of the art they displayed. While the space is small, I would have thought that at least a small area would be set aside to display a larger variety of works cover a wider time frame. The Russian civilaization has spanned more than a thousand years, and to only include work from the last 100 or so seems to be a bit of a disservice, and to limit that work to one medium is unfortunate. Though I was there to see the two exhibitions, I would have loved it if my time in the world of Russian art included a broader sampling in addition. No glowing Orthodox Ikons on cracking wood, no folk arts or crafts...I was hoping for a larger slice of the vast and varied land, culture, and history of Russia.
Nevertheless, it is worth the trip.
Do svidaniya!
-Catherine
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