A talented and bright but undeservedly forgotten painter, graphic artist and art critic of the first half of the 20th century, Ivan Ivanovich Mozalevsky spent the last years of his life in the Crimea, where he worked and created.
The artist was born to a military doctor who had to travel widely, so the boy’s childhood passed in travels. Having changed several gymnasiums, the future master entered the Kiev Art College in 1908. The young artist did not limit himself to the knowledge gained in one educational institution. He managed to adopt the basics of artistry from such recognized masters of painting as Ivan Bilibin and Vasily Mate.
After graduating college, Mozalevsky moved to St. Petersburg, where he began his creative career. The painter took part in the exhibitions of the association Mir iskusstva (World of Art), which brought together young artists who got disappointed in academism and were looking for new ways in art.
After the October Revolution, Ivan Ivanovich left the rebellious Petersburg and moved to his native Kiev, where he founded his own school of painting and established a professional union of artists. In 1920, Mozalevsky went abroad with his wife, where he settled in Berlin. During that period, he created a series of brilliant illustrations for books published in the Berlin branch of the State Publishing House of the RSFSR, among which were H.C. Andersen’s tales and The Gambler, a novel by F.M. Dostoevsky.
In 1926, the artist moved to Paris. There he published his works under the pseudonym Jean Alle, created a series of etchings and linocuts dedicated to Paris, worked fruitfully as an illustrator.
In the 1930s, Mozalevsky became interested in Primitivism — a direction in art that sought to simplify art language. The painting style of the master was greatly influenced by Niko Pirosmani and Henri Rousseau.
The painting Country Promenade was created precisely in that period. On the canvas, emotions and colour prevail over realistic depiction, precise proportions and observance of the laws of perspective. Primitivist devices allowed the artist to convey a direct experience of the sweets of life from a careless walk in the country.
With the help of a somewhat naive artistic language, the painter was able to show on the canvas the harmony between nature and man. The artist depicts the trees crowns with neat and precise strokes so that they appear voluminous and real, and the bright and clear colours of the sky convey a sense of space.
The artist was born to a military doctor who had to travel widely, so the boy’s childhood passed in travels. Having changed several gymnasiums, the future master entered the Kiev Art College in 1908. The young artist did not limit himself to the knowledge gained in one educational institution. He managed to adopt the basics of artistry from such recognized masters of painting as Ivan Bilibin and Vasily Mate.
After graduating college, Mozalevsky moved to St. Petersburg, where he began his creative career. The painter took part in the exhibitions of the association Mir iskusstva (World of Art), which brought together young artists who got disappointed in academism and were looking for new ways in art.
After the October Revolution, Ivan Ivanovich left the rebellious Petersburg and moved to his native Kiev, where he founded his own school of painting and established a professional union of artists. In 1920, Mozalevsky went abroad with his wife, where he settled in Berlin. During that period, he created a series of brilliant illustrations for books published in the Berlin branch of the State Publishing House of the RSFSR, among which were H.C. Andersen’s tales and The Gambler, a novel by F.M. Dostoevsky.
In 1926, the artist moved to Paris. There he published his works under the pseudonym Jean Alle, created a series of etchings and linocuts dedicated to Paris, worked fruitfully as an illustrator.
In the 1930s, Mozalevsky became interested in Primitivism — a direction in art that sought to simplify art language. The painting style of the master was greatly influenced by Niko Pirosmani and Henri Rousseau.
The painting Country Promenade was created precisely in that period. On the canvas, emotions and colour prevail over realistic depiction, precise proportions and observance of the laws of perspective. Primitivist devices allowed the artist to convey a direct experience of the sweets of life from a careless walk in the country.
With the help of a somewhat naive artistic language, the painter was able to show on the canvas the harmony between nature and man. The artist depicts the trees crowns with neat and precise strokes so that they appear voluminous and real, and the bright and clear colours of the sky convey a sense of space.
The picture is imbued with peace and serenity, inherent in the rural landscape.
The artist had lived away from his homeland for more than twenty years and returned to Russia only in 1947, after the end of World War II. In 1953, he moved to Simferopol, where he gave lectures, published articles on contemporary Western art and wrote memoirs about Russian artists. A large collection of his works was transferred for keeping to the Simferopol Museum of Fine Arts, where the artist worked late in life.
The artist had lived away from his homeland for more than twenty years and returned to Russia only in 1947, after the end of World War II. In 1953, he moved to Simferopol, where he gave lectures, published articles on contemporary Western art and wrote memoirs about Russian artists. A large collection of his works was transferred for keeping to the Simferopol Museum of Fine Arts, where the artist worked late in life.
