"And then I thought to myself: why? Is this beautiful? Why is this dance beautiful? The answer: because it is non-free movement, because the whole profound point of this dance lies precisely in its absolute, aesthetic subordination, its perfect non-freedom".
Yevgeny Zamyatin - We.
Ivan Vladimirov - A Russian Cavalry Officer (recto) and Other Sketches of Various Characters (verso).
Ivan Vladimirov - The Surrender of the Finns in 1940 (Russian-Finnish War).
Folk art holds a particular power for me. It is something to do with its honesty, bold decorative qualities and the fact that it is a pure artistic vision, untainted by cynicism. It is about finding joy in ordinary things, and about making tools and toys into beautiful objects. So often we seem to have lost that in today’s society, perhaps that’s why I always seek it out when I visit museums. When I was in St Petersburg recently I headed to the Russian Museum to see their wonderful collection of Russian folk art. Here are a few of the highlights, not just the ubiquitous nesting dolls, but moss spirits and painted spindles. Inspiring.
