The exhibition ‘Art World of Afanasy Osipov’ introduces the work of this authoritative Yakut painter. Afanasy Osipov is a People’s Artist of the USSR, full member of the Russian Academy of Arts, and winner of the Ilya Repin State Prize of the RSFSR. The Yakut artist’s works were exhibited at national, all-union, and international exhibitions. Today, Osipov’s paintings are stored at the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, as well as other museum and private collections in Russia and abroad.
Afanasy Osipov painted the etude “Kostya and Styopa” in 1961. The canvas belongs to the early period of the artist’s creative work and was made as a result of a creative trip through the vast expanses of the Olersk tundra of the Lower Kolyma near the Arctic Ocean. The plot takes place in a portable dwelling of the Northern peoples, i.e. a yaranga. The compositional center of the painting is two boys in traditional fur clothing. Yaranga is a traditional domed dwelling of the peoples of the North. The yaranga frame is assembled from light wooden poles in the form of a slightly inclined wall and a cone or dome above it. Unlike portable yarangas, a stationary yaranga has a central pole or tripod supporting a conical roof. Some yarangas peak slightly shifted to the North. The top of the frame is covered with deer or walrus skins, and in summer - with a tarpaulin. On the canvas, configuration of the dwelling is not depicted, but the author created an interesting live roll call of compositional rhythms. The pyramidal structure of the group of heroes is echoed by the diagonal lines of wooden poles. Despite the small format of the work, in the chamber setting of the authentic interior, there is a depth created by the play of picturesque textures. Relief pasty brushstroke and glazing are light translucent layers that create iridescence of light. The temperamental painting technique of the etude is characterized by a bold character, abrupt, and clear strokes of the artist’s brush. At the same time, the author has drawn the faces of the boys in sufficient detail. The color scheme of the picture is based on the contrast of light and dark ochre shades.
Afanasy Osipov painted the etude “Kostya and Styopa” in 1961. The canvas belongs to the early period of the artist’s creative work and was made as a result of a creative trip through the vast expanses of the Olersk tundra of the Lower Kolyma near the Arctic Ocean. The plot takes place in a portable dwelling of the Northern peoples, i.e. a yaranga. The compositional center of the painting is two boys in traditional fur clothing. Yaranga is a traditional domed dwelling of the peoples of the North. The yaranga frame is assembled from light wooden poles in the form of a slightly inclined wall and a cone or dome above it. Unlike portable yarangas, a stationary yaranga has a central pole or tripod supporting a conical roof. Some yarangas peak slightly shifted to the North. The top of the frame is covered with deer or walrus skins, and in summer - with a tarpaulin. On the canvas, configuration of the dwelling is not depicted, but the author created an interesting live roll call of compositional rhythms. The pyramidal structure of the group of heroes is echoed by the diagonal lines of wooden poles. Despite the small format of the work, in the chamber setting of the authentic interior, there is a depth created by the play of picturesque textures. Relief pasty brushstroke and glazing are light translucent layers that create iridescence of light. The temperamental painting technique of the etude is characterized by a bold character, abrupt, and clear strokes of the artist’s brush. At the same time, the author has drawn the faces of the boys in sufficient detail. The color scheme of the picture is based on the contrast of light and dark ochre shades.
