The ‘Caucasian Still Life’ was painted by Zelimkhan Polonkoev, the son of the famous Ingush artist Murat Polonkoev, an adherent of the Russian academic school of painting.
The Russian education system in the 20th century focused a lot on professional artistic education and teaching artists how to paint nature with fidelity. The most significant task for an artist was to accurately identify the volume of an object with the help of light and shadows, as well as to convey the forms and perspective. In the painting classes of the Academy, students were taught to portray volumes not only using chiaroscuro (special treatment of light and shade) but also using tonal color transitions. The artists had to be able to capture all the specific features of an object’s color and at the same time relate them to the surrounding space and construct a whole composition.
In Zelimkhan Polonkoev’s paintings, all these foundational principles are visible: the subjects of his still lifes are perfectly finished in terms of composition and color scheme, they look well thought-out. The artist conveys the volumes of objects, their textures, and their position.
The ‘Caucasian Still Life’ was painted in the academic style. The artist depicted a skull of a ‘tur’. These animals live in the Caucasus mountains and have become a symbol of the region. In art history, a still life with skulls is called ‘vanitas’, which translates as ‘vanity’ or ‘bustle’. Such paintings called on the audience to think about the impermanence of existence.
The master depicted the skull with a copper dish and a candlestick. He managed to portray different textures: the matte bone, the muted shine of metal, the rigidity of the carpet, and the soft folds on the white ornamented fabric. Zelimkhan Polonkoev created a naturalistic work, carefully conveying every detail, with the composition not looking overburdened.
The academic style is noticeable not only in Zelimkhan Polonkoev’s still lifes but also in his landscapes. The artist conveys with amazing emotionality the beauty of the mountainous nature of Ingushetia, the grandeur of its landscapes, and the gigantic power of the ancient towers. It is known that most of the time, he works en plein air, but even in these artworks, there is no sense of randomness: reflecting the beauty of a particular moment, he still strives to create a generalized image of nature.
The Russian education system in the 20th century focused a lot on professional artistic education and teaching artists how to paint nature with fidelity. The most significant task for an artist was to accurately identify the volume of an object with the help of light and shadows, as well as to convey the forms and perspective. In the painting classes of the Academy, students were taught to portray volumes not only using chiaroscuro (special treatment of light and shade) but also using tonal color transitions. The artists had to be able to capture all the specific features of an object’s color and at the same time relate them to the surrounding space and construct a whole composition.
In Zelimkhan Polonkoev’s paintings, all these foundational principles are visible: the subjects of his still lifes are perfectly finished in terms of composition and color scheme, they look well thought-out. The artist conveys the volumes of objects, their textures, and their position.
The ‘Caucasian Still Life’ was painted in the academic style. The artist depicted a skull of a ‘tur’. These animals live in the Caucasus mountains and have become a symbol of the region. In art history, a still life with skulls is called ‘vanitas’, which translates as ‘vanity’ or ‘bustle’. Such paintings called on the audience to think about the impermanence of existence.
The master depicted the skull with a copper dish and a candlestick. He managed to portray different textures: the matte bone, the muted shine of metal, the rigidity of the carpet, and the soft folds on the white ornamented fabric. Zelimkhan Polonkoev created a naturalistic work, carefully conveying every detail, with the composition not looking overburdened.
The academic style is noticeable not only in Zelimkhan Polonkoev’s still lifes but also in his landscapes. The artist conveys with amazing emotionality the beauty of the mountainous nature of Ingushetia, the grandeur of its landscapes, and the gigantic power of the ancient towers. It is known that most of the time, he works en plein air, but even in these artworks, there is no sense of randomness: reflecting the beauty of a particular moment, he still strives to create a generalized image of nature.
