Baumgaertner's Kramskoy Article
 

...is being published by Signature Magazine.

An article I wrote on the Russian portrait artist Ivan Kramskoy is being featured as the cover article in the Winter 2003 Signature Magazine, published by the American Society of Portrait Artists (ASOPA). Those of you who are members of ASOPA will be receiving the Signature Magazine in a few days.

As many of you know, Kramskoy is my favorite artist, and it has taken me many years and six trips to Russia to research his life's story. I hope I have done him justice. The article also contains eight of his most stunning portraits.

Posted below is one of my favorite Kramskoy portraits, Mina Moiseev, "The Peasant."

Peggy

Peggy,

Do you have historical family connections to Russia? I spent 10 days in Moscow and Leningrad (or was it Saint Pertersberg). I visited the Hermitage museum in Leningrad, could I have seen Kramskoy's paintings there?

Mike,

No Russian heritage. I was over there on a project my husband and I were doing, and just ran into this fabulous art. Kramskoy really spoke to me. He's an artists artist. He walks that fine balance between lush brushwork and sensitive definition. I also like his lack of ego. The paintings are all about the subject, not about the artist.

But the Hermitage is only European art, no Russian art. All the Russian art is in the Tretyakov in Moscow, or the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

Peggy

Peggy,

This painting is stunning. I love when ordinary people are portraited, rather then the glitzi rich types. You are to be commended for sharing this artist's work with the American public, most of whom probably never heard of him (me included!).

I can't wait for the Signature edition to read all about his work, but I was hoping that you might have actually come across some literature about him. If so please share the title and publisher's name. Thanks!

Peggy,

I've been looking forward to seeing this article for a long time, ever since I obtained the Kramskoy book from you a couple of years ago. (It's in Russian, and the content far exceeds the couple of years I took of the language in college.)

I'm a big fan of the great Russian trio of Kramskoy, Repin and Serov. It's wonderful that you'll get the cover!

I believe I read that ASOPA ran into some problems with their printer and the magazines were delayed in shipping.

I also wanted to share a wonderful book about Russian artists with you, entitled "Portraiture in Russia XX Century" by Palace Edition.

It is from the collection of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg amd I picked it up in Las Vegas at the Venetian's art gallery. It is hard bound and quiet large with beautiful illustrations.

I should also mention that unfortunately Kramskoy is not included in this book. It is still worth the purchase though.

Update - my Portrait Signature arrived. For those who don't receive it, follow this link to Peggy's article, republished on the ASOPA website.

Peggy,

I congratulate you on this fine, well written article.

I have a question about some of the images portrayed ...

On page 13 there are three images, do you recall if these images were cropped, or are we seeing the full image as created by Kramskoy? Also on page 10 "The "Unknown Woman."

Thanks, Mike.