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The painting “Eternal Russia,” one
of the artist’s central works, has been disseminated
in hundreds of thousands of reproductions
throughout the world. Just as with “Mystery
of the Twentieth Century,” we must acknowledge
the genuinely innovative creative talent of
the artist, who shows us in one panorama the
entire history of Russia.
There is no other painting in the world of
art that can compare to this work in both
content and complexity. I recall the words
of one visitor at an exhibit: “My God, what
power this painting has! I feel proud that
I was born a Russian! Many here at the exhibit
are asking, ‘Who’s this or that figure?’ And
it’s wonderful that visitors have begun to
learn so much about Russia and to feel their
connection with our great history.”
It should be noted that with this work Glazunov
has assumed the role, above all, of a historian
who sees the origins of the Russian Slavic
tribe in the dark antiquity of the “Rig Veda”
and the “Avesta.” In describing the early
Russian church frescoes, one pre-revolutionary
critic used the term “kovrovy,” referring
to the fact that the patterns and colors were
interwoven as if in an oriental carpet. And
in fact, the jewel-like coloristic effect
of this great work by Ilya Glazunov astounds
even his critics. The painting measures 3
x 6 meters. In contrast to many of his colleagues,
Glazunov was never given government commissions.
The great artist’s genuine fame was achieved
as the result of the enormous lines of visitors
to his exhibits, both at home and abroad.
The West German news magazine “Der Spiegel”
once wrote: “He who is against Glazunov is
against Russia.”
The extraordinary vision of Glazunov the artist,
historian and philosopher is realized in the
stunningly beautiful harmony of color and
his confident use of foreshortening, grouping,
and compositional rhythm. At the present time,
in the diversity of his artistic aspirations
and accomplishments, Ilya Glazunov has no
equal!
The historian, the artist likes to say, is
someone who bases his arguments on documents
and not ideological dogma. “All my conscious
life I have been concerned with history. And
this is why: I cannot agree with many of the
conceptions of our anti-Rus’ historians who
continue to expound the racist doctrines of
German scholars such as Schlozer and others.
I cannot agree with L. Gumilev, who today
is lauded to the skies, and others. I have
always detested Marxism-Leninism, which claimed
that the proletariat had no Fatherland and
that history is a struggle between classes.
I repeat that I base my arguments on documents
and on the works of Russian historians of
the 19th century, beginning with the brilliant
Lomonosov, and including Yegor Klassen, Gil’ferding,
Ivan Zabelin, and professor Paramonov, known
to us under the pseudonym ‘Sergei Lesnoi,’
who recently passed away in Australia.”
The painting “Eternal Russia” is a textbook
of Russian history in its genuine majesty,
a song of the glory of our nation. They used
to say that “icons are books for the illiterate.”
The paintings of Glazunov are open books for
all who wish to know and better understand
Russia.
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