Volgograd viewers saw an ideal world at Elena Orlova’s solo exhibition “Ultramarine within the Bounds of the Permissible”. The exhibition is being held at the Regional Children’s Art Gallery.
The opening began, to put it mildly, unexpectedly. The lights went out. That is, they went out completely. Darkness fell. The crowd of guests grew alert. In this improvised “night”, poems began to sound — and, as it later turned out, this feminine, womanly lyric poetry also belonged to the hostess of the opening. Elena Orlova is a poet not only in her paintings!
“We allowed ourselves a little mischief with the opening because, like the cartoon cat Matroskin, I wanted to show that I can also ‘cross-stitch and sew on a sewing machine’,” the artist jokes. A video sequence was projected onto the wall — scenes from productions of Volgograd theatres for which Elena Orlova had worked as scenographer and costume designer. Another facet of her talent. And the boat from the Youth Theatre production “Billy” was present in the hall in full size. The boat was filled with lovely autumn still lifes — bouquets, baskets of fruit, things one could pick up a pencil and sketch at once!
...By the way, why ultramarine? There is cornflower blue here, and Prussian blue, turquoise, cool lilac, golden cadmium and ochre, juicy lemon yellow, muted sepia, sensual carmine. The opening was hot, festive, beautiful, poetic, jazzy. And so crowded that it was impossible to get close to the pictures.
Later, when the speeches had been made, the crowd thinned out, and the selfie enthusiasts had taken enough pictures against the background of the edible still lifes, it finally became possible to examine everything that had been drawn at close range. How is it done? Yes, of course, with watercolor, pen, felt-tip pens. But how? Irises and peonies, mountains and the sea, daisies and a little sun on a window curtain, an olive grove, narrow streets of a distant city, old houses, little churches, fishing boats, tender clouds, dense snow, a deliciously laid table. In this ideal world one feels the delight of life, whatever may happen, whatever sorrows and illnesses may trouble us.
http://www.lenaorlova.ru/z-admin/razdel/index.phtml?parent=6Still, there is always the very best — summer, love, waves, yachts, masts, seagulls, space, the sky, from where, from above, out of the ultramarine infinity of night, all this is perhaps dictated: lines and rhymes, the feeling of light, peace and joy refracted in color. Is that why it is ultramarine?..
Do come! Bring your children and loved ones! Enjoy the work of a gifted artist!
Regional Children’s Art Gallery: Volgograd, 26 Sovetskaya St. Telephone: (844-2) 38-69-29. Closed on Sundays. Until November 7!
Yulia GRECHUKHINA
Grani Kultury,
October 2015, No. 19 (131)
