Russia, Today and Yesterday

An exhibition titled “Quiet Resistance — Pictorialism in Russian Photography” is currently offering a glimpse into the development of Russian art at the turn of the 20th century via the works of 18 artists now on display at the İstanbul Museum of Modern Art’s photography gallery.

“Quiet Resistance” presents viewers the with the works of 18 contemporaneous artists who were influenced by one another and “rediscovered” in Russia in the mid ’90s, including Alexander Rodchenko, Sergei Lobovikov, Yuri Yeremin and Aleksei Mazurin, as well as a glimpse into the country’s cultural history. Curated by Moscow House of Photography director Olga Sviblova, the exhibition will run at the İstanbul Museum of Modern Art’s photography gallery until May 25.

Pictorialism was a photographic movement that came in vogue around 1885 following the widespread introduction of the dry-plate process. It largely subscribed to the idea that artistic photography needed to emulate the painting and etching of the time. Most of these pictures were black and white or sepia-toned.

Engin Özendes, a curator at the İstanbul Museum of Modern Art’s photography gallery, said painters using pictorialist techniques reflect grief and happiness in their works. Svibloba said the objective of pictorialism is to add an emotional dimension to a piece. “Pictorialism reflects the meaning imposed on the work by the artist. The photographs displayed in the exhibition are a summary of the Russian pictorial movement,” she said. … more>>