Artists from Belarus in the world

From time immemorial, Belarusian artists and craftsmen worked outside their native land. In Moscow, they decorated churches and monasteries. They introduced not only new technologies, but also European motifs of interior decoration. That was primarily true for wood-carving which with new approaches changed radically the look of iconostasis in Russian churches.

The contribution to the Russian art resumed in the second half of the 18th century after Belarusian territories became part of the Russian Empire. Ivan Hrucki was a founder of the Russian academic still-life school, while Walenty Wankowicz acquired a reputation of a notable master of portraits in St. Petersburg. Apalinary Haraŭski became popular as a landscape painter, Nikadzim Silivanovich was awarded the title of academician for decorating the interior of Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

In early 20th century. Marc Chagall, Ossip Zadkine, Oscar Miestcaninoff, Chaim Soutine, Michel Kikoïne, Pinchus Krémègne, Sam Zarfin, Robert Genin started their art studies at private schools in Vicebsk, Minsk and Vilna before they came to France and settled in ‘La Ruche’, the legendary commune of artists. The ways to Paris for Jacob Balgley, Grigory Gluckmann, Eugène Zak, Ossip Lubitch were different, however, together with their compatriots and along with famous masters like Pablo Picasso, Amadeo Modigliani, Fernand Léger they formed the core of the legendary l’Ecole de Paris (The School of Paris). Arseny Zayats left Pinsk for France in search of a job and became a designer, a winner of prestigious awards.

During the Soviet period Georgy Nissky was an acknowledged classical painter of industrial and battle landscapes, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, while the expressiveness of works by Yausei Maiseenka had gained him the title of the People’s Artist of the USSR. In early 1990s, artists resumed the tradition of wandering. Most of them, after the attempts to apply their talent abroad, returned home with new experience. However, some artists have managed to integrate into artistic milieu of other countries.

Artists wandering abroad are no longer stigmatized as defectors. They are representatives of the art of Belarus in the world.