The paintings of the artist Rimma Vyugova, our contemporary, continue the tradition of realistic painting by Repin, Surikov, Kramskoy and a whole galaxy of great Russian masters who shone at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. “Everything is nourished by the soul…” This short phrase greeting visitors to the site accurately characterizes the impression of getting to know the artist’s paintings.

Rimma Vyugova. Painting “My Dove”

The image of a red-haired clown, touched by light sadness, is the leitmotif in the painter’s work. It is found in many of her works, but it acquires the greatest depth in the painting “My Dove.”

The image combines the eternal cross of a jester – the duty to make the audience laugh at all costs – and the repeatedly experienced gratitude of the applauding audience, ordinary human fatigue and the happy memory of the wide-open eyes of a child sitting in the front row. We see the face of a man who has suffered many trials and losses. And despite this, he is grateful for every moment he lives. The image of the dove, which is certainly the compositional center here, is deeply symbolic. The dove is the original symbol of peace, chastity, purity, and internal integrity. But this image is revealed most fully in the Christian context, where the dove is the image of the Holy Spirit, and the dove is a symbol of the saved human soul.

“Confession”

This is one of the author’s most piercing paintings. The entire pose of the elder monk is a reflection of the inner world of a repentant person: the hands covering his face express shame for what he has done, pain from a spiritual wound, and the sadness of a suffering soul. But there is no despair in the bent figure – another second and, removing his palms, he will raise to God the grateful and peaceful gaze of a person freed from the severity of sin.

“What?”

Graphics occupy a special place in the artist’s work: they reveal her view of the world, full of love and kind irony. The work “Asya” is a vivid example of this. How can this one-toothed character, who accidentally fell out of Russian folk tales into modern times, leave anyone indifferent?!