Exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Ariadna Sokolova at the Yaroslavl Art Museum

The exhibition "Thaw" presents paintings by Ariadna Sokolova from the collection of the Yaroslavl Art Museum and is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Artist. All initiatives aimed at promoting events and creating tourism products are implemented in accordance with the goals of the national Tourism and Hospitality project.

Ariadna Sokolova is a painter, graphic artist and public figure. Honored Artist of Russia (2004). Winner of the regional award named after A.M. Opekushin (1994). The museum's collection contains more than 100 works by Ariadna Leonidovna and her personal archive. The artistic heritage – 88 works – covers 60 years, from 1943 to 2003.

The exhibition includes portraits, landscapes, and still lifes executed in the late 1950s and 1960s, during the "thaw" period, when Ariadne's creative quest led to the creation of a recognizable style.

Art critic O.G. Dykan writes about the artist: "Ariadna Sokolova's creative career spans more than seven decades. These are years full of painting, reading, music, reflection, writing, composing poetry, photographing, and creating a museum of modern art.… It seems that Ariadne felt like a Renaissance man, so great was her desire to be a universal creator. "An artist is energy!" she said.

Ariadna Sokolova, in an effort to understand the secret of the expressiveness of color and line, according to her, went to study the landscape of the young Martiros Saryan, which was on display at the Yaroslavl museum. Peering into the plastic lines and bright color solutions, the young artist tried to unravel the secret of the colorful aphorism of his works, which turned out to be consonant with her own soul.

The post-war period was full of events in the cultural life of the country. Destroyed political and cultural ties were being established. The growth of interest in art was promoted not only by All-Union art exhibitions, but also by international ones. Exhibitions of French and American art in the second half of the 1950s had a great resonance in Soviet society. The increased dynamism of artistic life and exposure to world art attracted artists in search of new forms and styles. Ariadna Sokolova did not stand aside either. Participation in the World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow (1957), meeting with artists from different countries caused a huge surge of enthusiasm in the work. Her paintings acquired an airy lightness, dark colors disappeared from the palette. To add lightness and vivacity to her nature, Ariadne used her own painting technique, adding casein-oil whitewash to oil paints. A series of portraits of contemporaries made on paper are distinguished by the biting energy of a broad brush stroke, liquid paint allows you to bring elements of improvisation into the work.

Numerous creative trips accelerated the inner feeling of the passage of time. It is no coincidence that Ariadna Sokolova spoke about her life: "The flight of time in the flight of a miracle." Ariadna Leonidovna especially appreciated trips to the south of the country to the houses of artists "Khosta", "Goryachy Klyuch", "Gurzuf". The lively atmosphere of communication and the sun contributed to the creation of charming portraits, captivating landscapes, and magnificent still lifes with rich bright colors. "The most important thing that came to me in Goryachy Klyuch is to make my work light and fresh. Grace is my feeling of impressionism, which lived in me. In pursuit of interesting jobs, I worked endlessly. All these works were made from nature," the artist recalled.

In the post-war years, the division into two "camps" became noticeable among artists. Some saw their task in reflecting the inner world, personal interpretation of events and understanding of cultural phenomena, while others continued to work for the official ideology. This separation was clearly manifested in 1962, during the exhibition of avant-garde artists "New Reality" at the Manege in Moscow. A.L. Sokolova could not avoid this choice either, joining the ranks of those who were not interested in serving on the political scene. But this detachment was connected with the desire to achieve perfection in painting, and not to contrast his work with official art. "The only freedom was that I wanted to acquire skills. Mastery is no longer freedom. It's the opposite. Depriving yourself of everything. This can only be done under great stress of unfreedom. And my lack of freedom extended not only to painting."

By the mid-1960s, increased expression appeared in Sokolova's paintings. At this time, charm and lightness in painting were replaced by a condensed concentration of color and constructive form. From the works of the mid-1960s, the open white ground disappears, the paints cover the entire plane of the painting. The artist tried to calm down his characters so that their beautiful and mysterious features would become more obvious during the time break..."

Ariadna Sokolova never gave up thinking and searching. Her painting changed over time, but her loyalty to herself, her ability to see and create beauty remained unchanged.

"We are the creators. Creation is the very essence of our life. The river of our affairs is flowing. There is always satisfaction. Because the occupation is the most important thing. Creativity is a great activator of our body's condition. Hence the flight and vastness. A direct road to the approaches of the best ..." (A.L. Sokolova).