Uncategorized

March Monthly Challenge

“Still Life with Pussy Willows”
By Taisia K. Afonina
1964, Oil on canvas
80 cm × 60 cm (32 in × 24 in)

About the Art
The painting shows a table laid for tea drinking on a spring day in a Leningrad apartment mid-1960s.
One of her most famous work, Taisa Afonina painted in April 1964 at her home in Leningrad on the Zverinskaya Street 2/5 in apartment 21. Here she lived from 1952 to 1994. Set of objects in the picture is organic and natural, causing numerous associations. Composition of the painting is devoid of stage effects. It seems that the observant eye of the artist captured on canvas daily life of a bygone era. It gives the created image a special impact to the viewer. The exquisite silver composition fills us with the invisible presence of those who are dear to us and whom we will always be waiting.
The painting was exhibited in 1965 for the first time in the Spring Exhibition of Leningrad artists in the Leningrad Union of Artists.
“Still life with Pussy-Willows” has been in many shows throughout the years and printed in several publications.

About the Artist

Taisia Kirillovna Afonina was born May 13, 1913 in the city Nikolaev, Russian Empire, in the family of master Shipyard “Navel” (after October Revolution Shipyard named Marty).
In 1931 Taisia Afonina graduated from nine-year school in city Taganrog, and came to Leningrad to obtain art education. In 1932-1936 she engaged first in the evening classes for working youth, then in the preparatory classes at the Russian Academy of Arts.
In 1936 after preparatory classes she was adopted at the first course of Painting Department of the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where she studied of Mikhail Bernshtein, Victor Oreshnikov, Pavel Naumov.
In 1941 after the beginning the Great Patriotic war Taisia Afonina together with little son and mother evacuated first in city Ostashkov, then in city Vishniy Volochek, then in city Lugansk, Ukrain. In 1943, after the liberation of the German fascists Lugansk, Taisia Afonina involved in rebuilding the city, teaches drawing and painting in Lugansk Art school. In autumn 1943 with a group of artists Taisia Afonina rides into city Krasnodon draw club before awarding medals to parents died young heroes – members of the underground anti-fascist Komsomol organization named ″Young Guard″, which fought against the Nazis in the occupied city Krasnodon (in the Ukrainian SSR), the feat which he finds the whole country.
Later, in 1946, in the May edition of the newspaper of the Academy of Fine Arts “For the Socialist realism,” Taisa Afonina wrote: ″I saw the pit where they were dumped, the remnants of their bloody clothes, the prison where they were tortured. I talked to their mothers and girlfriends. I wanted to tell, to write about all this, of all their short heroic life″.
In 1946 Taisia Afonina graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after Ilya Repin in Igor Grabar personal Art Studio of monumental painting. Her graduate work was a historical painting named “Girls of Donbass”, dedicated to the memory and heroism members of Anti-Fascist underground.
After graduation Taisia Afonina continues to work in Lugansk and returned to Leningrad in 1952 only. It Lugansk museum named Klement Voroshilov acquired as early as 1943 the first three paintings by Taisia Afonina: “The Germans came”, “Stealing in Germany”, and “Meeting”. Later her paintings purchased museums of Leningrad, Kostroma, Krasnodon, Staraya Ladoga, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.
Her first participation in the Art exhibition was in 1940. Since the beginning of 1950s she was constantly involved in art exhibitions of Leningrad artists. She painted landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and genre compositions. She worked in oil painting and watercolors and was most famous as a master of landscape and still-life painting. In 1946 Taisia Afonina was admitted to the Leningrad Union of Soviet Artists.
In the first years after graduation Taisia Afonin attracts military subjects and pathos revival. Later in 1950-60 she more work in genre of portrait and lyrical landscape. In 1950s she visited Ukraine, Carpathians, Meshchersky locations, where she painted a lot of studies from the life. For her works typical method of tonal painting, the interest to transfer effect of lights and plain air, and subtle coloristic relations.
Taisia Kirillovna Afonina died on April 19, 1994, in Saint Petersburg at the age of 80. Her paintings reside in Art museums and private collections throughout the world.

Our Sponsors

Our Sponsors this month are Songbeads and Thornburg Bead Studio.
Please visit us tomorrow to see the prizes!
How to enter the Monthly Challenge:
1. You need to have a Pinterest account. Go get one ASAP if you don’t have one already. It’s easy, fun and inspiring.
2. Email us at [email protected] to get added to the monthly challenge board.
Subject: Monthly Challenge Board Request
You will be emailed an invite to the board within 48 hours. Accept the invite and you are ready to pin your entries.
3. Two ways to pin your entry to the board.
Pin your photo from the internet (on your blog, Etsy shop, etc.)
Add your photo directly from your computer

Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. We post the art to be used as your inspiration to create. This challenge is open to jewelry-makers, fiber artists, collage artist, etc. The art bead can be created by you or someone else. The challenge is to inspire those who use art beads and to see all the different ways art beads can be incorporated into your handiwork.

An Art Bead must be used in your piece to qualify for the monthly challenge.

***Beads strung on a chain, by themselves and beads simply added to wire or cord will not be accepted.***

Please add the tag or title MAR ABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.

Deadline is March 31st. 
You may upload 2 entries per month.

ENTRIES for ART BEAD ARTISTS!!

• Beads Makers Pinterest Board-Art beads must be created by you and fit the Art Bead Scene’s monthly challenge theme. They can be made for the challenge or ones you have made before. 2 entries per month are allowed. 
One entry will be picked by the editors each month for a free month of advertising on the Art Bead Scene. Bead entries have to be pinned by the 30th of the month.
Beads only – do not post jewelry on this board. If a post doesn’t fit the challenge it will be deleted.

Monthly Challenge Recap
• Please post at least one single shot of your creation on the Pinterest Board. This will be used to make a collage for the Monthly Challenge Gallery. Every creation will be added to the collage, regardless of a blog post. So everyone gets included!
Your entry must be on Pinterest 2 days BEFORE the recap to be included.
• Be sure to share with us the name of the art bead artist in the description of your photo so that if you are selected for the weekly Perfect Pairings on Wednesdays, both you as the designer and the art bead artist can get the credit you both deserve!
• An InLinkz button will be added to the bottom of the Monthly Challenge Recap post. Here you will be able to link up your blog post if you have one. It is no longer necessary to add your blog post URL to the description unless you want to. Be sure to hop around and see all the great inspiration and leave some comment love!
• The Monthly Challenge Recap with Blog Tour will be posted on March 31st.
Monthly Challenge Winners
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all pictures posted on the Pinterest board.
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all blog posts added to the hop for the Monthly Challenge Recap post. So if you want to be in the pool for the second prize, be sure to use the InLinkz code at the bottom of the post to share your process and inspirations!
• Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on April 1st.
Perfect Pairings :: Designer + Art Bead Artist
• Formerly the Featured Designer of the Week, our new Perfect Pairings will focus on both the jewelry designer and the art bead artist. 
• Be sure to point out all the art bead artists in your work in the description of the photo on the Pinterest Board. Links to their website or shop are appreciated. That way we can all find new art beads to love!

• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Wednesday here on ABS, so get those entries in soon.

What is an Art Bead?
An art bead is a bead, charm, button or finding made by an independent artist. Art beads are the vision and handiwork of an individual artist. You can read more about art beads here.
***A bead that is handmade is not necessarily an art bead. Hill Tribe Silver, Kazuri ceramic beads or lampwork beads made in factories are examples of handmade beads that are not considered art beads.
Beaded beads, stamped metal pendants or wire-wrapped components are not considered art beads for our challenge.***

You Might Also Like

Previous Story
Next Story

1 Comment

  1. Ann Schroeder
    March 3, 2016 at 12:22 am

    This is so beautiful! I just clicked on it and already have an idea. 🙂

Comments are closed.