Opening night of "A Soulful Look: The Paintings of Nadia Werbitzky in the Soviet Context". Over 60 people attended the exhibit opening on Friday, December 5, 2003.
On December 5th the Claude Pepper Foundation's ChangingArt Gallery hosted an opening for a new art exhibit featuring the works of Russian painter Nadia Werbitsky. The new exhibit is entitled, "A Soulful Look: The Paintings of Nadia Werbitzky in the Soviet Context. Currently, the collection is on display at the Pepper Center Changing Gallery from December 5-January 31st which is open 8-5 Monday through Friday.
Over 60 people attended the exhibit opening and reception and it was one of the featured stops on the Cultural Resources Center's First Friday Gallery Hop. The opening was held from 6-9 pm and featured a guest lecture by Dr. Jonathan Grant, Professor of Russian History at FSU. Grant delivered the lecture in the Claude Pepper Center's Broad Auditorium.
Werbitsky is an award-winning artist whose colorful works reflect Russian folk and religious culture during World War II. Nadia Werbitzkys paintings reflect the dynamic changes in the social and political structure of the Russian people in the Twentieth century. Her vibrant, expressionistic style captures the social and religious life of the Russian people. Her subject matter ranges impressively from scenes of bucolic life and pastoral country sides, to images of spiritual piety and imperial nobility. The paintings also function as a documentation of the folk life of the Russian people, which despite the efforts of the Soviet Government maintained a primacy in the Russian culture.
The collection was well received in European exhibitions in Munich and Frankfurt and at a show in the Radio Gallery in Washington D.C. The artwork was recently rediscovered by Ms. Mimi Shaw of Tallahassee, Fl. Ms. Shaw owns over eighty paintings by Nadia Werbitzky and will be providing a multimedia slide show which will include works not on display at the debut of the collection. This will be the first exhibition of the
collection in the Southeast. An online virtual exhibit featuring the collection is currently being designed for users with high-speed connections is being constructed to accompany the exhibit. The exhibit is being constructed by Robert B. Ryals, Pepper Center POLARIS Project Archivist and web designer.
Dr. Jonathan Grant is a specialist in modern Russian history; he is the author of Big Business in Russia: The History of the Putilov Company in Late Imperial Russia, 1868-1917 (Pittsburgh, 1999). His current research deals with the arms race in the years leading to the outbreak of World War I. Both Ms. Shaw and Dr. Grant will be available to answer questions from the public at the exhibition.
The Claude Pepper Changing Gallery is housed in the Claude Pepper Center Building on the campus of Florida State University. The Gallery features rotating visiting exhibits and compelling artwork on a variety subjects. Exhibits often compliment conferences and seminars on current political and social issues held at the Center.
