Art

Russian expressionist painter Chaim Soutine

01/25/201306/02/2019 by Viola

Russian expressionist painter Chaim Soutine

Many artists who left Russia in the years of the revolution, before it and after – long considered at home as if not existing. They lived in Paris and were classed as “French artists”. Chagall, Soutine, Zadkine, Lipchitz remained outside the attention of art historians and critics. Chagall was more fortunate, others – less. Someone has aptly named them silenced geniuses. It is so indeed. Chaim Soutine – one of these forgotten geniuses. About him did not publish books or monographs in Russia. Thanks to Ilya Ehrenburg: he first wrote about Chaim Soutine. His paintings will be bought by Arab sheiks, Chaplin family, Rossellini family. Even Pablo Picasso bought and hung in his studio painting by Soutine “Paris at night”.
Russian expressionist painter Chaim Soutine was born 13 January 1893, Smilavichy, Russian Empire. In Russia Chaim Soutine (Khaim Sutin) has been almost forgotten, though till the end of his life the great artist wrote in the documents his nationality – Russian, and the place of birth – Russia.

Woman in red on a blue background 1928. Painting by Chaim Soutine

The leading Russian impressionist painter Konstantin Korovin called him one of the top five artists of the world. Besides, Modigliani called Chaim Soutine genius, supported in the difficult years in Paris, even painted several portraits of him. When Soutine died in August 1943, from brain tumors, only one person walked behind his coffin. It was Picasso. Other friends were afraid to go outside – the city was occupied by the Germans.

Fame and wealth did not mean much for the artist: they simply did not exist in his life, Chaim Soutine was not interested in anything but painting. When his paintings had been already sold, he tried to buy them back – to destroy them. He forgot about everything while painting – sleep, food, fresh air, he didn’t stop until brought his painting to the end. He was just obsessed with painting.

With a native of Russia Chagall Soutine linked extraordinary Romanticism sincerity. If Chagall created his lovely fairy tale, then Soutine was Shakespeare in the art, working with tragical colors, to look into the abyss of hell.

A thin, lanky, painful – such was Chaim Soutine. He drew heavily, huddled in a corner. It was also said that Soutine first time did not pass the entrance exam. He threw himself on his knees in front of teachers and begged permission to resit. And entered.
Probably, from the eternal malnutrition Soutine had a stomach ulcer, he constantly painted in pain. Suffering was common on his face, framed with untidy hair. Wide nostrils, thick red lips and burning eyes – this was a young man Soutine.

His works speak about him all. In his paintings red color dominates, favorite color of Soutine. The color of blood, passion, love and hatred, war and victory. The color of his madness.

Each of his portrait, landscape, composition, still life with a carcass of the slaughtered bull becomes a sign, a symbol, a generalized way of nature. Red gladiolas choked with screaming, and people in his paintings were writhing from internal contradictions, it seems they were broken from the inside.

For Chaim Soutine painting was a way of life, food for the soul, air to the lungs. If he had been taken away the paint and canvas, he immediately would have died on the bench in the workshop.