From the series "Journey into the Heart of the Country" [house in background, puddle in foreground]
Not on Display
In 1989, the Soviet Union was collapsing and Russia was in a state of unrest. During this tumultuous time, there was an increasing desire to document society. Photographers like Vladimir Filonov made it their mission to display the reality of life in the Russian countryside. Filonov was part of the amateur photographer movement that focused on portraying reality and exploring issues such as poverty. In order to achieve this, Filonov traveled with other photographers across Russia documenting the disappearing villages. On this journey, Filonov wanted to capture more than just a moment in time; he wanted to create complex internal connections within his photographs.
This photograph features a derelict home in the village of Pogoreloye, which could represent the disappearance of the Russian village with the reflection in the puddle a metaphorical reflection of the past. Filonov’s dramatic staging of the lighting and the landscape elevates the deteriorating home into a symbol for the loss of the village community.
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Series:
from "Journey into the Heart of the Country"
Artist/Maker:
Geography:
Asia; Soviet Union
Culture:
Russian
Medium:
Gelatin silver print
Collection:
GW Collection
Accession Number:
CGA.1995.28.3
Credit Line:
Gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Gift of the artist)
Date:
1989
Keywords:
Exterior View; Nature; 20th Century
Copyright:
© Vladimir Filonov
Object Type:
Photograph
Dimensions:
Sheet/Page 21.91 H x 28.89 W cm (8 5/8 H x 11 3/8 W in)
Image 18.73 H x 27.94 W cm (7 3/8 H x 11 W in)
Mat 35.56 H x 45.72 W cm (14 H x 18 W in)
Structure:
gelatin silver print
Bibliography:
Leah Bendavid-Val (Author), Changing Reality: Recent Soviet Photography (Exh. cat.), Starwood Publishing, Inc., Washington, D.C., 1991, p. 111
Tyler Cann (Editor) and Drew Sawyer (Editor), Red Horizon: Contemporary Art and Photography in the USSR and Russia, 1960-2010 (Exh. cat.), Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH, 2017
Corcoran Gallery of Art Registrar's Office Records, 1869-2013 (COR RG 5.1), Special Collections Research Center, Gelman Library, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 1869-2013, Box 52, Folder 9 "Changing Reality: Recent Soviet Photography, 1991 May 11-July 17"
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Exhibition History:
HOME: Selections from the Corcoran Study Collection, Luther W. Brady Art Gallery, Washington DC, November 14, 2019 - March 13, 2020
Changing Reality: Recent Soviet Photography, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, May 11-July 7, 1991; Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, Nashville, TN, September 19-November 1, 1992; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, March 28-May 9, 1993; Sweet Briar College, Sweet Briar, VA, January-February 1994; Haverford College, Haverford, PA, March-May 1994
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Related Works:
