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May 21, 2004/Sivan 1 5764, Vol. 56, No.35
Local artist carries mantle of Russian Impressionism
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
There are not many artists whose list of inspirations and influ-ences includes both Russian Impressionist masters and blooming cactus. But local artist Elena Kohn creates her unique paintings by drawing on both the Russian back-ground of her past and the desert landscape of her present.
Her current exhibition of new works, "Romancing Impressionism," will be shown at the West Valley Art Museum through July 4.
Kohn, who was born in Leizpig, Germany, and moved to Moscow as a 3-year-old, began taking art classes at the age of 5.
As she grew up and developed a passion for painting, her father Sergei was also involved in the art world as an exhibition organizer for the Moscow union of artists.
"He had a chance to meet many famous artists, and so he started to collect back then," Kohn recalls. "He acquired one of the largest private collec-tions of Russian Impression-ism from 1940s, '50s and '60s."
Kohn continued her artistic training at University of Moscow, where she learned from Vladimir Vino-gradov, a student of the artist she cites as her greatest artistic influence, Russian-American Impression-ist painter Nicolai Fechin. She credits her time at the university as a funda-mental influence in her work.
"The Russian Impressionist school is now considered by art historians as a most important art school of the 20th century, so I was really fortunate to study that traditional Russian Impressionist style under (Fechin's) student," she says.
"Now not many people continue this tradition. That's why I feel really fortunate that I have that knowledge and I continue the tradition of Russian Impressionism."
After receiving her master's degree in fine arts, Kohn moved to Alabama. In 1997, while teaching at Auburn University, the call came from her father: after a break-in at his studio, he no longer felt his enormous collection of paintings was safe in Russia. Two and three at a time, the collection was transferred to Kohn in the United States.
From that point on, Kohn has had two artistic goals: selling and exhibiting her own work, and bringing her father's collection of paintings to the public.
"My goal is to show this collection through the United States. I want as many people as possible to enjoy this art," Kohn says. "These pieces were created by masters, and they are museum quality, so people can generally relate to them."
The West Valley Art Museum exhibited some of the paintings last November in a show entitled "The Golden Age of Russian Impressionism." Another block of the collection is scheduled to be exhibited at the museum in January 2005.
Kohn's paintings that are currently being shown at the museum are recent works inspired by Russian Impress-ionism.
"It will be a nostalgic theme," Kohn says. "I have a lot of landscapes of the Russian countryside and a number of portraits in a Russian style."
Although this show com-prises pieces from the Russian side of Kohn's influence, she has found great inspiration in the Arizona landscape since moving here in 2001.
"I just recently moved to Arizona, and coming from Russia, it's like a dream - it's so unusual to me. I had never seen the desert or cacti.
"I do a lot of pieces outside. The colors of Arizona are so bright and intense - I've never seen anything like it in Russia. I think it's a very good place to be for artists. You don't have to go very far because everything inspires you."
Details
- What: "Romancing Impressionism," an exhibition of paintings by Elena Kohn
- When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, through July 4
- Where: West Valley Art Museum, 17420 N. Avenue of the Arts, Surprise
- Cost: $7
- Call: 623-972-0635
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