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| By Russian Artist Anatoly Belkin Circa 1991 |
When I wrote a blog post last month, “Drinking Tea from a Samovar” I had no idea what a samovar was, let alone the history behind it. This week I came across a story that was published on Artfix.com called “Speaking through Painting - A Work by Anatoly Belkin” that made me realize how tea had an even greater impact in Russia beyond the production and function of the samovar. This painting by Anatoly Belkin is so fascinating and connects many facets of personal and social influences that occurred during a movement in Soviet history.
This painting contains a collage of references about tea, Soviet poetry and related symbolism. At the top of the painting is the name of a famous Soviet poet, Vladimar Mayakovsky. Before committing suicide in 1930, Mr. Mayakovsky experienced many things like protests, jail, poems, stage plays and love affairs. He and one of his friends were known to stand on street corners, reciting poetry and throwing tea at their audiences. Their reason behind doing this was to annoy the bourgeois art establishment and they successfully achieved that.
The samovar is the focus of this painting. In the top left portion of the painting, a statement says, “This is tea.” Below that, the word for “very good” is painted. I am not literate in Russian interpretations, but when I look at this painting the colors, dimension and special effects captures an admiration from many who may not understand the story, but appreciate the beauty.
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