Art is the realization of those freedoms and possibilities that were left open to us by previous generations.
—Nikolai Silis
Turn Park Art Space is pleased to announce an exhibition of Nikolai Silis: Don Quixote Graphic Series.
It will take place at the Gate House Gallery
from May 13, 2023 — August 14, 2023.
Nikolai Silis is a Russian artist, draftsman and sculptor, and an influential voice in twentieth century Russian art. Expressive and emotional in its nature, his work is characterized by recognizable biomorphic forms featuring smooth, fluid lines.
Silis’s artistic career unfolded against the backdrop of Stalinist repression, the “thaw” of Nikita Khrushchev, and the economic, cultural and artistic stagnation that marked Leonid Brezhnev’s long reign. Silis’s art developed in spite of the doctrine of Socialist Realism sanctioned by the Soviet regime. Silis was persecuted for ‘formalism’ but he continued to strive to capture human beauty through abstraction.
Don Quixote is Silis’s favorite literary character. Through the series of graphic works presented in the current exhibition, Nikolai Silis explores the theme of an idealist persevering in the face of a crushing reality. Included in the exhibit are original drawings and lithographs spanning two decades, as well as a small bronze sculpture. The public sculpture Don Quixote with Flower, from the same series, is installed on the grounds of the Turn Park Art Space in the Lower Meadow overlooking the Quarry Lake.