‘Russian Seasons’, Yaroslavl’s Open Air Center, was opened in 2014. The center’s main aims were to create a ‘plein (open) air’ atmosphere, organize art exhibitions, increase the popularity of ‘open air’ events and promote up and coming, contemporary artists.
We do not want to dissuade artists of other specialties, studio artists for example, from embracing this new genre. A great majority of artists paint magnificent pictures both indoors and outdoors. In our opinion, fresh air painting has not yet fulfilled its potential, nor has it claimed its true place in the modern art world.
The genre of ‘Open Air Painting’ defines itself by its very title. The skill of such an artist lies in his ability to find a subject and capture the distinctive state and sense of nature and transfer it onto canvas. Such an artist is considered successful if he can sense the connection between the subject and picture. Even a small, seemingly insignificant sketch can be as visually compelling as a whole canvas.
Another equally important goal of ‘Russian Seasons’ is to promote each artist’s personal creations and to create a united community of Russia’s open air artists who are scattered around the world.
It is also vital to create a system for the selling of such paintings and increasing their availability on the market.
It goes without saying that our goals cannot be achieved without a partner network. City bigwigs and art lovers alike who have long been involved in the creative development of their native towns such as Uglish, Myshkin, Vyatskoe and Sereda, are our current collaborators on this project. ‘Open Air Painting’ will be a hallmark of our time.