“The lanes smell sea…”

The exhibition is devoted to the work of People's Artist of the RSFSR Vladimir Larionov (1913-1987) and his son - artist Andrei Larionov (1948-1991).

Vladimir Larionov is an outstanding performer of Blok’s poetry. He had a low-key manner of performing, a deep sense of music and rhythm and used a rich variety of intonations while reading the poems.

His poetic programs had various structures: solo performances of the works of Alexander Pushkin, Alexander Blok, anthology of Russian and international poetry, recital evening (Ivan Bunin, Guy de Maupassant, Ernest Hemingway and Hans Christian Andersen).

Since 1970 Vladimir Larionov taught at a young reader studio at the Leningrad branch of the Union of Theatrical Figures of Russia.

His students were the honored artists of Russia Vitaliy Gordienko and Aleksei Emelianov, artists Irina Stepanova, Andrei Tolshin and Anna Mamaeva.

Andrei Larionov is a painter and an artist painting on porcelain. In the 1980s he worked as an art director at the Leningrad Porcelain Factory. The main theme of Andrei Larionov’s work has been the world of literary images of “efficient”, “inscrutable and mysterious” St. Petersburg of Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Alexander Blok.

The artistic and life path of the Larionov family is strongly connected with Blok’s house on Dekabristov Street. They lived in Kolomna near the poet’s house, first on Moika Embankment, 111 and later on Masterskaya Street, 4. Vladimir Larionov and his disciples often performed at literary gatherings at the museum-apartment. Creative collaboration between the museum and some of the disciples continues up to this day.

The exhibition at the Alexander Blok Flat-Museum displays objects from the funds of the State Museum of the History of St. Petersburg: photographs, posters and programs of the 1950-1970s from the literary evenings dedicated to Blok’s poetry performed by Vladimir Larionov, invitation cards to the evenings and an album with notes, handed to the artist by the public during his performances.

The second part of the exhibition is presented by paintings of the 1970-1980s by Andrei Larionov: “Autumn Day. Moika”, “Winter Night”, “Khrapovitsky Bridge”, “Podyacheskaya Ulica”, “An Alarming Evening”, “White Night” depicting different corners of St. Petersburg Kolomna.

Works by Andrei Larionov on porcelain displayed at the exhibition are also devoted to St. Petersburg: decorative plates “New Holland”, “The poet’s window”, triptych “St. Petersburg twilight” (panel “View of the Admiralty”, “View of Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral”, “View from the window of a writer”), decorative plate “Kryukov Canal”.

The exhibition will be accompanied by recordings of Alexander Blok’s poetry: “I would forget about courage, winning…”, “Iambs” and excerpts from the poem “Retribution” performed by Vladimir Larionov.

A commemoration meeting of Vladimir Larionov will be held in terms of the exhibition. Well-known artists, students and successors of traditions of the outstanding performer will participate in this event.