Контактная печать с негативов Александра Игнатьева
Alexander Ignatev's contact print from a film negative.
Source: From Leningrad to Saint-Petersburg. TEII, p. 151

From Luka Kuznetov's article

Что такое современное мироощущение и как его передать в живописи, можно понять, увидев работы Евгения Козлова. Три его картины (все почему то без этикеток) были довольно странным способом повешены на кронштейны щитов под потолком. Сюжеты всех трех неясны: вот интерьер то ли банка, то ли вокзала, вот, похоже, пикник или гулянье. И все сделано остро, убедительно и очень свежо. Интересно, что в одной из картин явно использованы приемы журнальных иллюстраций 1920_х годов, но воспринимается она очень современно.

Лука КУЗНЕЦОВ, От Ленинграда к Санкт-Петербургу. ТЕИИ, стр. 148

If you want to know a modern view of life and how it can be conveyed through a painting, you should look at Evgenij Kozlov's works. Three of his paintings (for some reason without labels) were hung in a rather strange way underneath the ceiling – on the struts fixing the movable walls. The subject of all three works remains unclear: one might represent the interior of a bank or train station, another one a picnic or an excursion. And everything is to the point and very fresh. Interestingly, one of the paintings clearly displays the technique of illustrations in magazines from the 1920s, but the effect is very modern.

Luka Kuznetsov, From Leningrad to Saint-Petersburg. TEII, p. 148

With the help of the photo and Kuznetsov's description, two of the three paintings could be identified:
"The interior of a bank or train station" refers to E-E-183022
SIT VENIA VERBO. Традиции ХХ века / SIT VENIA VERBO. Traditions of the Twentieth Century
the second title of which is "Airport".

"A picnic or an excursion" refers to E-E-183019
Похороны / Funeral

E-E-183022
SIT VENIA VERBO. Традиции ХХ века / SIT VENIA VERBO. Traditions of the Twentieth Century
Tempera and gouache on canvas, 101 x 75.5 cm, 1983
The State Russian Museum Collection

E-E-183019
Похороны / Funeral
Tempera, watercolour and gouache on canvas, ca. 100 x 75 cm, 1983

Kozlov listed the works he selected for the exhibition in a handwritten note, mentioning the day the exhibits were to be hung: развеска 24/III – 24 March (1984). The height and width of each painting are written in reversed order and therefore crossed out.
1. Традиции ХХ (Traditions XX), 1983
2. Петродворец. Красный проспект (Petrodvorets. Red Avenue.) 1983
3. Петродворец. Розовый павильон (Petrodvorets. Rose Pavilion) 1984

The painting Похороны / Funeral is not in the list; however, below the horizontal line are the words "Портрет" / Portrait, and to the right "4 – живопись“ / 4 – painting and "3 – графика“ / 3 – work on paper. In other words, more than just three paintings might have been displayed.

At the bottom of the note, inside a drawn frame, is a date fixing a meeting on 30 March at the Palace of Youth – at the exhibition – with several artists: Vanya (Ivan) Sotnikov, Slava, Kotel. (Oleg Kotelnikov), and Gustav (Georgy Guryanov).

The reverse of the note displays a collection of Latin phrases with Russian translations. Kozlov used three of them as titles for his paintings, among them "sit venia verbo", the painting

Photographs from (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov's archive with general views and artists

Artist Vik (Vyacheslav Zabelin) – Вик / Вячеслав Забелин – with one of his round / oval shaped works from the triptych “Крымское воздухоплавание” / Ballooning at the Crimea”.

Behind Vik are Olga Zabelina, his wife, and, with his back turned to the camera, artist Sergey Sergeev.

In the background, artist Afonichev is standing to the right of six paintings by Sergey Sergeev.
Top row, from left to right
1) “Portrait of a writer” / "Портрет писателя", 2) Woman against a Red Background” / "Женщина на красном фоне", 3) Portrait of a Musician” / "Портрет музыканта"
Bottom row, from left to right
1) Portrait of Captain Kurochkin” / Портрет капитана Курочкина" 2) “Fish and Knife” / "Рыба и нож" 3) “Cathedral” / "Собор"

The final hanging of works was slightly different. See “TEII”, p. 150.

Photo: (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov

Artist Vik (Vyacheslav Zabelin) – Вик / Вячеслав Забелин

Photo: (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov

Private view. From left to right: Vera Labutova, Elena Figurina (exh.), Vladimir Labutov, Kirill Miller (exh.), and Dmitry Shagin.
In the foreground two unknown ladies (with hats).

Three works on the right wall by Elena Figurina: ”Бегущие коровы“ / "Cows running”, “Клоун” / “Clown”, and “Клоуны” / “Clowns”

Photo: (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov

Kirill Miller

Photo: (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov

Exhibition view.
From left to right: not identified, tow works by Ivan Sotnikov – a large portrait and a cat –, two city landscapes by Timur Novikov. Elena Figurina: a portrait and a double portrait. To the right of Figurina's portrait is another of her works, “На пашне” / “In the Field”, 1982, depicting a woman standing between a cow and a horse

Two city landscapes by Timur Novikov are displayed between two works by – and two works by Elena Figurina, a portrait and a double portrait.

Photo: (E-E) Evgenij Kozlov

Many thanks to Maria Novikova-Savelyeva, Olga Osterberg, Olga Zabelina and Elena Figurina for helping to identify the exhibits.

Uploaded 9 January 2019
Last updated 9 September 2024