The exhibition is open as part of the Plyos Museum-Reserve project "Family Traditions." The exposition presents more than 60 works from the private collection of honored masters of Russian art — academicians of the Russian Academy of Arts, Evgeny Maksimov and Yulia Smirnova. For the first time, these works will be shown to the general public in Plyos.
The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see two unique artistic worlds — to compare them, feel the nuances of the authors' styles, and immerse oneself in the creativity of outstanding representatives of the modern Moscow monumental school.
People's Artist of Russia Evgeny Nikolaevich Maksimov is a key and deeply respected figure. His name is associated with the concept of "man-school." A student of Klavdia Alexandrovna Tutevol, he became not only a continuer of her traditions but also the founder of one of the strongest pedagogical centers in the field of monumental painting — the workshop at the Moscow State Academic Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov. Under his leadership, a generation of artists was formed for whom art is not only a craft but also a sphere of deep philosophical and spiritual meanings.
Evgeny Maksimov's creative style combines church monumental art, icon painting, and landscape painting. His images are endowed with powerful inner energy, depth, and expressiveness.
Yulia Alexandrovna Smirnova, despite her obvious stylistic difference, is no less powerful in her artistic expression. Her painting is a synthesis of meticulous elaboration and impulsive brushwork. In her works — whether landscape, interior, or figurative composition — there is always a deep personal reading of the theme. For her, it is important not just to depict but to reveal the essential nature of the subject and the emotional response of the artist herself.
