December 8 - International Day of the Artist: History and Traditions

Every year on December 8, the world community celebrates International Artist Day, dedicated to masters of fine arts, illustrators, designers and all those who create. This day is a reminder of the importance of art, as well as its role in preserving and transmitting cultural heritage. In 2024, the celebration falls on a Sunday. About the history of painting and the traditions of the celebration read in the material "Izvestia".

International Day of the Artist - 2024: the history and meaning of the holiday

The holiday was established by UNESCO in 2007 on the initiative of the International Association "Art of the Peoples of the World", founded in 1988 by artist and patron of the arts Nikolai Kornilov.

Painting is one of the most ancient arts that expresses the culture and history of mankind. Over the centuries, the profession of an artist has evolved from a craft to a complex form of creativity.

Primitive artists created cave paintings depicting scenes of hunting, animals and rituals. Examples of such works include the famous Lascaux caves in France and Altamira in Spain. In ancient Egypt, artists drew pharaohs and gods on the walls of temples and tombs, in ancient Greece they sought to convey the beauty of movement and proportions, in China and Japan the main emphasis was on nature, harmony and minimalism.

During the Middle Ages, art was inextricably linked to the church. Artists created frescoes and icons, decorated the walls of temples. During the Renaissance, the attitude towards painters changed, they began to be perceived not as artisans, but as creators. Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo pushed the boundaries of art by exploring perspective, light and anatomy, bringing human beings to the forefront of art.

Baroque with its grandiose compositions, exaggerations and emotionality replaced the restrained classicism with its inherent rigor of forms. These trends had a great influence on the development of painting, architecture, literature and music, leaving a noticeable trace in culture.

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XX century became the time of avant-garde movements: cubism, surrealism, abstractionism. Thanks to new materials and technologies, painting acquired even greater diversity, artists such as Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh became icons of the new time.

The history of painting in Russia is closely connected with the adoption of Christianity. It was icon painting that gave an impetus to its development, becoming its main direction. Such masters as Andrei Rublev contributed to the development of the culture of our country. In the era of Peter the Great, the first art educational institution was founded - the Imperial Academy of Arts.

The XIX century became the "golden age" of Russian painting. Ivan Aivazovsky, Ilya Repin, Vasily Surikov and other artists enriched the national school of painting. There appeared the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions - an association that supported independent authors and brought art closer to the people.

In the early 20th century, Russian artists such as Kazimir Malevich and Wassily Kandinsky pioneered the avant-garde. During the Soviet period, the art profession took on an ideological character, with socialist realism becoming the mainstream.

Today Russian artists are actively integrated into the world art market, participating in international exhibitions and biennales.

Traditions of celebrating the International Day of the Artist in Russia and the world

In Russia on the International Day of the Artist, many galleries and museums hold thematic exhibitions, master classes and lectures. These events are open to both specialists and the general public. In major cities, plein airs, creative meetings, art walks and flash mobs are organized, where artists demonstrate their skills in open areas.

Other countries also hold large-scale events, exhibitions and master classes on this day. For example, in Italy on December 8, art festivals and retrospective exhibitions are organized. In the U.S., a craft fair is popular, where aspiring artists get a chance to present their work. In Japan, the holiday features interactive exhibitions and performances, often combining traditional and contemporary art.

Interesting facts about paintings and artists

In honor of the holiday, Izvestia collected several curious facts about the lives of famous artists and their work.

Impressionism, one of the popular styles of painting, appeared thanks to mockery. The word comes from the French impression - "impression". The journalist Louis Leroy in his article about the exhibition of a group of young artists "Salon of the Outcasts" rather harshly spoke about their work, calling them impressionists, i.e. impressionists. As a result, the name became the trademark of the whole movement.

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Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" was stolen twice. The first time it was stolen in 1994 from a museum in Oslo, and the robbers left a note at the scene of the crime with the words: "Thank you for the poor work of the security service". The second time it went missing was in 2004 during an armed robbery. Both times the canvas was recovered.

Most portraits painted before the 18th century deliberately did not show teeth, even if the models had them in good condition, as an open mouth was considered a sign of vulgarity.

The smallest painting in the world was created by Cypriot artist Kakoulli. He entered the Guinness Book of Records for his work "The Cursed Ship of Theseus". The length of the canvas was only 0.48 cm.

Earlier "Izvestia" told about the history and traditions of the International Museum Day.