Boris Solotareff
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Boris Solotareff (October 23, 1889 – July 1966) was a Moldovan Russian painter. He was active in
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, but spent the majority of his career in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
where he became a naturalized
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in 1949. Solotareff made use of a variety of styles; according to the ''
Benezit Dictionary of Artists The ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists'' (in French, ''Bénézit: Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs'') is an extensive publication of bibliographical information on painters, sculptors, designers and engravers create ...
'', his "work was in the mainstream of Eastern European
Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
, with influences of
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
from the time when he lived in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
." Solotareff's paintings have been exhibited widely, including the "Cinquantenaire Du Symbolisme" exhibition at the
Bibliothèque Nationale A library is a collection of books, and possibly other materials and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a p ...
(1936), the Vendome Galleries (New York, 1938), and the "Exhibition of oils and water colors" at the Charles Barzansky Galleries from October 1–20, 1940.


Biography

Born in Bender, in the
Bessarabia Governorate The Bessarabia Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its administrative centre in Kishinev (Chișinău). It consisted of an area of and a population of 1,935,412 inhabitants. The Bessarabia Governorate bordered t ...
of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, Solotareff began his art studies at the Russian art school in
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,
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. This went on until he turned 18 in 1907 when the artist moved to Munich, Germany enrolling at the
Akademie der Bildenden Künste The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...
. After seven years in Munich, Solotareff moved to
Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
, Switzerland. In the six years he stayed there his style underwent a change from the German
Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
style that inspired his Munich paintings to one more influenced by
Fauvism Fauvism ( ) is a style of painting and an art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the style of (, ''the wild beasts''), a group of modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong col ...
. In describing two of Solotareff's paintings from that period, "Meadow of Wild Flowers" and "Farm in Lausanne", James Gardner wrote "The paint has been thickly applied in elongated, energetic jabs that sway and pulsate in every direction like schools of fish. But only the surface seems agitated. Farther down there is the deep and reassuring calm that seems best to typify the Russian artist's sanguine disposition". The year 1920 found Solotareff traveling in France and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
before settling in Paris where, under the influence of
Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...
and
Marie Laurencin Marie Laurencin (31 October 1883 – 8 June 1956) was a French painter and printmaker. She became an important figure in the Parisian avant-garde as a member of the Cubists associated with the Section d'Or. Biography Laurencin was born in Par ...
, he began to paint in a more neo-classical style. While in Paris, Solotareff was a member of the
Salon des Indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained, and an alternative name for a living room. The name i ...
. In 1937, the artist moved to New York, where he lived and painted for the rest of his life.Gardner (1990), VII He worked as a stage designer in the avant-garde Yiddish theater ARTEF ( — Arbeter Teater Farband).


References


Sources

* Charles Barzansky Galleries. (1940). ''Exhibition of oils and water colors''. New York: Charles Barzansky Galleries. OCLC 82503654 * Solotareff, B., Gardner, J., & Borghi & Co. (1990). ''Boris Solotareff, 1889-1966: A retrospective : September 20-October 20, 1990''. New York, NY: Borghi & Co. OCLC 23532316 *
SOLOTAREFF, Boris
" ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists''. In ''Oxford Art Online''.


External links


Works by Boris Solotareff
at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
(NY) *
Portrait of a Girl
at the
Fogg Museum The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...
(Harvard)
Works by Boris Solotareff
at the Borghi Fine Art Gallery. {{DEFAULTSORT:Solotareff, Boris 1889 births 1966 deaths People from Bender, Moldova People from Bendersky Uyezd Bessarabian Jews Painters from the Russian Empire Expatriates from the Russian Empire in Germany Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France French emigrants to the United States Jewish painters Russian modern painters Artists from Lausanne 20th-century Russian male artists