You still have the time to see Elena Polenova’s exhibition at Watts Gallery in Guildford, Surrey, on display until the 8th of February. If you are interested in international artists and you like folk art, watercolour paintings and fairytale illustrations, this is your chance to see the first major exhibition of the Russian artist’s work outside her homeland.
A prolific painter, designer and illustrator of children’s fairy tales, Elena Polenova played an important role in the Russian craft revival at the fin-de-siècle. Often overlooked as the younger sister of the famous Russian artist Vasily Polenov, Elena Polenova’s style gravitated around bringing folk art and traditional patterns into modern handmade wooden designs which were sold in fashionable boutiques in Moscow.
Although she is better known for her furniture designs, she has also illustrated children’s books following the strong tradition in Western Europe that she wanted to reiterate in Russia. Yet, because of her early death, many illustrations remained unpublished.
The exhibition at Watts Gallery showcases a selection of her landscape paintings and folk-tale illustrations alongside furniture and ceramics designed by the artist.
One of the most important women artists in her country with her first big exhibition in Moscow in 2011/2012 since 1903, Polenova’s legacy has begun to attract more attention on the international art scene, including the exhibition at Watts Gallery, which is the first of many international collaborations lined up for the future.
