Leonid Steele
Encyclopedia
Leonid Mikhailovich Steele (born 1921) is one of the leading artists of the Russian Realist School - the Soviet period in Russian Art known as “socialist realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...

” or “socrealizm.” A member of the USSR Union of Artists
USSR Union of Artists
Union of Artists of the USSR was a creative union of the Soviet artists and arts critics embracing the union republics.The Union started in 1932 to supersede the AKhRR. The integral Union was instituted in 1957...

 since 1958, he is known for his large multi-figure works, as well as figure, genre and landscape works - especially his portrayals of peasant life in the Ukraine and nature scenes of the Moscow region. In addition to his reputation for having a painterly “impressionist” style, Steele became one of the early pioneers of what eventually became known as “severe style.”

Biography

Leonid Steele was born in Lebedin, a town in the Sumsk Region of the Ukrainian SSR. As a child he lived through the famine of 1933 in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. He started painting when he was four and in 1939 took part in the World Art Exhibition in New York.

He served in the Red Army during World War II (the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union) and suffered a severe concussion from an air bomb during the siege of Kharkov in 1941. After recovery, he continued serving in Siberia. During recovery and service in Siberia he began studying plein air painting with Evgeny Kudriavtsev – then director of the important State Tretyakov Gallery and student of legendary turn-of-the-century landscape painter Isaak Levitan.

In 1947 Steele entered the Leningrad Repin Institute of Arts of the Soviet Union Art Academy (Russian Imperial Academy of Arts) where he studied first with Professor Platunov and later in the class of Professor Rudolph Frentz. In 1953, a fresh graduate of the painting department, Leonid received his first professional recognition with his diploma painting exhibited in Moscow's State Tretyakov Gallery and in Leningrad's Kazan Cathedral
Kazan Cathedral
Kazan Cathedral or Kazanskiy Kafedralniy Sobor , also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, is a cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg...

 on the occasion of the Fourth Conference of Peace Activists. This painting, entitled Defend the Peace, was reproduced in many editions in the USSR and abroad.

In 1958 he became a Member of the Union of Artists of the USSR with union ID 508.

Some of his best known multi–figure paintings are Komsomoltsy, The Land, The Family (Cossacks Kind Will Never Die), Mothers of the World, and Remembrance. He has participated in 80 exhibitions, including 11 All–Union Exhibitions, the most prestigious of all being in the USSR, including Central Exhibition Hall, Manezh, Moscow Manege. In addition, his paintings and his story were featured in numerous top Soviet mass media publications - such as Ogoniok, Rabotnitsa
Rabotnitsa
Rabotnitsa is a women's journal, published in the Soviet Union and Russia and one of the oldest Russian magazines for women and families. Founded in 1914, and first published on Women's Day, it is the first socialist women's journal, and the most politically left of the women's periodicals...

, Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....

, Izvestia, Sovetskaya Kultura, Smena, and Ukraina - as well as a variety of regional and local newspapers, radio programs and TV shows.

In 1968, Steele travelled around the world with his works, visiting 22 countries.

The artist became a friend of many Soviet celebrities over the years, including Leonid Utyosov
Leonid Utyosov
Leonid Osipovich Utyosov or Utesov ; real name Lazar Vaysbeyn or Weissbein , was a famous Soviet jazz singer and comic actor of jewish origin, who became the first pop singer to be awarded the prestigious title of People's Artist of the USSR .-Biography:Leonid Utyosov was brought up in Odessa...

, Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....

, David Oistrakh
David Oistrakh
David Fyodorovich Oistrakh , , David Fiodorović Ojstrakh, ; – October 24, 1974, was a Soviet violinist....

, Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....

, Pavel Popovich
Pavel Popovich
- Biography :He was born in Uzyn, Kiev Oblast of Soviet Union . to Roman Porfirievich Popovich and Theodosia Kasyanovna Semyonov. He had two sisters and two brothers ....

, and Alexander Vertinsky
Alexander Vertinsky
Alexander Nikolayevich Vertinsky was a Russian and Soviet artist, poet, singer, composer, cabaret artist and actor who exerted seminal influence on the Russian tradition of artistic singing.-Early years:...

. He was also an early supporter of a prominent and widely influential protest songwriter of the 1960s, Bulat Okudzhava
Bulat Okudzhava
Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava was a Soviet and Russian poet, writer, musician, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He was one of the founders of the Russian genre called "author song"...

, whose public appearances were restricted by Soviet authorities at the time. Steele did two live portraits of Bulat, hosted his early underground concerts and made home recordings.
Leonid's style evolved through the years. Never settling for any one achievement, he pressed on in a continual pursuit of new directions. Almost every decade was marked by a distinctive stylistic shift reflecting a new stage of his artistic development. Once he established his reputation with a painterly “impressionist” style, Steele shifted direction and became one of the early pioneers of what later became known as “severe style.” His most distinctive periods were The Academic Period of 1947 – 1953, The Early Kiev Period of 1953 – 1965, The Kiev Period of 1965 – 1975 and Moscow Period of 1975 – 1990. Dr. Vern Swanson referenced Leonid Steele in his book on Soviet Impressionism.

Steele’s recounting of his life and experiences as a Soviet artist was widely quoted and referred to in two important books on the period by Dr. Vern Swanson - “Soviet Impressionism” and “Soviet Impressionist Painting”. Steele is featured alongside such important painters of the period as Alexander Gerasimov
Alexander Gerasimov
Alexander Mikhaylovich Gerasimov was a leading proponent of Socialist Realism in the visual arts, and painted Joseph Stalin and other Soviet leaders....

, Alexander Deyneka
Alexander Deyneka
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka was a Soviet Russian painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century....

, Isaak Brodsky
Isaak Brodsky
Isaak Izrailevich Brodsky , was a Soviet painter whose work provided a blueprint for the art movement of socialist realism. He is known for his iconic portrayals of Lenin and idealized, carefully crafted paintings dedicated to the events of the Russian Civil War and Bolshevik Revolution.Brodsky was...

, Aleksei Gritsai
Aleksei Gritsai
Aleksei Mikhailovich Gritsai was a Russian artist. From 1924 to 1931 he studied in Leningrad in the studios of S.M. Zaidenberg and from 1932 to 1939 at the Academy of Arts under P.S. Naumov, Vasili Yakovlev, and Isaak Brodsky....

, Akhmed Kitaev, Gely Korzhev, Yuri Kugach, Aleksandr Laktionov, Oleg Lomakin
Oleg Lomakin
Oleg Leonidovich Lomakin was a Russian Soviet realist painter, Honored Artist of the RSFSR, who lived and worked in Saint Petersburg . He was regarded as one of the major representatives of the Leningrad school of painting,- Biography :...

, Konstantin Maksimov, Petr Maltsev, Dmitri Nalbandyan, Georgi Nisski, Yuri Neprintsev, Vasili Nechitailo, Yuri Pimenov, Arkadi Plastov, Yuri Podlyaski, Vladimir Serov, Boris Shcherbakov, Dementi Shmarinov, Valentin Sidorov, Pavel Sokolov-Skalya, Vladimir Stozharov, Nikolai Timkov
Nikolai Timkov
Nikolai Efimovich Timkov - Soviet Russian painter, Honored Artist of Russian Federation, a member of the Saint Petersburg Union of Artists , lived and worked in Leningrad, regarded as one of the leading representatives of the Leningrad school of painting, worldwide known for his landscape...

, the Tkachev brothers, Andrei Tutunov, Boris Ugarov, Edvard Vyrzhikovski, Tatiyana Yablonskaya, and Dmitri Zhulinski.

Later Life

Today, at the age of 89, Leonid Mikhailovich Steele continues to paint in the United States - in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 - exhibiting the same passion and energy he has shown since his youth. He is a Lifetime Signature Member of the California Art Club
California Art Club
The California Art Club , founded in 1909, is one of the oldest and most active arts organizations in California. It celebrated its centennial in the spring of 2010. The California Art Club originally evolved from the Painters Club of Los Angeles...

 and remains a living legacy of the Art of the Soviet Union.

Leonid Steele is the father of Alexey Steele
Alexey Steele
Alexey Steele is an American painter of the Russian Representational School and a Soviet Art scholar. He moved to Los Angeles in 1990. Steele gained recognition for his unusual multi-figure compositions of an exceptionally large scale. His areas of expertise also include portraits, nudes and...

, a Russian Realist School painter residing in Los Angeles, California.

Media Publications

1. “All Union Exhibition of 1954”, “Soviet Artist” Publishing 1955. L. Zinger article, reproduction of the painting “We Will Defend the Peace.”

2. “We Will Defend the Peace” poster, “Soviet Artist” Publishing 1955

3. “After the Civil War”(”Komsomoltsy”) poster, “Soviet Artist” Publishing 1957

4. “Ogoniok” Magazine, “Pravda” Publishing #50 1958 - Reproduction of “After the Civil War”(Komsomoltsy)

5. “Unost” Magazine #11 1958 - Reproduction of “Dawn”

6. “Rabotnitsa” Magazine, “Pravda” Publishing #8 1958 - Reproduction of “Dawn”

7. “Ukraina” Magazine (Main illustrated magazine of the Ukraine SSR) #32 1959 - Reproduction of “Pavka Korchagin”

8. “Kiev Evening” Newspaper #139 1960 - Article and the reproduction of “Van Cliburn Portrait”

9. “Sovietskaia Kultura” (Soviet Culture) Newspaper of KPSS Central Committee and USSR Ministry of Culture, Summer 1963 - Front page reproduction of “The Lines About Peace”

10. “Ukraina” Magazine #21 1964 - Cover reproduction of “Lily”

11. “Smena” Magazine #6 1964 - Reproductions of “Lily,” “Girlfriends,” “Grandpa Vakula”

12. “Culture and Life” Newspaper of the Ukraine SSR Ministery of Culture #96 1965 “Brigantine is Pressing on Course” Review of the one man exhibition by the art critic V. Varakov. Reproductions of “Pavka Korchagin,” “Girlfriends,” “Lubka”

13. ”Pravda of Ukraine” Newspaper of KPU Central Committee. The article “Exhibition of Leonid Steele”. Reproduction of “I. Patarzhinsky in opera “Zaporozhets za Dunaem.”

14. “Sovietskaia Kultura” (Soviet Culture) Newspaper of KPSS Central Committee and USSR Ministry of Culture #72 1965, “The Work Will Be The Answer” front editorial column - Report of L. Steele one man exhibition in the deep country side as an example of established city artist bringing art directly to the people.

15. “Evening Kiev” Newspaper October 29, 1965 - Article “Sunny Canvases” by L. Pinsky

16. “Countryside News” Newspaper of KPU Central Committee, November 14, 1967, Article “Do You Recognize Yourselves, Obuhovans?” by art critic A. Pinich - Reproduction of “Zemlia” (Leonid Steele. "The Land")

17. “Worker’s Newspaper” November 21, 1968, Article “In the Wake of Columbus” by N. Shevtsova - Reproductions from “Palma de Majorca” and “Tunis Street”

18. “Ukraine” Magazine in English, 1969, Article “The Spring of Inspiration” by A. Ovsienko - Reproductions from “Camomiles” and “Zemlia”(The Land)

19. “The Dawn of October” Newspaper February 9, 1969, Article “By the Lenin’s Decree” by A. Ovsienko - Reproduction from “Zemlia” (The Land)

20. “Ukraina” Magazine #39, September 1970 - Reproduction from “Zemlia” (The Land)

21. “Ogoniok” Magazine #23 1970 - Reproduction from “Semia”(The Family)

22. “The Ukrainian Canadian” Canadian Magazine, April 1971 - Cover reproduction of “Lily”

23. “Soviet Visual Art” book “Soviet Artist”, 1971 - Chapter “Group Portrait” by the critic V. Zimenko

24. “Literary Ukraine” Newspaper, June 22, 1971, Article “Strong Thread” by the writer-critic I. Voloshin. The review of the one man exhibition “In the Wake of Columbus”

25. “Ukraina” Magazine #32, August 1971, Article “From the People’s Spring” by A. Ovsienko. In depth critical analysis of artist’s career and the influence of his works on the development of Soviet Art. Reproductions from “Rest”, “Roof”, “Chamomiles”, “Lubka”

26. “Soviet Artist” Publishing, 1971. The poster from “Marichka”

27. “Vitchizna”/Fatherland/ Magazine #9 1971 - Article by the artist about his travels to the 22 countries of the World.

28. “Soviet Life” Magazine in English, 1972, Article “Artist’s View of the Dniper” - Reproductions of “Dneprodzerzhinsk”, “Tillage”, “Kchortitsa Island”

29. “Komsomolskaia Iskra” Newspaper, Ukraine, November 3, 1973, Review of the one-man exhibition in Odessa “In the Wake of Columbus”

30. “People’s Tribune” Newspaper, Ukraine, May 13,1975, Article “The Painting is Created in Ulanovo” describing the work on “Pamiat”(Remembrance)

31. “Rabotnitsa” Magazine, “Pravda” Publishing #3 1976, Editorial article about “Mothers of the World” which is called “the painting-parable”. Reproductions of “Mothers of the World”. Circulation 13,000,000.

32. “Lenin’s Flag” Newspaper, Moscow Region, November 17, 1978, Article “What an Artist Can Do” by O. Nikolaev describing the founding of the fine art museum by the artist.

33. “Lenin’s Flag” Newspaper, Moscow Region, August 5, 1982, “Palate of Life” – a critical review by L. Diakonitsyn

34. “Pravda” Newspaper of KPSS Central Committee, #248 September 5, 1987, Article “And to Teach the Others” by V. Mastukov

TV and Radio Appearances

1. Ukrainian Radio, Kiev, 1960, “Exhibition of Leonid Steele” by I. Sulimenko and Z. Strelova

2. “Unost”/Youth/ Radio station, 1965, Literary-Musical program “Artist Leonid Steele” by M. Goraeva

3. “Unost”/Youth/ Radio station, 1970, “Sunset and Two Truths” by Leonid Steele

4. Ukraine Central TV, Kiev, 1970, Special program on “Zemlia”(The Land) with U.Mazhuga

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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