Soviet sculptor Yekaterina Belashova-Alekseyeva

Soviet sculptor Yekaterina Belashova-Alekseyeva (1906, St. Petersburg – 1971, Moscow) – People’s Artist of the USSR (1963), Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Arts (1964), and Professor. Besides, she was a laureate of the USSR State Prize (1967), the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and medals. Member of Communist party of the Soviet Union (1945).
She studied at the Leningrad Industrial Art College, in the workshop of V.V.Lishev (1923-1924). Next, she studied at the Higher Art and Technical Institute ​​in Leningrad, workshops of R.R.Bakh, A.T. Matveyev and V.L. Simonov (1926-1930). In addition, in 1932 she graduated from the graduate school of the Institute of Proletarian Fine Arts. She taught at the Moscow Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts in 1941-1952 and the Moscow Higher School of Industrial Art (1952-1963). Since 1933 she has lived and worked in Moscow.

Born in St. Petersburg, Yekaterina Fyodorovna Belashova-Alexeyeva up to 17 years mostly lived in a village near Novgorod. When she was 11 years old, she began working as a babysitter. There were no toys, but a lot of clay. The girl began to sculpt toys. Soon passion for sculpting entirely grasped her. In 1919, in the area where she lived, opened a boarding school. The school was in the linden garden on the banks of the river. Here Katya began to study.

Belashova-Alekseyeva worked mainly in the field of easel sculpture. Her works are in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Kiev Museum of Russian Art, in the Kuibyshev Art Museum; in the Perm Art Gallery, Museum of Chopin, Warsaw.

Talent of Belashova characteristic subtle and profound expression in sculpture lyrical sense, contemplative perception of the world. Belashova felt fine decorative plastic possibilities. All her life she wanted to create a park decorated with garden sculpture. “Reclining Girl” – one of the best works of the sculptor, which would look naturally and harmoniously among the greenery of the park.

Chopin’s music was close to the inner world of Belashova. She fell in love at first light with the sadness and grace of waltzes, nocturnes and ballads and Etudes – intense, passionate meditation on life, pain and determination of the mighty soul. In the stamped rhythms of mazurkas Belashova heard the voice, and the fate of the Polish people, the echo of suffering and joy, “the echo of eternal pain chained to the land of the peasant.”

For each person Chopin – the whole world. Each opens the world in his own time and enters it on his way. Belashova sought to find a solution, her way. Poland explained to her a lot. In July 1968 saw the favorite places of Chopin. Belashova drove roads, which once drove the young Frederick.

sources
journal Young artist, 1986, 1988
artgallery.krasno.ru
culture-art.ru

Soviet sculptor Yekaterina Belashova-Alekseyeva