The cold shimmer of St. Petersburg through the wide attic window, the ghostly figures of musicians. In the center, a fragile creature: shining hair, the ruddy warmth of a violin, hands, and a lyre. Perhaps only the reflection of music gives life to these half-ghosts with their instruments. The title of the painting: “Music at Dawn.” The unreality of the city, the mesmerizing power of its detached, bewitching glow… Within it, like small fires, are animated shadows, warmed by the enlivening presence of music. Musicality, rhythm, and a soft, unobtrusive decorativeness distinguish other works by Eleonora Almetyeva: the “Celestials” cycle, inspired by Marina Tsvetaeva’s poems – “Because we came into this world – Celestials of Love!”; dedicated to the flight of sublime feelings – “Dancing Stars in the Morning Sky,” “Cloud,” and “Starry Sky.” A series of canvases imbued with musical content reveals the artist’s caring and attentive attitude toward the leader of the muses. Individual musical instruments are also featured in the metal paintings. A unique theatrical magic creates the image of the artist’s personal parallel space, whose world is populated by mysterious characters: gremlins, goblins, gnomes, and musical spirits in human form, unaware of evil, struggle, and doubt. Their vulnerability is not compromised until they leave the confines of the artist’s created habitat. E. Almetyeva continued her artistic education in Nizhny Tagil in St. Petersburg, whose unique atmosphere and rich culture had a significant influence on her development. This is evidenced by new concepts born of the city’s uniqueness (the St. Petersburg cycle, “Silver Rain,” “Umbrellas,” “Lanterns,” and “White Nights”). The works listed above were on display in September at the F.M. Dostoevsky Museum. The exhibition’s title, “THE COLOR OF SILVER,” is another metaphor for the inner light, sense of rhythm, and subtle mood inherent in Eleonora Almetyeva’s pictorial images.

E. Almetyeva, part of a triptych dedicated to Boris Grebenshchikov. 1991.