Nella Genkina

Nella Alexandrovna Genkina (born April 22, 1938, Perm, USSR) is a Russian artist who gained fame for her paintings on the themes of Slavic mythology, Russian history, and marine art. She is a member of the Eurasian Union of Artists, a member of the International Federation of UNESCO Artists, and a member of the International Art Fund. She is also part of the extensive album project "Thousand Russian Artists."
==Biography==
Born in Perm in a family of educators who instilled in their daughter a love for knowledge and art, Nella Genkina went on to graduate from the physics department of Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod. For seven years, she taught physics at the university before working as a research associate at Gorky Research Physical and Technical Institute. Her research focused on the optical properties of thin films used in semiconductor technology. She holds a Candidate of Sciences degree in Physics and Mathematics, with her dissertation titled "The Influence of Ion Implantation on the Structure and Optical Properties of Thin Films."
By her primary education, Nella Genkina is a physicist who achieved a significant level of expertise in her field. By her secondary education, she is an artist who gained recognition through her paintings. From 1998 to 2010, she pursued painting courses at the Nizhny Novgorod Art School. She continued to refine her artistic skills in the studios of instructors from the Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, as well as the Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry. Nella Alexandrovna has held over 20 solo exhibitions in Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow, and Helsinki. She has also participated in numerous domestic and international exhibitions, including exhibitions in France (2018), Israel (2018), and the Philippines (2004). Currently, Nella resides in Moscow, where she continues to paint and participate in exhibitions.
==Paintings==
The main themes in the artist's work are marine landscapes, historical portraits, ancient Slavic mythology, and Orthodox motifs. Many of her paintings can be found on her personal website ., and other art websites , .
As a colorist, she excels in capturing the element of water: river and sea landscapes that span from the Volga and the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean ("Lake," "Mermaids," "Noon," "Shore and Waves," "Near the Canary Islands"). The artist is fascinated by the interplay of colors, the play of light and shadow, which is particularly impressive at sunset. Some of her marine landscapes also have a historical perspective, immersing the viewer in the origins of her native world.
In the genre of portraiture, Nella Genkina has created a gallery of images of outstanding historical figures of Russia, reconstructing their appearances based on descriptions from historians and contemporaries ("Bogumil," "Yaroslav the Wise," "Peresvet," "Minin and Pozharsky," "A. N. Afanasyev," "V. N. Tatishchev," and others).
In her later work, Nella Genkina became passionate about Slavic mythology and later the Christian history of Russia, which was greatly influenced by her acquaintance with art historian and writer Yuri Mikhailovich Medvedev. According to the artist, our pre-Christian heritage has not been well-preserved, leading to a dismissive attitude toward Russia's pre-Christian past. Through her art, she aims to fill this cultural gap. Nella Genkina believes that we should neither idealize the past nor disown it – we should have an understanding of it to look meaningfully towards the future.
A special place in Nella Genkina's ancient Slavic art is occupied by the image of a woman as a complete, independent individual. The artist portrays women as personalities, not solely through the lens of beauty and aesthetics. Some of her paintings depict women who made a significant contribution to the development of Russia, such as Olga of Kiev, while others are metaphorical, collective images. For example, in the painting "Rus - the White Swan," the woman personifying Russia hovers above the earth, while below, a white swan, the sacred bird of the Slavs, is depicted. Rus was called Lebedia in folklore, and she had to defend herself from all sides against enemies such as the Pechenegs, Polovtsians, Swedes, Crusaders, Poles, and the French. The painting includes all the symbols of protection - shields, a sword, Kremlin walls, and a church - symbolizing Orthodox faith.
Her scientific mindset has had a significant influence on Nella Genkina's creativity. She is known for using three-dimensional compositions, applying the principles of Fibonacci, as well as the principles of the golden ratio. This distinguishes her work from that of academic artists.
The artist's motto is to create inspired by the laws of beauty, to bring joy to people.
Category:1938 births
Category:People from Perm, Russia
Category:Russian people
Category:Artists