Yelena Osipova
Елена Андреевна Осипова
Osipova at Nemtsov memorial meeting, 2019
Born1945-11-11
Leningrad

Yelena Andreyevna Osipova (Russian: Елена Андреевна Осипова; born November 11, 1945) is an artist and political activist from Saint Petersburg. She became known for her active civic stance — she draws placards on topical political issues and expresses her support for all victims of violence and state repression. Her distinctive artistic style is close to the primitivism and originates in Andrei Rublev's and Dionisy's frescoes.

Biography

Elena Andreevna Osipova was born November 11, 1945, in Leningrad. Her mother was a veteran of the World War II, a senior sergeant in the medical service, a chevalier of the medal "For Combat Merit". Her father is a radiologist. Elena's parents met at the war front. Her mother was discharged from the army due to pregnancy, she worked as an accountant at a bread factory in Leningrad, while her father left for the war with Japan and came to see his daughter only once afterwards.[1][2][3][4]

Osipova's parents survived the Siege of Leningrad, but her grandfather died from hunger.[4][2][5][6] Her grandmother had previously worked as a security guard in the Russian Museum. Osipova studied at the Tavricheskaya Art School.[7]

In 1962, at the second attempt, she enrolled in the pedagogical department of Tavricheskaya Art School.[2][8] Her diploma work was completed in 1965-1967 and dedicated to Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater which she had been fond of since her youth, however, the committee considered her painting "redolent" and "too surreal".[2][9] Later she made four unsuccessful attempts to continue artistic education and tried to enroll in Repin Imperial Academy of Arts and Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design.[2]

In 1967, she started working as an art teacher in a village school in Vaganovo. Later she transferred to Metallostroy, after some time she got to work at an evening art school in St Petersburg.[4][2] She also worked for ten years in an art studio at the Yusupov Palace, which she considers to be her most fruitful years as a painter.[2] She retired in 2009.[10][11]

Osipova was married to Gennady Harvardt, who died prematurely during a trip to Sweden. Their mutual son Ivan (1981-2009) worked as a stagehand for the Lensovet Theater, the Komissarzhevskaya Theater, and the Baltic House. He died in 2009 at the age of 28 of tuberculosis, a consequence of drug abuse.[2][5][3]

As of 2023, Osipova lives alone in a communal apartment on Furshtatskaya Street, where the second room is used as a storage for paintings.[12][13] She receives a pension of 6,000 a month, due to which she no longer receives fines after street arrests, as she has nothing to pay them from.[11][14] She refuses to sell her own work, including political posters, or accept monetary aid, lest she be seen as selling her beliefs.[4][11]

Social activism

Protesting again construction at Okhta Center, 2009
Antiwar Democratic March in St. Petersburg on 1 May 2014
Rally against cession of St Isaac Cathedral to The Russian Orthodox Church, 2017

The first time she made a political poster of her own work was in 2002, during the second Chechen war and after the terrorist attack on Dubrovka. Writing the phrase "Mister President, urgently change course!" on a piece of paper, Osipova marched with the poster to the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly in the Mariinsky Palace on Isaac's Square. Her protest went unnoticed at the time.[11][14] Since then, however, she has taken to the streets with new posters constantly, and her activities have become visible to residents as well as police officers.[4][15]

Osipova is known for participation in virtually all protest rallies with placards denouncing injustice and crime, warning of danger, and sympathizing with someone's distress, be it natural disasters or violations of political freedoms.[11] She tried to attract public attention to Beslan school siege, Iraq War, November 2015 Paris attacks, Bolotnaya Square case, Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, War in Donbas. She honoured memory of Boris Nemtsov.[10][14] For some time, she was detained at every rally, but then brought home by the police officers.[4][16] For her active civic stance, the artist has come to be referred to as "The Conscience of St. Petersburg".[10][16]

On April 18, 2017, when she protested against wars in Ukraine and Syria, she was offended and aggressively shouted at by the mob.[17][18][19] Passersby tried to tear up her posters, called the old woman a "Navalny scum" and her picket a "Jewish Masonic provocation," and shouted: "Shame on you, you're ruining our party!", "Let us kill her!", "If you don't like Russia - get out of here!"[20][21]

After 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 2 March 2022, Osipova was amongst those arrested in St Petersburg for protesting against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[22][23][24] Footage of her arrest was widely shared on social media.[25] On 24 March 2022, she told the BBC's Russia Editor, Steve Rosenberg, that "after Russia attacked Ukraine, she was so shocked, she didn't eat for three days. Then, filled with anger, she'd taken to the streets to protest".[26]

On May 9, 2022, Osipova was attacked by two young men who took her anti-war posters and ran away, as she was exiting her home to go to the Immortal Regiment celebrations.[27] After that she grew internationally famous and was granted honorary citizenship of Milan.[28][29][30][31]

On January 31, 2023, Osipova's political placards exhibition opened at the Yabloko party office on Shpalernaya Street in St. Petersburg, but the very next day the works were confiscated by the police and then sent for psychological and linguistic expertise under a criminal article about "fakes" about the Russian army.[32]

Style

Osipova has a distinctive artistic style, gentle and fluid but also bold and sometimes cartoon-like. Her political placard is characterized by its satirical orientation, a response to "the issues of the day," but artistically it is close to the primitivism and originates in Andrei Rublev's and Dionisy's frescoes.[11] In addition to political works, Osipova's work includes cityscapes, portraits, including portraits of children.[4][2] Osipova's portraits are similar to those political posters, but differ from them in their greater emphasis on a person's personal history, nature, relationships, and self-perception.[4][8] The artist's landscapes, often executed in the impressionistic style, are almost always filled with the presence of man, his detachment from everyday life and enjoyment of the beauty of the world around him. The center of all works of this kind is St. Petersburg, its recognizable views, panoramas and landmarks, the images of which practically transmit to the viewer the general mood of the city.[8][33]

Osipova's first-ever exhibition of her work took place in 2015 in St. Petersburg office of Open Russia.[34]

One of her exhibitions was described as "a cozy basement with uncomfortable images". It included one poster, showing a mother with a dead infant. The painting was about a Tajik boy named Umarali Nazarov, who died in St. Petersburg after being forcibly taken from his mother.[35] In 2019, the album "Standing Artist with Placard," named after a line from a poem by Mikhail Novitsky, was published.[36]

In 2021, an exhibition of Osipova's cityscapes on the theme of St. Petersburg was held at Anna Akhmatova Literary and Memorial Museum.[33]

References

  1. ↑ "Как художница и почетная гражданка Милана Елена Осипова живет в Петербурге на пенсию шесть тысяч рублей в месяц" [As an artist and honorary citizen of Milan, Elena Osipova lives in St. Petersburg on a pension of six thousand rubles a month]. The Village (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Skrypnikova, A. (2020-02-06). "Кажется, такого уныния, как сейчас, не было никогда" [Looks like it’s never been this dull]. Gorod 812. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  3. 1 2 Zinovyeva, A. (2021-09-21). "«Я не выдержала того, что все молчат»: истории из жизни художницы Елены Осиповой и ее протестных плакатов" ["I couldn't stand the fact that everyone was silent": stories from the life of artist Elena Osipova and her protest posters]. Piter.TV. Archived from the original on 2022-04-10. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Как художница и почетная гражданка Милана Елена Осипова живет в Петербурге на пенсию шесть тысяч рублей в месяц. Между полицией, оппозицией и «титушками»". The Village. 2022-04-11. Archived from the original on 2022-04-17. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  5. 1 2 Анастасия Гавриэлова (2015-11-16). "На улицу меня гонит совесть". Novaya Gazeta. Archived from the original on 2022-03-26. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  6. ↑ Kotsyubinsky, Daniil (2021-02-11). "Ну, город жив!.. Петербург Елены Осиповой в Фонтанном Доме" [Well, the city is alive! Elena Osipova's Petersburg at the Fountain House]. gorod-812.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  7. ↑ "'Indifference is our main problem' Artist and activist Yelena Osipova on Russia's war against Ukraine and her 20 years of protesting Putin's regime". Meduza. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  8. 1 2 3 Александр Передрук (2016-06-02). ""Улицы Петербурга в сердце каждого"" [St Petersburg's streets are in our hearts]. Солдатские матери Санкт-Петербурга. Archived from the original on 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  9. ↑ "Музей Анны Ахматовой представляет выставку живописи Елены Осиповой «Вокруг Фонтанного дома»" [The Anna Akhmatova Museum presents an exhibition of paintings by Elena Osipova "Around the Fountain House"]. St Petersburg City Administration. 2021-02-09. Archived from the original on 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  10. 1 2 3 Savitzkaya, V. (2015-12-05). "«Совесть Петербурга»: Жены воевавших в Чечне плевали мне в лицо" ["The Conscience of St. Petersburg: Wives of those who fought in Chechnya were spitting in my face]. Sobesednik. Archived from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Petlyanova, N. (2022-03-28). "«Президент, меняйте курс!». Елена Осипова, 77-летняя художница, двадцать лет выходит на улицы Петербурга со своими картинами-плакатами, написанными на злобу дня" ["President, change course!" Elena Osipova, a 77-year-old artist, has been taking to the streets of St. Petersburg for twenty years with her poster paintings on the current issues]. Novaya Gazeta. Archived from the original on 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  12. ↑ Дарья Игнашова (2014-05-06). "«В общем-то, я маргинал»: как художница стала героиней петербургского протеста". PaperPaper. Archived from the original on 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  13. ↑ Daniel Kotsyubinsky (2014-05-06). "Ну, город жив!… Петербург Елены Осиповой в Фонтанном доме" [Well, the city is alive!... Elena Osipova's Petersburg at the Fountain House]. Gorod 812. Archived from the original on 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  14. 1 2 3 Sozankova, E. (2022-04-16). "76-летняя художница Елена Осипова 20 лет протестует против российской власти. Ее задерживают на митингах, но она выходит на них снова и снова. Вот что она думает о войне в Украине и равнодушии общества" [The 76-year-old artist Elena Osipova has been protesting against the Russian authorities for 20 years. She has been detained at rallies, but she comes out again and again. This is what she thinks about the war in Ukraine and society's indifference.]. Meduza. Archived from the original on 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  15. ↑ Voltskaya, Tatyana (2015-11-23). "Yelena Osipova: "Russia Is a Bird, Not a Bear"". The Russian Reader. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  16. 1 2 Artemenko, G. (2022-04-18). "«Совесть Петербурга». Кто такая Елена Осипова и почему она стала почетной гражданкой Милана" ["The Conscience of St. Petersburg." Who is Elena Osipova and why she became an honorary citizen of Milan]. The Moskow Times. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  17. ↑ "«Навальнинское чмо»: художницу-пенсионерку затравили за антивоенные плакаты в Петербурге" ["Navalninsky scum": a retired artist was hounded for her anti-war posters in St. Petersburg]. TV Rain. 2017-05-11. Archived from the original on 2022-03-12. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  18. ↑ "«А давайте ее убьем». В Петербурге на 9 мая затравили 71-летнюю бабушку за антивоенные плакаты" ["And let's kill her." A 71-year-old grandmother was hounded on May 9 in St. Petersburg for her anti-war posters]. TSN UA. 2017-04-18. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  19. ↑ Kondratyeva, T. (2022-03-24). "Кадры с пенсионеркой из России возмутили Reddit. В видео толпа пинает антивоенные плакаты активистки". Medialeaks. Archived from the original on 2022-04-02. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  20. ↑ "«Жидомасонская провокация»: сторонники Путина ополчились 9 мая на пожилую художницу" ["Zhidomasonic Provocation": Putin's supporters attacked an elderly artist on May 9]. Moskovsky Komsomolets. 2017-05-11. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  21. ↑ "«Давайте ее убьем!»: художницу-пенсионерку затравили за антивоенные плакаты в Петербурге" ["Let's kill her!": a retired artist was hounded for her anti-war posters in St. Petersburg]. TVC Krasnoyarsk. 2017-05-13. Archived from the original on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  22. ↑ "Russian pensioner 'who survived siege of Leningrad' arrested for protest against Ukraine war – video". The Guardian. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  23. ↑ Mémoire du siège de Leningrad, Yelena Osipova manifeste encore en «grand-mère pour la paix» (tr. "Memory of the siege of Leningrad, Yelena Osipova still demonstrates as a "grandmother for peace"")
  24. ↑ Yelena Ospiova: Anti-war protester, 78, dragged away by Russian riot police www.thetimes.co.uk, accessed 13 March 2022
  25. ↑ Ella Kipling (3 March 2022). "Yelena Osipova gains roaring support as Leningrad survivor arrested". HITC. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  26. ↑ Rosenberg, Steve (2022-03-24). "Ukraine-Russia: The 76-year-old artist taking on Putin". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  27. ↑ "В Петербурге напали на художницу Елену Осипову, которая собиралась выйти на «Бессмертный полк» с антивоенными плакатами" [Artist Elena Osipova, who was about to march in the "Immortal Regiment" with anti-war posters, was attacked in St. Petersburg]. Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  28. ↑ "Петербургская блокадница и художница Елена Осипова стала почетным гражданином Милана" [Petersburg siege survivor and artist Elena Osipova became an honorary citizen of Milan]. Kommersant. 2022-04-18. Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  29. ↑ Rosalba Castelletti (2022-03-11). "Tornata in piazza Elena Osipova, la "nonnina russa" che chiede la pace in Ucraina". La Repubblica. Archived from the original on 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  30. ↑ Thomas Dudek (2022-03-21). "Das «Gewissen von St. Petersburg»". n-tv. Archived from the original on 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  31. ↑ Steve Rosenberg (2022-03-24). "Ukraine-Russia: The 76-year-old artist taking on Putin". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  32. ↑ "Антивоенные картины петербургской художницы Елены Осиповой проверят по статье о «фейках» про армию" [St. Petersburg artist Elena Osipova's anti-war paintings will be examined under an on "fakes" about the Russian army]. Meduza. 2023-03-17.
  33. 1 2 "В музее Анны Ахматовой представили петербургские пейзажи художницы Елены Осиповой" [The Anna Akhmatova Museum presented St. Petersburg landscapes by the artist Elena Osipova]. Top SPb TV. 2021-02-10. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  34. ↑ Voltskaya, T. (2015-11-21). ""Россия — птица, а не медведь"" ["Russia is a bird, not a bear"]. Радио Свобода. Radio Freedom. Archived from the original on 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  35. ↑ The Last Picture Show therussianreader.com accessed 13 March 2022
  36. ↑ Voltskaya, T. (2019-11-23). "«Стоит, как совесть на ветру». Зачем 74-летняя художница выходит на площадь". Sever Realii. Archived from the original on 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
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