M. A. Tebetev: sociocultural origins of painting of the Khanty artist

Abstract

The subject of this research is the works of the unique Khanty artist Mitrofan Alekseevich Tebetev (1924-2011), viewed from the perspective of its sociocultural origins. The artistic path of the artist took place at the intersection of two intertwined cultures: patriarchal culture of the Ob Ugrians and the culture of Soviet official circles. M. A. Tebetev quite organically infused both cultures. It may seem that his visual art is characterized by propensity for the naive style. However, such assessment in many ways devaluates analysis of the content of artist's paintings. Therefore, certain alienation from the excessive narrow-focus art discourse can propel the analysis of his works to a different, general cultural level. The crucial role in this research is played by the works of such theoreticians as P. Tillich, Dvořák, A. Hauser, and V. N. Prokofiev, which outlined the theoretical and methodological framework for this article. The sources for this research became the works of M. A. Tebetev, exhibition catalogues, and reproductions of his paintings, as well as writings dedicated to his works. The main conclusion consists in the thesis that the works Of M. A. Tebetev feature the attributes of visual historical-ethnographic sources. The evolution of Russian painting from photographic accuracy towards latent iconographic simplicity and open archetypical paganism reflects profound changes in the worldview of the late XX – early XXI centuries.