Nadya Rusheva- A Surrealist Artist with Constructive Imaginations

Can you imagine someone is creating more than 10000 artworks during a lifespan? Maybe yes. Can you imagine someone has curated and created more than 10000 paintings in a short period of 12 years? Obviously no. 

Rich Imagination and curiosity make an unbeatable combination to be a Child Prodigy.

Mark the name, she was Nadya Rusheva, an ordinary artist with extraordinary imagination skills. A Russian artist who had 17 years to live, left behind the massive legacy of drawing and drafting around 12000 artworks. Though the exact number of illustrations is still not identified because of various reasons. 

EARLY LIFE

Nadya was born on 31 January 1952 in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. She was born in a Russian family, and her father was a theatre artist and her mother a prima ballerina in Tyva. The family moved to Moscow in the summer of 1952. She started doing artwork at the age of five when an average child starts drawing. She acquired a rich imagination and started without any tutelage or guidance.

At first, her parents didn’t take her work seriously. When she attained 7, she used to paint and draw every day. Her parents started taking an interest and were too excited to see her growing passion for art and painting. 

Natya once said I live the life of those I draw. I first see them, they appear on paper as watermarks, and I need to do something to lead around them. She used to make no preparatory drawings or sketches. She didn’t use the eraser much while drawing.

Career

She drew 36 illustrations of ‘The Tale of Tsar Saltan’ in a single evening while her father was orating the story to her. She used to draw by flowing lines and make clean figures. We have enlisted some significant achievements of Nadya below.

1. Illustrations of Mikhail Bulgov and Margarita

Rusheva was brought in the notice for her illustrations of Mikhail Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita. It was initially banned in the Soviet Union. 

It portrays two parallel stories, featuring a visit of the Devil to the atheistic Soviet Union and the second part taking place during Christ’s final days in Jerusalem.

2. Related Exhibition and Magazine

The Magazine’ Youth’ organized first exhibition in 1964. He further organized solo exhibitions in Moscow, Warsaw, Leningrad, Poland, Romania, and India.

3. Other Works

She had illustrated 50 authors. Her work includes illustrations for the myths of ancient Greece, Leo Tolstoy, and Mikhail Bulgakov, and works of Pushkin.

Mystery not Solved Yet

Nadya Rusheva left for heavenly abode on 16 March 1969 in the hospital due to rupture of congenital cerebral aneurysms and subsequent brain haemorrhage.

The name Nadya means “hope” or “living eternally”. Her art will stay forever. Her name will live on as far away as outer pace – as there is Asteroid 3516 Rusheva named after her.

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