Playbill Rare

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Nothing enhances a first impression like a finely crafted watch. Accessories like watches provide a rare opportunity to further define a specific look or style. You can add a touch of class to laid-back. Bring formal back down to earth. Make business casual come to life. Keep trendy tethered to tradition. In today's world of loosening standards in the workplace and anything-goes fashion on the scene, make your mark with the right watch. Whether you're hitting the fairways with the guys or hitting the clubs with the girls, here are some examples of great watches that can add the perfect finishing touch to a wide variety of styles.

Women's Blue Dial & Stainless Steel Bracelet Watch

Doubling as an elegant piece of jewelry, this bracelet watch is both practical and posh. The cool blue dial softly radiates quiet confidence from beneath the sapphire crystal. With only a dot at 12:00, the dial is functional yet subtle. The silver-tone minute and hour hands are set in motion by Swiss quartz movement. Six brilliant diamonds accent the stainless steel case adding the perfect amount of extra shimmer to your look. The stainless steel bracelet wraps around your wrist with delicate strength. This watch is the perfect compliment to formal evening attire and yet versatile enough for a night out dancing.

Men's Junior Sport Stainless Steel Bracelet Watch

This classic style combines class with durability. A stainless steel case and a sapphire crystal protect the black dial and chronograph. This rugged watch is water resistant to 100 feet. Swiss quartz movement makes sure you always arrive right on time and ready for action. The stainless steel bracelet links robust bars together for added strength and style. Grab a playbill or a sand wedge...the Junior Sport Watch is ready for anything.

Women's Ono Swiss Quartz Diamond Bezel Mother-of-Pearl Dial Watch

This exquisite timepiece is the ultimate in luxury and grace. A large diamond-dotted bracelet of polished circular links only further enhances the diamond-encrusted stainless steel case cradling the distinctive mother-of-pearl dial. This watch is anything but plain. Heads will turn when you walk into to any event that calls for an added touch of dignity and culture. This illustrious piece will adorn your wrist with grace and elegance. Not for the aesthetically challenged. Refine your style and embrace the goddess within.

Movado Men's Fiero Tungsten Carbide with Black Rubber Bracelet

Nothing creates a bigger reaction than this dynamic eye-catcher. Silver-tone hour and minute hands keep time with the precision of Swiss quartz. The sapphire crystal and a truly unique tungsten carbide case enhance the deep black dial. Tungsten carbide, also called tungsten steel, has a highly scratch-resistant finish that holds its mirror-like shine for years. The black rubber inner links of the stainless steel band round out this bold accessory and make it a definitive addition to conservative classic attire as well as the latest trends in men's fashion.

Women's Esperanza Collection Diamond Stainless Steel Watch

A classic round stainless steel case with 20 round diamonds snuggly nestles an ethereal mother-of pearl dial. A sapphire crystal protects the silver-tone hour and minute hands along with the signature concave dot at 12:00. The Bordeaux fabric band puts a twist on this classic and makes an undeniable statement. The case flows into the satin band which snuggly but gently grips your wrist. A perfect boost for the art opening and a practical tag-along for any play date, this diamond watch from the Esperanza Collection is as versatile as it is interesting.

Men's 800 Series Swiss Made Quartz Chronograph Stainless Steel Watch

A functional and versatile mix of sport and class, the stainless steel 800 Series is water resistant to more than 650 feet. The stainless steel case features rubber underscores and a unidirectional rotating bezel with markers at intervals of ten. Record elapsed time and make accurate calculations with the chronograph and the tachymeter. Luminous hour and minute hands and a striking dot at 12:00 add to the panache of this archetypal timepiece. With its handsome appearance and go-anywhere durability, your swagger may start to rival James Bond's.

Women's Junior Sport Swiss Quartz Two-tone Stainless Steel Watch

This two-tone timepiece can go any direction. Gold and silver combine to form a versatile piece that can accent a casual date or enhance an upscale dinner party. The rugged construction of the bracelet and hidden clasp ensure that this addition to your accessories is as sporty as it is stylish. Gold-tone hour and minute hands are set in motion by Swiss quartz on a black dial, the purity of which is interrupted only to make room for the signature gold dot at 12:00.

Despite the arrival of the digital era when a cell phone can find you a parking spot in Manhattan, take a picture of the Eifel Tower and send it to your friend in Poughkeepsie, write a song and, yes, tell you what time it is, a classic watch will never go out of style. The right watch says something about your personality and the way you like to present yourself. Define your style and show your quality with an elegant watch from Movado.

Cassandra Leonhardt is a freelance writer who writes about specific brands such as Movado.

Labyrinth of creative acquaintances

On show at the moment is a picture dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the birth of Ferdynand Ruszczyc (1870-1936). This landscape painter, graphical artist, set designer and teacher left his legacy on the arts and cultural life of Belarus, Poland and Lithuania. Moreover, he was acknow-ledged throughout Russia and Europe. Ferdynand Ruszczyc was born to a noble family in 1870, on his family estate of Bogdanov in Oshmyany district of Vilnya province (now, Bogdanovo village in Volozhin district of Minsk region). He spent his childhood and teenage years at a local classical gymnasium, graduating in 1890 with a gold medal. Simultaneously, he took painting lessons from artist Kuzma Yermakov. Later, Ruszczyc trained at St. Petersburg's Academy of Arts, taught first by Ivan Shishkin. From 1895, Ruszczyc studied at Arkhip Kuindzhi's studio, known for nurturing a whole constellation of talented pupils: Arkady Rylov, Nicholas Roerich, Vilhelms Purvītis and Konstantin Vrublevsky.

In 1897, the young painter successfully joined the diploma exhibition, with his Spring bought by famous Russian collector Pavel Tretyakov, for his personal collection. Another collector — Savva Morozov — bought his Mill in Winter, enabling Ferdynand to travel through Western Europe. Over a period of two months, he visited Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

The blossoming of Ruszczyc's creative career is connected with his return to his family estate, after graduating from the Academy. The years he spent in Bogdanov are considered to be the most fruitful of his career. In 1898, Ruszczyc began to work on one of his most prominent canvases, Earth, now held by the National Museum in Warsaw. Many other wonderful pictures, such as Last Snow, Ballad, Krewa Castle, Mill, Vileika Banks and Forest Stream, were created during those years, celebrating the beauty of Belarusian nature.

His Near the Catholic Church: Sunday, on show at the National Art Museum of Belarus, was also created in Bogdanov in 1899. The artist painted the local church many times, depicting it from various angles. St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church is a wonderful example of Belarusian wooden architecture from the second half of the 17th century. Unfortunately, it burnt down during WWII. Jan Bułhak, Ruszczyc's friend, took photos of the beautiful building. Ruszczyc's painting shows a warm spring day uniting earth, people and heaven. A bright blue sky sends warm sunbeams across the church, creating an atmosphere of love and delight. The ancient narthex appears to grow from the soil, with the crooked figures of old women entering its doorway, witnessed by the ancient church. Old men stand quietly some distance away, observing the wonder of returned spring and awakening nature.

Ruszczyc's canvases were exhibited many times in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Warsaw, Vilnya and Paris. In 1921, he was awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honour for his contribution to culture and critics noted his exceptional talent as a colourist. Contemporary art historians have deservedly called him a ‘master of four elements'.

Alongside success in monumental painting, Ruszczyc became known as a brilliant set designer and book and magazine illustrator, while designing medals, banners, theatrical costumes and playbills. Vilnya's cultural life in the 1910-1920s would not have been the same without Ruszczyc; his contribution was huge. Moreover, our fellow countryman chaired the Commission for the Protection of Ancient Monuments. He travelled throughout Belarus, sketching our ancient castles and ruins.

Ruszczyc is also remembered as a wonderful teacher, having taught at the Fine Arts School in Warsaw and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakуw. He helped revive Vilnya University before dying on October 30th, 1936, in Bogdanov. He is buried at the local cemetery.

Today, his pictures grace museums in Poland, Lithuania and Russia, as well as European and American collections, including those held by private individuals. Belarus owns only one canvas by Ferdynand Ruszczyc but it is worthily displayed at the National Art Museum of Belarus; how could it be otherwise?

hinking of 19th-early 20th century Russian pictorial art, the National Art Museum of Belarus is consi-dered to be the richest treasury of works by Russian artists, showcasing many world famous masters. Undoubtedly, the exhibition on show at the moment is wonderfully diverse.

Genre painting has long been mistrusted by art critics. In 1863, young Russian artists, headed by Ivan Kramskoy, broke with St. Petersburg's Academy of Art in the ‘Revolt of Fourteen'; they fought for their right to independently choose their themes and for the acknowledgement of genre painting. "Aren't genre painters artists?" one rebel asked of the Head of the Academy, Fiodor Bruni. Their confidence in genre painting was vividly proven by the subsequent development of Russian art. In the 18th century, genre works were a rare exception but they became a leading trend from the mid-19th century.

Genre painting fulfils a very important function in art, realistically portraying everyday life, allowing us to ponder our lives and view them from ‘outside'. Many Russian genre painters preferred topical issues, making ordinary people their major characters, through whom the artists speak. This explains why genre painting usually blossoms during times of change, when less advantaged citizens take their destiny into their own hands.

Undoubtedly, the exhibition is inte-resting, with Russian genre painting from the late 19th-early 20th century surprising us in its breadth. It tackles the most substantial aspects of our lives, exploring not only the idea of the Russian village and ‘peasant' issues, but life in cities and the army, exploring the psyche of the most humble men to officials and the intelligentsia. The legacy and traditions of Alexey Venetsianov's idealistic painting are vividly felt in many works from the early to mid 19th century: Fiodor Baikov's Peasant Yard, Lavr Plakhov's Old Man and a Girl and Alexey Korzukhin's Father's Directions. Later Russian painters quickly moved to a sharply critical view of reality, bringing unprecedented tension into genre painting, while adding a clearly aggressive, even offensive, character: Pavel Yakovlev's After Hail Damage (1894); Klavdy Lebedev's Poor (1905); Karl Lemoch's Inconsolable Grief (1900s) and Fiodor Bukhgolts's Unemployment: Grief (1906).

Some offer a softer tonality in portraying social reality: Nikolay Nevrev's Confession (late 1860s-early 1870s); Vasily Maximov's Children Playing as Adults (1874) and Karl Lemoch's Hide-and-Seek (1879). Works by Vladimir Makovsky — Doctor's Waiting Room (1869), Hair Cutting: Volzhsky Figaro (1897) and Interview (1903) — are characterised by soft humour and delicate psychology. With distinguished gestures and poses and expressive faces, Makovsky created a whole gallery of clearly depicted social characters. The genre painters of the 1880-1890s aimed to reveal a person's character and individual psychology by showing them in everyday situations: Nikolay Kasatkin (Organ-grinder, 1881); Konstantin Makovsky (The Blind, 1880s); Firs Zhuravlev (At Penman's, 1889); and Nikolay Nevrev (Proposal, late 1880s-early 1890s).

lots and literary narratives are another feature of this period, only discontinued towards the turn of the century, when artists of the new generation began to focus on lyrical interpretations, primarily accentuating landscapes. Works by Alexey Stepanov (Cranes Are Flying, 1891), Nikolay Dubovsky (Rainbow, 1892), Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky (At Ferriage, 1915), Sergey Svetoslavsky (At the Watering Place), Semen Nikiforov (Trade Fair, 1910), Stepan Kolesnikov (Genre Scene, 1910s) and Alexander Moravov (Men, 1910s) delight us with their beautiful use of colour and light. Their free, original compositions are evidence of their fresh outlook.

Undoubtedly, the turn of the 19th-20th century and the first decades of the 20th century were a time of great change for Russia (to which a considerable part of contemporary Belarus was joined). The traditions of the past, formed over centuries, were being cast aside, replaced by a new social scene, as the artists felt acutely. Many tried to capture this spirit while showing nostalgia for what was being left behind. Boris Kustodiev's love for the patriarchal merchant world of the Russian provinces is evident; Bathers (1917) and Scene at the Window (1921) are notable for their enhanced detail and unique combination of idealism and irony. Andrey Ryabushkin enjoyed a similarly cheerful view of Russian life, with national identity at the forefront of his works (What Kvas!, 1892). The excitement of living was explored by Abram Arkhipov in his powerful canvases (Young Peasant Woman in Red, 1925 and Smiling Young Girl, 1920s) which celebrate the spirit, physical and moral health of the nation.

Works by Nikolay Kuznetsov (Cafй in the Evening. Riga Seaside, 1913) and Alexander Moravov's Good Read (1913-1914) show us the city and the world of the intelligentsia in an elevated, poetic fashion. Iosif Braza's Recollection (1901) stands out in its delicate artistry, previously unknown in genre painting.

The exhibition is fascinating and richly diverse, giving us a true sense of fulfilment. Now, our cup is full and no more is needed. We have much to ponder and return to in our memories. Peruse these photo illustrations, dear readers, to see the artistic wealth on show. No doubt, we'll return to the museum another time, for more enchanting moments. To view all that it has to offer, you'd perhaps need a whole year. The museum boasts so many wonderful exhibits, created by talented masters.

About the Author

By Victor Kharkov

http://belarus-magazine.by

CELEB PlayBlogger Victoria Clark: March 5
This week Playbill.com launches Celeb PlayBlogger, a new feature that will run sporadically in PlayBlog. Our first guest celebrity blogger is Tony Award winner Victoria Clark, the dazzling singing actress who won her Tony for her performance in Lincoln Center Theater’s production of The Light in the Piazza. Clark is back at LCT in Andrew Bovell’s award-winning family drama When the Rain Stops ...

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