Table of contents:
- 1. The merchant theme came from childhood
- 2. Kustodiev could become a priest
- 3. The surname of Kustodiev could also connect him with the church service
- 4. Was one of Repin's favorite students
- 5. Kustodiev loved everything Russian
- 6. Kustodiev is famous for many medals
- 7. Custodian woman
- 8. Kustodiev did not give up painting, despite a serious illness
- 9. Friends created a special easel for him
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Boris Kustodiev occupies an honorable place among the artists of the early twentieth century. A talented genre painter, master of psychological portraiture, book illustrator and decorator, Kustodiev created masterpieces in almost all works of art.
1. The merchant theme came from childhood
Boris Kustodieva, along with three other children, raised her mother on a pension of 30 rubles. His father died of consumption when Boris was about a year old and his mother was 25 years old. The Kustodiev family rented a small outbuilding in the house of a wealthy merchant. It was here that the boy got his first impressions of the life of the provincial merchant class. Later, the artist wrote: "The whole way of a rich merchant life was reflected right under my nose." The artist kept these childhood memories for many years, and later masterfully reproduced them on his canvases.
2. Kustodiev could become a priest
Like Van Gogh, who was educated as a priest, Boris Kustodiev also began his career as a spiritual father. He was born into the family of a Russian language and literature teacher who taught at a theological school and gymnasium in Astrakhan. Kustodiev studied icon painting at the Astrakhan Theological School, and later at the Astrakhan Theological Seminary. Around the same time, his craving for painting was born. He took private drawing lessons from PA Vlasov and also attended the Astrakhan circle of painting and drawing lovers.
3. The surname of Kustodiev could also connect him with the church service
A number of researchers suggest that the surname Kustodiev comes from the Old Slavic "Kustod" - that was the name of the watchman, the church gatekeeper. It is not known whether the distant ancestors of Boris Mikhailovich were church ministers, but his closest relatives linked their lives with the church. Grandfather served as a clerk in one of the villages of the Samara province, and his sons, Stepan, Konstantin and Mikhail, followed in his footsteps.
4. Was one of Repin's favorite students
Boris Kustodiev was one of the most beloved students of Ilya Repin. In 1896 Kustodiev left for St. Petersburg and entered the Academy of Arts. He studied at Repin's workshop, where he worked a lot from nature, trying to hone his skills in conveying the colorful diversity of the world. Fortunately, the talented mentor willingly helped him in this. “I really hope for Kustodiev,” Repin wrote. “He is a talented artist, thoughtful and serious person, deeply in love with art. He carefully studies nature …”. When Repin was instructed to write a large-scale canvas for the 100th anniversary of the State Council, he invited Kustodiev and I. S. Kulikov as assistants. The work was extremely difficult and required full dedication. Together with his teacher, the young artist made portrait sketches for the preparation of the picture, and then painted the right side of the final work.
5. Kustodiev loved everything Russian
A significant part of the creative heritage of Boris Kustodiev is made up of paintings that reflect the entire originality of Russian folk life with its bright fairs, noisy bazaars and cheerful folk festivities on Maslenitsa. The artist passionately loved everything Russian - wooden utensils, painted toys, lush sundresses and shawls, peasant huts with traditional carvings.
6. Kustodiev is famous for many medals
Kustodiev became famous in his student years, participated in many exhibitions. Since 1900, the artist has exhibited his works at spring exhibitions at the Imperial Academy of Arts. In 1900, Kustodiev was awarded a silver medal for the painting "Holidays" at the International Exhibition in Brussels. In 1901 - a small gold medal for the portrait of I. Ya. Bilibin at the International Art Exhibition in Munich. In 1903 Kustodiev was awarded the Grand Prix of the Union of Artists of Austria for the portrait of A. P. Varfolomeev at the International Art Exhibition in Munich. And again in 1903 the artist was awarded the gold medal of the IAH for the painting "Bazaar in the Village". And then he graduated from the Academy with the title of a class artist.
7. Custodian woman
Like Rubens, who created his own special type of "Rubensian women", the Custodian managed to create a type of "Custodian" beauty. These are magnificent Russian women who are ablaze with health, prosperity, beauty and Russian nature. In 1915 he saw the light of day "The Merchant's Wife" and "Beauty" - inimitable images of Russian beauty. The model for the first picture was Galina Aderkas, who at that time was a first-year student at the Faculty of Medicine.
8. Kustodiev did not give up painting, despite a serious illness
In 1909, Kustodiev showed the first signs of a spinal cord tumor. Several operations brought only temporary relief. For the last 15 years of fighting the disease, the artist was confined to a wheelchair, which is why he was forced to write his works lying down. “Now my whole world is my room,” he wrote. However, it was during this difficult period of his life that his most vivid, temperamental, cheerful works appeared. His ability to remain joyful and resilient despite paralysis amazed others. Kustodiev's colorful paintings and funny genre works do not reveal his physical suffering, but, on the contrary, give the impression of a carefree and cheerful life.
9. Friends created a special easel for him
To make it more convenient for Kustodiev to create his wonderful works, fellow artists designed a special easel for him - a hinged one. The canvas could easily be moved back and forth. Thus, this or that part of the canvas fell into the field of vision of the immobilized artist. Gradually, thanks to the efforts of his beloved wife Yulia Evstafievna, Kustodiev himself began to move around the house.
The sudden death of Kustodiev on May 26, 1927 was a great loss for Soviet art. Shortly before his death, Boris Mikhailovich asks to plant a birch on his grave and not to put a tombstone. His bright and optimistic works - the holiday of Russia, the holiday of Russian painting - continue to live on.
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