Biography
Peter Konchalovsky is an outstanding Russian and Soviet painter who inherited the traditions of painting Cezanne. He was lucky to be recognized during his lifetime, and today the painting and graphics of the artist are pleased to get museums and collectors not only in Russia, but also of European countries.Childhood and youth
Petr Petrovich Konchalovsky was born in the city of Slavyansk Kharkiv province on February 9, 1876. His father came from the nobleman and was a successful translator and the publisher. Early childhood of the future artist passed in the parental estate, but since Konchalovsky-senior was involved in revolutionary activities, soon the circumstances of life changed.
The father of the artist was arrested and exiled to holmogors, the estate was confiscated. Later, Konchalovsky left to live in Kharkov, where 8-year-old Peter began to study at an art school.
In 1889, the family again moved, this time to Moscow, where the boy, severely interested in painting, began to visit the evening courses of the Stroganovsky school. At the insistence of Father Peter almost changed art and entered Moscow University at the Faculty of Natural Sciences. However, the painting failed to leave and, persuading his father, went to Paris - to continue learning.
2 years, from 1896 to 1898, Peter Konchalovsky studied at the Academy of Juliana and during this time finally understood what he wanted to be only an artist. The works of a young man in France received positive assessments. Returning to Russia, he entered the Academy of Arts, in which in the end chose the painter-battleist workshop Pavel Kovalevsky.
However, the battle paintings of Peter did not interest, and he sat for a long time in the Botanical Garden, sketching nature. The diploma of the Academy of Arts Konchalovsky received in 1907.
Painting and creativity
The creative path of Peter Konchalovsky was long: starting with classical painting, he passed a period of searching for new ways of self-expression and eventually returned to realistic stylistry. You can trace this on the example of the artist's self-portrait written in different directions and using diametrically opposing color solutions.
At first, Konchalovsky's style resembled Konstantin Korovina's work, but by completing his studies, the artist went to Paris, where he visited the exhibition of Vininset's paintings Van Gogh. The impressions of the painting of the brilliant Flemish laid a mark on the work of Konchalovsky: according to the artist, Van Gogh revealed Peter's eyes to his own creativity.
In the work of that period, it is easy to notice the influence and other glorified artists: the fields of Cezanna and Henri Matisse - their paintings were amazed Konchalovsky to the depths of the soul.
In the early 1910s, Petr Petrovich, along with colleagues in the workshop, organized an art group "Bubnovaya Valet". Its participants demonstratively neglected the canons of realistic painting and followed the path of formalism. The foundations of creativity were postpressionism, cubism and fusism.
During this period, the biography was formed by Konchalovsky's own style: a dense, saturated, abundant paint and deprived of unnecessary parts. A characteristic feature with which Peter Petrovich wrote at the time, is static: in still lifes, the artist's portrait and composite painting does not have a hint of the dynamics.
In 1912, Konchalovsky tried himself as a theater artist and made costumes and scenery for the Opera "merchant Kalashnikov" in the formulation of Anton Rubinstein. This work stylized under the Lubok, Peter Petrovich was satisfied and until the end of his life considered her the best work in this genre. At this time, the paintings of the artist together with the primitivism comes "Movement", internal energy. This is well noticeable in such works as "stove" and "dry paint".
When the First World War began, Peter Petrovich went to the front, but he fought long - in 1915 the artist contusted, and he was sent to the rear, for treatment. After that, Konchalovsky participated in the "exhibition of paintings of the left currents", and also left the "Bubnovaya Vault" by turning into the union "World of Art".
After the revolution, Petra Petrovich began to return to Peter Petrovich, although the paints were still bright as paints. Konchalovsky attracted the "joy of life", although he knew how to combine her with reality, giving the paintings as a comic and tragic flavor. This can be seen by the portrait of Vsevolod Meyerhold, who at the time of writing the picture has already lost the theater: bright paints are muffled, and the expression of the director's face speaks for itself.
A special place in the painting of Konchalovsky was always occupied by still lifes, especially floral. The artist said that he writes them for reasons similar to those by which pianists play gamma - this is a difficult and necessary exercise.
"The flower can not write" so-so ", simple strokes, it must be studied, and just as deep as all else."
The most vivid representatives of floral topics in the works of Peter Petrovich are paintings "Lilac in a basket", "Peonies at the window" and "all sorts of flowers".
An important stage of Konchalovsky's work was the period of passion from the figure of Mikhail Lermontov. In 1927, Peter Petrovich went to the Caucasus, and a series of pictures based on the work of the poet became the result of the trip. In the 40s, the artist wrote a portrait of Mikhail Yurevich, choosing a difficult period of Lermontov biography for the image. In the picture, the poet is depicted at the time of rest at Kazbek Station, on which he stopped, following in the first link.
Soviet power has little influenced Konchalovsky's creativity - the artist always tried to keep as far as possible from the policy, but at that - not to enter into confrontation.
Peter Petrovich even managed to avoid writing the portrait of Joseph Stalin, although he was offered - he referred to the fact that, being a realist, cannot use a photo as a nature. To allow for this "great leader" of the artist, of course, no one was going. And even at the same time, Konchalovsky received in 1942 by the Stalinist premium for many years of outstanding merit in the field of art.
Personal life
The personal life of the artist was defined back in his childhood: at the age of 14, Peter met with the future wife of Olga Surikova, the daughter of the painter of Vasily Surikov. After that, 12 years old young people really did not communicate while Konchalovsky did not send a letter to the girl with recognition in love. The decision to get married young accepted 3 days after the first date, and the wedding took place on February 10, 1902.
The relationship in marriage was gentle: Konchalovsky called his wife with a leg, she was back to him.
The spouses had two children - Natalia's daughter and son Mikhail. They were gently loved by both parents, although they tried not to indulge. Petr Petrovich was not less than the spouse was involved in the process of education: he put the children to sleep, he taught the basics of painting, told his son and a fairy tale daughter.
Olga Vasilyevna walked hard and powerful person, but the relationship with her husband did not concern - before the wedding, young people swore that their family would be extraordinary. Therefore, the woman knew the measure and never tried her husband, and he deeply respected her and considered it the closest friend and the adviser. Without approval of his wife, Peter Petrovich did not accept and consulted even on creativity.
Death
Peter Konchalovsky died in 79 years, February 2, 1956, in Moscow and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.
In 2017, the artist's Museum was opened. It is located in Moscow at a large garden street, in the 10th house (the one, where the "bad apartment" is from "Master and Margarita") - there Konchalovsky lived with his family since 1912.
At the opening ceremony, they made no less well-known than Peter Petrovich himself, descendants of the painter: Andrei Konchalovsky's grandchildren and Nikita Mikhalkov.
Paintings
- 1910 - "Natasha on a chair"
- 1910 - "Family Favor of Bulls"
- 1917 - Sharerazada
- 1922 - "Bushes"
- 1923 - "Self-portrait with his wife"
- 1926 - "Misha, go for a beer"
- 1928 - "On Ilmeny Lake"
- 1929 - "Girl under the umbrella"
- 1929 - "Balaklava. Balcony"
- 1933 - "Students in the Workshop"
- 1935 - "Still Life. Peaches"
- 1943 - "Self-portrait with granddaughter"
- 1948 - "from the bow"