Artist Yuon Konstantin Fedorovich was born in 1875 on October 12 in Moscow. His father was the director of a property insurance company, his mother was engaged in music.
In his youth, Yuon distinguished himself in his passion for drawing, and at the age of 17, his parents sent him to an art school in Moscow. His first mentors in this institution at that time were well-established artists in society: Konstantin Apollonovich Savitsky, Nikolai Alekseevich Kasatkin, Abram Efimovich Arkhipov, Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov.
Yuon's paintings began to attract the attention of viewers, even at student exhibitions, and quickly sold out. With the money from the sale of his works, the young man could visit many places in Russia, and even some European countries. The artist's canvases were exhibited at all major Russian exhibitions.
Numerous articles appeared in art magazines about the talent of the young painter, written by famous critics and art historians. Yuon also quite often acted as an art critic.
After receiving his diploma, Yuon became a teacher, and he devoted his whole life to this activity. His students, the future famous Russian sculptors Vera Mukhina, Vasily Alekseevich Vatagin and many artists always spoke warmly of their teacher.
Konstantin Fedorovich created works in various fields of art. For some time he painted thematic paintings and portraits of famous people of his time, but he always returned to his vocation - the Russian landscape. Like many Russian painters, Yuon applied the principles of famous French impressionists in his works, however, without breaking his connection with the traditions of realism.
K. Yuon is often compared with A. Ryabushkin and B. Kustodiev; in his canvases, a feeling of love for Russian antiquity is also piercing. Once, in his youth, under him, restorers began to clean the icons, and suddenly unusual colors shone. This moment remained forever in Yuon's memory and will largely influence his writing style.
The artist immensely loved the manifestation of everything beautiful both in nature and in life. Perhaps his feeling and understanding contributed to the fact that his paintings were impeccable, showing the mood, here the sun is shining brightly for you, the snow that has just fallen on the ground sparkles, the bright dresses of women, Russian ancient architectural monuments.
Fate favored Yuon. Success came to him in his youth and stuck with him throughout life. He was honored, awarded, he held leadership positions. Sadness brought a quarrel for several years with his father due to his marriage to a simple village girl, with whom the artist, as you know, lived for many years, another failure in life was the tragic death of his son.
One of Yuon's most popular paintings in society is Domes and Swallows. The panorama was painted by the artist from the bell tower. Before us is a quiet summer evening, the sun is already completing its daily journey, moving closer to sunset. You can feel the grace spilled around from the radiance of many domes with gilded patterned crosses sparkling in the last rays of the sun. The picture is not only remarkable for the beauty of the landscape, but it is worth noting that its motive was quite bold for the time when the struggle against religion was serious.
KF Yuon, having a special gift, managed to take a special look at ancient Russian architecture and the unique nature of Russia. Yuon is attracted by architecture and architectural ensembles, they opened up endless possibilities for him to create colorful compositions.
Since 1925, Yuon has preferred to work with a “clean” landscape, gradually introducing some of his innovations into the compositions that were fashionable at that time. The characters of his works can be skiers, modern peasant girls.
In these canvases, Yuon accentuates his worldview of reality from an idle side. It flawlessly reflects in the paintings the dazzling whiteness of the snow, the unique sunset, the young spring greenery. Yuon easily turns a modest landscape into a unique plot, easily perceived by the viewer, saturated with its poetry and lyrics.
In a painting called “The End of Winter. Noon ”before us is an ordinary corner of the Moscow region. The whole composition is illuminated by the bright rays of spring. Russian birches and loose snow sung in verse. At the house from the slope, teenagers are skiing, chickens are fussing about something, all this gives the impression of a certain “lived-in” and warmth. This motif is very poetic and literally infects with its realistic immediacy. It seems that the author, guided by some unknown force, created this composition, how real it is, created everything that he saw on April 11. This plot here is full of vitality, and perception is so familiar to all of us from childhood.
Until the end of his days, Yuon works with a landscape theme, sometimes paying special attention to industrialization recently (“Moscow Outskirts”).
Konstantin Fedorovich Yuon died in 1958 on April 11, when he was 82 years old and was buried in Moscow.
Russian painter, master of landscape, theater artist, art theorist
Konstantin Yuon
short biography
Konstantin Fedorovich Yuon(1875-1958) - Russian painter, master of landscape, theater artist, art theorist.
Academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1947). People's Artist of the USSR (1950). Laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree (1943).
Origin and family
Born October 24, 1875 in Moscow, in a German-Swiss family. Father - an employee of an insurance company, later - its director; mother is an amateur musician.
Brother - composer P.F. Yuon, professor at the Berlin Conservatory, remained in Germany after the revolution, from where, after Adolf Hitler came to power, he emigrated to his historical homeland, Switzerland, where he died.
Before the revolution
From 1892 to 1898 Konstantin Yuon studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. His teachers were such masters as K. A. Savitsky, A. E. Arkhipov, N. A. Kasatkin.
After graduating from college, Yuon worked for two years in the workshop of V. A. Serov. Then he founded his own studio, where he taught from 1900 to 1917 together with I. O. Dudin. His students were, in particular, A. V. Kuprin, V. A. Favorsky, V. I. Mukhina, the Vesnin brothers, V. A. Vatagin, N. D. Kolli, A. V. Grishchenko, M. G. Reuter, N. Terpsikhorov, Yu. A. Bakhrushin.
In 1903, Yuon became one of the organizers of the Union of Russian Artists. He was also a member of the World of Art association.
Since 1907, he worked in the field of theatrical scenery, in particular, he was engaged in the design of the production of the opera Boris Godunov in Paris, as part of Sergei Diaghilev's Russian Seasons.
Before the revolution, the main theme of Yuon's work was landscapes of Russian cities (Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Nizhny Novgorod and others), made in a special manner, pierced with light, with a broad perspective, images of churches, women in folk costumes, will accept traditional Russian life.
For example, the painting “Domes and Swallows. Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra "(1921). This is a panoramic landscape, painted from the bell tower of the cathedral on a clear summer evening, at sunset. Under the gentle sky, the earth prospers, and in the foreground domes illuminated by the sun with golden patterned crosses shine. The motif itself is not only very effective, but also symbolizes the significant cultural and historical role of the church.
After the revolution
After the revolution, Konstantin Yuon remained in Russia. As a response to the revolutionary events, Yuon created the canvas “New Planet”, the interpretation of which by art historians varies up to the complete opposite. In Soviet times, it was believed that Yuon depicted on it "the cosmic-creating significance of the Great October Socialist Revolution." In modern Russia, it was reproduced, in particular, on the cover of Ivan Shmelev's book "The Sun of the Dead", describing the Red Terror in Crimea.
In another "cosmic" picture "People" (1923), we are also talking about the creation of a new world.
In 1925, Yuon became a member of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (AHRR). In 1923 he completed the painting "Parade of the Red Army" (1923).
From 1948 to 1950 the artist worked as director of the Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Arts of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. In addition to working in the pictorial genre, he continued to design theatrical productions, as well as graphics.
In 1951 he joined the CPSU(b).
From 1952 to 1955 he taught as a professor at the Moscow Art Institute. V. I. Surikov, as well as in a number of other educational institutions. Since 1957 he was the first secretary of the board of the Union of Artists of the USSR.
The grave of K. F. Yuon.
K. F. Yuon died on April 11, 1958. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery (site No. 4).
Disciples and followers
- Ivanov, Gerasim Petrovich (1918-2012)
- Kruchenykh, Alexey Eliseevich (1886-1968)
- Melamud, Shaya Noevich (1911-1993)
- Popova, Lyubov Sergeevna (1889-1924)
- Rozanova, Olga Vladimirovna (1886-1918)
- Skulme, Otto (1889-1967)
- Stepanova, Varvara Fedorovna (1894-1958)
- Strakhov, Andrei Alexandrovich (1925-1990)
- Udaltsova, Nadezhda Andreevna (1886-1961)
- Falileev, Vadim Dmitrievich (1879-1950)
- Falk, Robert Rafailovich (1886-1958)
- and others.
Major works
- "Russian Winter. Ligachevo, 1947 Tretyakov Gallery
- "To the Trinity. March, 1903, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "Blue Bush", 1907, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "Spring Sunny Day", 1910, Russian Museum
- "Spring evening. Rostov the Great", 1906, Serpukhov Museum of History and Art (SIHM)
- "Sergievsky Posad", 1911, painted from the window of the Old Lavra Hotel. In the CAC MPDA collection.
- Winter Sorceress, 1912
- "March Sun", 1915, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "Domes and swallows", 1921, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "New Planet", 1921, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "Moscow region youth", 1926; timing
- “Before entering the Kremlin in 1917. Trinity Gates”, 1927. GTsMSIR.
- “The first collective farmers. In the rays of the sun", 1928, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "Moscow salutes", 1945
- "Open Window", 1947, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "The Storming of the Kremlin in 1917" 1947, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "Parade on Red Square in Moscow on November 7, 1941", 1949, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "Morning of industrial Moscow", 1949, State Tretyakov Gallery
- “End of winter. Midday", 1929, State Tretyakov Gallery
- "March Sun", 1915, State Tretyakov Gallery
Decoration of theatrical performances
- opera "Boris Godunov" by M. P. Mussorgsky, 1912-13, Theater of the Champs Elysees, Paris, entreprise by S. P. Diaghilev;
- play "Egor Bulychev and others" by M. Gorky, 1934, Moscow Art Theater;
- Opera "Khovanshchina" by M. P. Mussorgsky, 1940, Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow.
Motion picture artist
- Ivan Nikulin - Russian sailor, 1944
cartoon artist
- Kashtanka, 1952
Artist's works
- Moscow in my work, M., 1958;
- About Art, vol. 1-2, M., 1959.
Awards and prizes
- Stalin Prize of the first degree (1943) - for many years of outstanding achievements in art
- Order of Lenin (25.10.1945)
- 2 Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1943; 12/27/1955)
- Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR (1926)
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1945)
- People's Artist of the USSR (1950)
Memory
A memorial plaque was installed on the Moscow house where he lived and worked (Zemlyanoy Val Street, 14-16).
In the middle of the twentieth century, he held high positions in the Soviet art community, including being the first secretary of the board of the Union of Artists of the USSR. At the same time, he did not stop his creative searches, creating works that have now become classics of Soviet painting. And although Konstantin Fedorovich Yuon did not leave any notes about visiting the city of Kuibyshev and the region, nevertheless he maintained close ties with many creative people in our city (Fig. 1).
He was born on October 12 (according to the new style on October 24), 1875 in Moscow, in a German-speaking Swiss family. His father worked as an employee of an insurance company, later - its director, and his mother was an amateur musician.
From 1892 to 1898, the young man studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (MUZHVZ). His teachers were such masters as K.A. Savitsky, A.E. Arkhipov, N.A. Kasatkin. After graduating from college, Yuon worked for two years in the workshop of V.A. Serov, and then founded his own studio, in which he taught from 1900 to 1917 together with I.O. Dudin. His students were, in particular, A.V. Kuprin, V.A. Favorsky, V.I. Mukhina, Vesnin brothers, V.A. Vatagin, N.D. Colley, A.V. Grishchenko, M. G. Reuter.
In 1903, Yuon became one of the organizers of the Union of Russian Artists. He was also a member of the World of Art association. Since 1907, he worked in the field of theatrical scenery, led an art studio at the Prechistensky working courses together with I.O. Dudin. One of his students at that time was Yu.A. Bakhrushin. At this time, K.F. Yuon painted one of the most famous self-portraits (1912) (Fig. 2).
During the period of revolutionary events and the civil war in Russia, Yuon sided with the Soviet government, and in 1925 joined the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (AHRR), although there is every reason to believe that, at least at first, he did not sympathize with Bolshevism.
In particular, in the painting “New Planet” created by him in 1921-1922, the artist depicted a cosmic catastrophe, which symbolizes the October Revolution. In another "space" picture "People" (1923), the contours of the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp (SLON) are guessed (Fig. 3, 4).
To this day, his painting “Domes and Swallows. Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra "(1921). This is a panoramic landscape, painted from the bell tower of the cathedral on a clear summer evening, at sunset. Under the gentle sky, the earth prospers, and in the foreground domes illuminated by the sun with golden patterned crosses shine. The motif itself is not only very effective, but also very bold for the era when the Soviet government waged a merciless fight against religion (Fig. 5).
In addition to working in the pictorial genre, he actively engaged in the design of theatrical productions (Boris Godunov at the Diaghilev Theater in Paris, The Inspector General at the Art Theater, Arakcheevshchina, etc.), as well as artistic graphics.
In 1943 K.F. Yuon became a laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree, in 1947 he was elected an academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, and in 1950 he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR. In 1951 K.F. Yuon joined the ranks of the CPSU.
From 1948 to 1950 the artist worked as director of the Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Arts of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. From 1952 to 1955 K.F. Yuon taught as a professor at the Moscow Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov, as well as in a number of other educational institutions. In 1957, he was elected first secretary of the board of the Union of Artists of the USSR, and he held this post until his last days.
At the end of K.F. Yuon left memories of his fellow student, the Samara artist V.A. Mikhailov. Here is the entry.
“Mikhailov was my friend during the years of teaching at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. We were in the same group with him and moved from class to class together. He was a very witty man, the soul of a comradely environment, joked endlessly, he had a lot of humor.
Every year during the Christmas holidays, student exhibitions were organized at the school, which were very popular among art lovers. Patrons have always been at student exhibitions. They had a desire to guess the future master and buy as many of his things as possible.
With Mikhailov V.A. I had to be among the so-called stewards of student exhibitions for two years in a row. I have a photograph of a group of exhibitors, including Mikhailov. The steward Mikhailov could not help but joke here and attached a label with the inscription "sold" to his heart.
I remember Mikhailov's student work. He did not study well. As an artist, Mikhailov painted with great feeling. I have his Ural sketch - mother-of-pearl, play of morning colors he did well.
Our senior artists performed at student exhibitions. Here Mikhailov could get acquainted with some of them, in particular, Byalynitsky and Zhukovsky were still exhibited at the exhibitions of the school.
It seems that Gundobin also studied with me.
At the school, teaching was organized in such a way that from class to class you fell into new hands. In the first primary class, only one teacher taught - it was Kasatkin. There were two teachers in the second, head, class: Gorsky and a teacher in S., I can't remember his last name. In figure, the third class, where the human figure was drawn, teachers Pasternak and Arkhipov. Later, Arkhipov moved to the natural class. Serov and Arkhipov were with me. The following year, Serov received a personal workshop at the school, and he no longer taught in the classroom.
After graduating from college, Mikhailov moved to Samara and took up teaching activities. At first we corresponded, and then each of us went our own way.
These memories of K.F. Yuon "Comrade in studies" about V.A. Mikhailov are given according to a shorthand record made from his words in 1958. Now in the Samara Regional Art Museum there is a sketch by K.F. Yuon "Monastery" with a dedicatory inscription: "To dear V.A. Mikhailov. K. Yuon. The sketch entered the museum collection as a gift from V.A. Mikhailov (Fig. 6-8).
At present, other works by K.F. Yuon (Fig. 9-11).
Konstantin Fedorovich Yuon died on April 11, 1958 and was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery (Fig. 12).
Bibliography
Apushkin Ya.V. K.F. Yuon. M., 1936.
Volodin V.I. From the history of the artistic life of the city of Kuibyshev. Late 19th - early 20th century. M., Publishing house "Soviet artist". 1979. 176 p.
Generalova S.V. 2003. The role of the regional department of culture in the preservation of cultural heritage in the city of Samara. - On Sat. "Unknown Samara". Digest of articles. Materials of the city scientific conference of the Municipal Museum "Children's Art Gallery" of Samara. Samara. Publication of LLC "Cultural Initiative", pp. 3-4.
Konstantin Fedorovich Yuon (1875-1958) - Russian Soviet painter, master of landscape, theater artist, art theorist. Academician of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1947). People's Artist of the USSR (1950). Laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree (1943). Member of the CPSU (b) since 1951.
Self-portrait. 1912
Konstantin Fedorovich (Teodorovich), whose ancestors came to Russia from Switzerland, was born on October 24, 1875 in Moscow and was the third son in the family of the director of a property insurance company, Teodor Yuon. His wife was engaged in music, and within five years she gave birth to four sons, but only Konstantin had a name familiar to the Russian ear, the other three brothers were called: Paul, Eduard and Bernhart. And what is most interesting: after the marriage, the spouses of all four brothers never gave birth to girls. Konstantin himself, like Paul and Bernhart, had 2 sons each, and Edward had even more - four! By the way, Paul was also not deprived of talent, becoming a famous composer, who was called the "Russian Brahms".
Summer day.
View of Moscow from the Sparrow Hills.
River pier.
Liberty. Watering place (Ligachevo). 1917
In his youth, Yuon distinguished himself in his passion for drawing, and at the age of 17, his parents sent him to an art school in Moscow. His first mentors in this institution at that time were well-established artists in society: Konstantin Apollonovich Savitsky, Nikolai Alekseevich Kasatkin, Abram Efimovich Arkhipov, Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov. Yuon's paintings began to attract the attention of viewers even at student exhibitions, and quickly sold out. With the money from the sale of his works, the young man could visit many places in Russia, and even some European countries. The artist's canvases were exhibited at all major Russian exhibitions.
Blue bush. 1908
Sheds. Summer landscape. 1948
Seascape. Mountain slope.
Mill. October. Ligachevo. 1913
Numerous articles appeared in art magazines about the talent of the young painter, written by famous critics and art historians. Yuon also quite often acted as an art critic. After receiving his diploma, Yuon became a teacher, and he devoted his whole life to this activity. His students, the future famous Russian sculptors Vera Mukhina, Vasily Alekseevich Vatagin and many artists always spoke warmly about their teacher. Fate favored Yuon. Success came to him in his youth and stuck with him throughout life. He was honored, awarded, he held leadership positions.
Landscape with a church.
Trinity settlement. Zagorsk.
July. Bathing. 1925
Landscape of the Novgorod province. 1910s
Konstantin Fedorovich was a very scrupulous person who knew how to "play on trifles", and thus he went to his father, by whom it was possible to compare watches. But by an unfortunate coincidence, fate decreed that father and son did not communicate for several years, and when they met, they crossed to the other side of the street.
The reason for this was the son's muse - an ordinary peasant woman, whom young Konstantin fell in love with sincerely and tenderly. In 1900, K. F. Yuon married a peasant woman from the village of Ligachevo, Claudia Alekseevna Nikitina (1883-1965), since then the artist has lived and worked in this village for a long time.
Night hour. Portrait of the artist's wife Claudia Alekseevna Yuon. 1911
Portrait of the artist's wife K.A. Yuon.
Portrait of K.A. Yuon, the artist's wife. 1924
But an intelligent parent considered that such a misalliance not only humiliates his son, but also casts a shadow on his own reputation. Konstantin Fedorovich chose love, and never regretted it. In addition, at the first stage of their married life, they were very close to their wife by the loss of one of their sons. And they lived their life together happily ever after. According to the testimony of Yuon's relatives, Claudia Alekseevna's sincere generosity, kindness and beauty subsequently defeated all class prejudices and made her her beloved daughter-in-law.
Portrait of Claudia Alekseevna Yuon. / Morning in the village. Mistress. 1920s
Portrait of Bori Yuon, the artist's son. 1912
Family portrait (Klavdia Alekseevna Yuon, the artist's wife, and sons Boris and Igor). 1915
Portrait of I.K. Yuon, the artist's son. 1923
Konstantin Fedorovich created works in various fields of art. For some time he painted thematic paintings and portraits of famous people of his time, but he always returned to his vocation - the Russian landscape. Like many Russian painters, Yuon applied the principles of famous French impressionists in his works, however, without breaking his connection with the traditions of realism. K. Yuon is often compared with A. Ryabushkin and B. Kustodiev; in his canvases, a feeling of love for Russian antiquity is also piercing. Once in his youth, under him, restorers began to clean the icons and suddenly unusual colors shone. This moment remained forever in Yuon's memory and largely influenced his writing style.
Window to nature. Ligachevo, May. 1928
Coronation of Mikhail Fedorovich in 1613. Cathedral Square, Moscow Kremlin. 1913
Market square in Uglich. (Troika in Uglich).
Sunset.
The artist immensely loved the manifestation of everything beautiful both in nature and in life. Perhaps his feeling and understanding contributed to the fact that his paintings were impeccable, showing the mood, here the sun is shining brightly for you, the snow that has just fallen on the ground sparkles, the bright dresses of women, Russian ancient architectural monuments. KF Yuon, having a special gift, managed to take a special look at ancient Russian architecture and the unique nature of Russia. Yuon is attracted by architecture and architectural ensembles, they opened up endless possibilities for him to create colorful compositions.
In the Moscow Kremlin.
Night. Tverskoy Boulevard.
On the Volga.
Village of the Novgorod province. 1912
After the revolution, Konstantin Yuon was one of the initiators of the creation of schools of fine arts at the Moscow Department of Public Education. In 1920 he received the first prize for a curtain design for the Bolshoi Theatre. In 1921 he was elected a full member of the Russian Academy of Artistic Sciences. Since 1925 - Member of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia. In 1938-1939 he directed a personal workshop at the All-Russian Academy of Arts in Leningrad. In 1940 he completed sketches of the mosaic decoration of the Palace of Soviets. In 1943 he was awarded the Stalin Prize, in 1947 he was elected a full member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. From 1943 to 1948 Konstantin Yuon worked as the chief artist of the Maly Theatre. In 1950 he was awarded the title of "People's Artist". In 1948-1950 he headed the Research Institute of History and Theory of Fine Arts of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. Doctor of Arts. In 1952-1955 he taught at the Moscow State Art Institute named after V.V. I. Surikova, professor.
August evening. Last beam. 1948
Opened window.
Portrait of a boy, Oleg Yuon, the artist's grandson. 1929
Bathing. 1920
Since 1925, Yuon has preferred to work with a “clean” landscape, gradually introducing some of his innovations into the compositions that were fashionable at that time. But in addition to landscape painting, Konstantin grasped other genres on the fly, for example, graphics; For many years he was a theater artist, designing screensavers for performances. Many of his contemporaries were sure that Yuon had few equals in terms of the degree of emancipation. And all because at the time of his professional development, while still a student, he managed to travel not only in Russia, but also in Europe, and each time his creative baggage was replenished, even with a barely noticeable touch, which was subsequently embodied in quite specific forms.
Self-portrait. 1953
Konstantin Fedorovich was active until the last days of his life. It is no coincidence that in 1957, at the age of 83, he was elected the first secretary of the Board of the Union of Artists of the USSR. Konstantin Fedorovich Yuon died in 1958 on April 11, when he was 82 years old and was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery (plot No. 4).
A memorial plaque was installed on the Moscow house where he lived and worked (Zemlyanoy Val Street, 14-16).
Autumn view from the balcony.
Window. Moscow, apartment of the artist's parents. 1905
Birches. Petrovskoe. 1899
. October 12, 1875 (Moscow) - April 11, 1958 (Moscow).
Painter, graphic artist, set designer. Born in the family of an insurance agent, a native of Switzerland. In 1894 he entered the MUZhViZ, the architectural department. Soon he moved to the painting department, studied with K. A. Savitsky, A. E. Arkhipov, L. O. Pasternak, in 1899 he worked in the studio of V. A. Serov.
From 1896 until the end of the 1900s he repeatedly visited Paris, where he studied in private studios. From 1898 he gave private lessons. In 1900–1917 he headed the School of K. F. Yuon and I. O. Dudin in Moscow. I became interested in the culture of Ancient Rus'. In the late 1890s - 1900s, he repeatedly traveled to ancient Russian cities. He also visited Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany. Lived in Moscow, in Sergiev Posad (1903, 1911, 1918-1921), Tver province (1905-1906, 1916-1917), Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yaroslavl.
He took part in exhibitions of the Moscow Association of Artists (1899, 1902), the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions (1900), the World of Art (1901, 1906). From 1903 he was a permanent exhibitor of the Union of Russian Artists, from 1904 he was a member of the Committee of the Union. He worked mainly as a landscape painter, gaining "wide fame" among the Moscow and St. Petersburg public.
In the late 1900s and early 1910s, he designed opera productions of Russian Seasons by S. P. Diaghilev in Paris. Yuon's undoubted success in the field of scenography was the design of M. P. Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov, staged on the stage of the Champs Elysees Theater in Paris in 1913. The scenery and costumes showed knowledge of Russian culture and history, which distinguished many of the master's paintings.
Since 1910, the artist collaborated in the theaters of K. N. Nezlobin, the Opera House of S. I. Zimin, the Maly Theater, and the Moscow Art Theater. In 1916, he took part in the design of the literary and artistic collection "Half a century for the book: On the 50th anniversary of the publishing activity of I. D. Sytin."
After the revolution, he was one of the initiators of the creation of schools of fine arts at the Moscow Department of Public Education. In 1920 he received the first prize for a curtain design for the Bolshoi Theatre. In 1921 he was elected a full member of the Russian Academy of Artistic Sciences. Since 1925 - member of the AHRR. In 1938-1939 he directed a personal workshop at the All-Russian Academy of Arts in Leningrad.
In 1940 he completed sketches of the mosaic decoration of the Palace of Soviets. In 1943 he was awarded the Stalin Prize, in 1947 he was elected a full member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. From 1943 to 1948 he worked as the chief artist of the Maly Theatre. In 1950 he was awarded the title of "People's Artist". In 1948-1950 he headed the Research Institute of History and Theory of Fine Arts of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. Doctor of Arts. In 1952-1955 he taught at the Moscow State Art Institute. V. I. Surikova, professor. Since 1957 - First Secretary of the Board of the Union of Artists of the USSR.
In his early work, Yuon often turned to the motives of the Russian village: the artist was interested in the state of nature, the change of seasons, the life of provincial towns and villages, the architecture of ancient churches and monasteries. His painting style was influenced by the lessons of Korovin and Serov. After the revolution, the individual handwriting of the artist has changed little, the range of subjects has become somewhat different. In the 1920s - 1950s, he created a number of portraits, paintings on the themes of the history of the revolution and contemporary life, in which he adhered to the realistic tradition. The landscapes of this time are close in the manner of execution to earlier works of the 1910s, in which elements of impressionism and "wandering realism" are closely intertwined. Filled with subtle lyricism, they are of the greatest value in the entire creative heritage of the master.
Yuon as a theater decorator is much inferior to Yuon the painter. Most of his theatrical works are not characterized by novelty and artistic imagination, which are characteristic of the scenography of many of his contemporaries.
Yuon's personal exhibitions were organized in 1926, 1945, 1955 at the State Tretyakov Gallery (they were dedicated to the 25th, 50th, 60th anniversary of his creative activity), 1931 - at the State Museum of Fine Arts, 1950 - at the USSR Academy of Arts. Posthumous retrospectives of the master's works took place in 1962 and 1976 at the Tretyakov Gallery, and in 1976 at the Russian Museum.
The artist's works are in the collections of many domestic museums, including the State Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Museum im. A. S. Pushkin in Moscow, the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery. There is a memorial plaque on the house where Yuon lived and worked (Zemlyanoy Val Street, 14-16).
(The article uses information from the site artinvestment.ru)
 Birches Petrovskoe. 1899. X.M. |
 Holiday. 1903. Cardboard, tempera. 95.5x70. State Russian Museum |
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Exhibitions:
Literature:
K. F. Yuon, Moscow in my work, M., 1958;
K. F. Yuon, On Art, vol. 1 - 2, M., 1959.
A p at sh k and N Ya. V., K. F. Yuon, M., 1936;
Tretyakov N., K. F. Yuon, Moscow, 1957;
K. F. Yuon. Man, artist, public figure. Teacher. [Catalogue], M., 1968;
[Romashkova L.], K. Yuon. [Album], M., 1973;
K. F. Yuon, Centenary of the birth, 1875 - 1975, M., 1976.
Yuon Konstantin Fedorovich
1875, Moscow - 1958, ibid.
Fate favored KF Yuon in every possible way. He lived a long life. He had an extremely happy marriage. The people around him loved him. He never had to struggle with need. Success came to him very early and always accompanied him. After the revolution, honors, high awards, titles, leadership positions, as it were, were looking for him.
There were fewer adversities - this was a quarrel for several years with his father (a bank employee) due to Yuon's marriage to a peasant woman and the early death of one of his sons. In 1892, Yuon entered the MUZHVZ, where he studied with K. A. Savitsky, N. A. Kasatkin, A. E. Arkhipov, V. A. Serov.
The public noticed his paintings even at student exhibitions and bought them up so willingly that student Yuon was able to travel around Russia and Europe. Subsequently, his paintings were always welcome at the exhibitions of the Wanderers, and at the exhibitions of the World of Art and the Union of Artists (of which he was a member). Leading critics and art historians of his time wrote about him - AN. Benois, I. E. Grabar, P. P. Muratov, then A. M. Efros, D. E. Arkin ... He himself acted as an art critic with works on the work of Russian artists, on the technique of painting, on artistic education.
Soon after graduating from college, Yuon began teaching and was engaged in it all his life, earning great appreciation from his students, among whom were V.I. Mukhina, animal sculptor V.A. Vatagin and others.
Yuon left many works of different levels. He was a painter, graphic artist and theater designer. He tried himself in thematic painting, painted portraits of his contemporaries, but landscape painting turned out to be his true vocation.
Like other masters of the Union of Artists, Yuon learned some of the principles of the French Impressionists, without breaking with the traditions of Russian realism of the second half of the 19th century, that is, without "dissolving" the form of objects in the environment. Like A.P. Ryabushkin and B.M. Kustodiev, he loved Russian antiquity, its decorativeness and colorfulness.
In his memory, the discovery of ancient Russian icon painting took place. The restorers began to clean up the icons and discovered bright, pure colors. All this influenced the formation of Yuon's manner. He loved joy and beauty in nature and life; most willingly depicted the sun, snow, bright folk clothes, monuments of ancient Russian architecture ("Trinity Lavra in Winter", "Spring Sunny Day", both 1910; "March Sun", 1915). His painting "Domes and Swallows. Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra" (1921) is very famous. This is a panoramic landscape, painted from the bell tower of the cathedral on a clear summer evening, at sunset. Under the gentle sky, the earth prospers, and in the foreground, sunlit domes with golden patterned crosses shine. The motif itself is not only very beautiful, but also bold for the era of the merciless struggle of the new government with the church.
Yuon also approaches historical topics - the revolution and the Patriotic War - through the landscape, and, generalizing, he strives to be extremely reliable ("Before entering the Kremlin. Nikolsky Gates on November 2 (15), 1917", 1926; "Parade on Red Square in Moscow November 7, 1941", 1942).
Among the later works of Yuon, those written in the village of Ligachevo near Moscow, where the artist had a house and where he worked from 1908 to 1958, stand out ("The End of Winter. Noon", 1929; "Russian Winter. Ligachevo", "Open Window . Ligachevo", both 1947), and those that are written based on the memories of youth and are associated with the poetic side of the life and life of old Moscow, which brought up the artist ("Feeding pigeons on Red Square in 1890-1900", 1946).
(According to staratel.com)
Yuon, Konstantin Fyodorovich
(born 1875) is a well-known painter. He studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1893-98), working in the class of D. Serov for the last year (see).
At the same time Yu exhibited at student exhibitions and made several trips abroad.
In 1900, together with the artist Dudin, he opened an art school in Moscow, from which a number of major artists emerged (including Yakulov, Vatagin, and the Vesnin brothers).
From 1900, Yu. took part in the exhibitions of the World of Art, 36, and then the Union of Russian Artists (until 1920). Member of the Paris Autumn Salon (since 1906); repeatedly exhibited abroad.
Y.'s work is characteristic of the art of the heyday of prom. capitalism in Russia. With the reaction against the academic "literary" and the complexity of the storytelling of the Itinerant everyday life, interest in the very subject of the image arose, which, together with the new formal provisions proclaimed by French impressionism, created the conditions for the flourishing of the landscape in Russian painting.
Growing Russian. capitalism, which was acquiring European significance, was looking for national forms for its expression in art. Many prominent masters of the "Russian landscape" were the spokesmen for these aspirations, including Yu. In his landscapes, Yu willingly introduces people and things that emphasize the national, Russian character of nature. The influence of K. Korovin and Serov, who had already come close to the problem of the plein air, had an effect.
In his work, on the other hand, he uses themes and techniques first touched upon by Ryabushkin. Not limited to showing the endless distance, which at first glance is covered by a passive viewer, the artist in different plans puts a number of three-dimensional objects that serve as milestones, sliding along which the eye most convincingly perceives the illusory depth of the depicted space ("March Sun", 1916). The same role is played by three-dimensional forms of architecture - an inevitable motif in Yu's paintings. Yu's plot is always without plot.
In the very emotional landscapes of Yu., the main feeling does not receive resolution in the action of the central person, but is addressed to all elements of the picture equally. Gradually, this effective beginning is localized in the figures that "revive" the landscape (an example of which is the "Dance of the Matchmakers"), which subsequently led to the unification of disparate figures into a single-minded crowd. This facilitated Yu.'s transition to a purely superficially understood revolutionary theme and made it possible for him to join the AHPP in 1925.
An example of the work of the last period is the "Parade of the Red Army" (1923). Since 1912 Yu. has been working in the theater. He designed performances: "Boris Godunov" at the Diaghilev Theater (Paris), "The Inspector General" at the Art Theater, a number of performances at the Nezlobin and Zimin Theater, and after the revolution - "Arakcheevshchina" at the Moscow Maly Theater, etc. In the field of decorative art, Yu. worked a lot in Mosselprom.
His "cosmic" paintings stand apart (the cycle "Co-creation of the world", published in the journal "Balance", 1910, etc.). Since 1926 Yu - Honored Art Worker.
A large number of Yuon's works are in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and the Russian Museum in Leningrad.
E. Kronman.
