"Return from the city". Fragment. / "Peasant Girls in the Forest". Fragment. Price: 266.5 thousand dollars. Christie's. (2011).

Name Alexei Ivanovich Korzukhin rarely mentioned among eminent Russian artists of the 19th century. But this does not make his creative heritage less significant in the history of art. Korzukhin is a great artist, one of the best Russian painters of the domestic genre, whose name has been forgotten. While his paintings are real documentary evidence of the life and way of life of the Russian people in the century before last.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/0korzyhin-029.jpg" alt="(!LANG: "The drunken father of the family." (1861). Author: A.I. Korzukhin." title=""The Drunken Father of the Family" (1861).

The requirements of the Academy for students were high, and all achievements were not easy for Korzukhin, but with hard work and diligence he was close to receiving a gold medal and a trip abroad to improve his skills. Alas, by the will of fate, he was among those students, headed by Ivan Kramskoy, who left the Academy in protest against the imposed theme of their graduation work. This riot was called -"бунт 14-и". Спустя несколько лет Алексей Корзухин все же вернулся в Академию и получил звание академика. !}

Aleksey Ivanovich devoted all his skill and ability to the everyday genre, reflecting scenes from the everyday life of the people. But unlike the artists who wrote in this genre and denounced the unjust existing order, Korzukhin was not inclined to rebellion and indignation - on his canvases we do not see the accusatory pathos of the Wanderers.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/0korzyhin-003.jpg" alt="(!LANG:"Bachelorette Party" (1889).

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/0korzyhin-012.jpg" alt=""Commemoration at the Village Cemetery". Author: A.I.Korzukhin." title=""Commemoration at the Village Cemetery".

In 1865, Korzukhin was awarded the rank of artist of the first degree for the painting "Wake at the Village Cemetery", and in 1868, for the painting "The Return of the Father of the Family from the Fair", the Academy awarded him the title of academician.

"The return of the father of the family from the country fair." (1868)

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/0korzyhin-010.jpg" alt=""Sunday"

All the skill of the painter is clearly visible on the canvas "Sunday". The composition of this particular painting is amazing. Its center is a boiling samovar, around which the whole plot is tied. The whole family is assembled and is about to start eating. In the meantime, they have fun, dance and play.

From such a lively and cheerful plot, family warmth and the delicious smell of dinner emanates. The viewer has a desire to get to this cheerful glade himself, go dancing, play along with the harmonist and just breathe in the air of this amazing spring day.

"Return from the city". (1870)

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/0korzyhin-016.jpg" alt=""Bird Enemies" (1887).

Three peasant barefoot boys in the early morning bravely step on"охоту". Ловля птиц на продажу дает им неплохой доход, поэтому ребята подходят к этому занятию ответственно. Об этом говорят клетки для будущей добычи и длинный шест для ловли. Старший мальчик, по-видимому, увидел стаю пернатых и увлекает за собой, указывая другим, куда им следует двигаться.!}

"At the edge of bread." (1890)

What should I do?" And the viewer's heart contracts to the point of pain.

"Collection of arrears." (1868)

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/0korzyhin-008.jpg" alt="(!LANG:"Separation (1872)".

Paintings about the difficult life and life of the common people, about their hardships, suffering and small joys were also written by a contemporary of A. Korzukhin, a well-known Russian artist

The peasant - the representative of the "silent majority" - did not occupy any prominent place in the visual arts until the 19th century, before the era of social revolutions and urbanization, with which the formation of modern nations and the construction of their mythology was associated. In the romantic era of the beginning of the century, the cultural image of the villager acquired a specific meaning in Europe: when the nation was understood as a collective body growing from the eternal soil, it was the tiller who began to be perceived as its purest, most complete , pure incarnation. But in the public consciousness of Russia in the 19th century, the peasantry occupied a very special place: it became in fact a synonym for the concept of “nation”, and the rural worker turned into a moral standard for various political and intellectual movements. Our art, with unprecedented clarity, embodied this process of visual self-knowledge of the country and the formation of the image of the peasantry as the backbone of Russia.

It must be said that by the second half of the 18th century, European painting knew only a few basic models for depicting the peasantry. The first took shape in Venice in the 16th century. Its appearance was sanctioned by a literary tradition dating back to the poem "Georgics" by the Roman poet Virgil, in which the hard work of farmers was the key to harmony with nature. Repaying-ni-em for him served as agreement with the laws of natural existence established from the ages, which the inhabitants of cities are deprived of. The second mode took shape in urbanized Holland in the 17th century: in long-winded genre scenes, the peasants appeared as an amusing, sometimes rude, intemperate audience and, therefore, worthy of a cheerful smile or an evil mockery that lifted the urban viewer in their own eyes. Finally, during the Enlightenment, another way of presenting the peasant as a noble, sensitive villager was born, whose natural morality stemmed from closeness to nature and served as a reproach to the depraved man of civilization.

Ivan Argunov. Portrait of an unknown woman in Russian costume. 1784

Mikhail Shibanov. Celebration of the wedding contract. 1777State Tretyakov Gallery

Ivan Ermenev. Singing blind. Watercolor from the "Beggars" series. 1764–1765

In this respect, the surviving Russia of the 18th century did not stand out against the European background. We can find isolated examples of images of representatives of the lower social strata, and the circumstances of the creation of some works of this kind are not always clear. Such are the cunning "Portrait of an Unknown Woman in Russian Costume" by Ivan Argunov (1784), the calmly noble "Feast of the Wedding Contract" by Mikhail Shibanov (1777) or the cruelly truthful images of the beggars by Ivan Ermenev. Visual comprehension of the "people's" space of Russia at first took place within the framework of ethnography. Atlases - descriptions of the empire were provided with detailed illustrations representing social and ethnic types: from the peasants of the European provinces to the inhabitants of Kamchatka. It is natural that the artist's attention was primarily focused on original costumes, hairstyles, physiognomic features that emphasize the originality of the characters depicted, and in this respect, such engravings differed slightly from illustrations for descriptions of exotic lands - America or Oceania.

The situation changed in the 19th century, when a person "from the plow" began to be perceived as the bearer of the spirit of the nation. But if in France or Germany of that time in the image of the “people” as a whole the peasantry occupied only a certain, albeit important share, in Russia there were two decisive circumstances that made the problem of its image a key one. The first is the westernization of the elite under Peter. The dramatic social difference between the minority and the majority was at the same time a cultural difference: the nobility lived “in European fashion”, and the vast majority of the people followed the customs of their ancestors to one degree or another, which deprived the two parts of the nation of a common language. The second most important factor is serfdom, which was abolished only on February 19, 1861, which was evidence of a deep moral vice that underlay Russian life. Thus, the suffering peasant, the peasant victim of injustice, became the bearer of genuine social and cultural values.

The turning point was the Patriotic War of 1812, when, in the fight against foreign invasion, Russia, at least in the person of the upper strata, realized itself as one. It was the patriotic upsurge that first set the task of visually embodying the nation. In the propaganda cartoons of Ivan Terebenev and Alexei Venetsianov, the Russian people who defeated the French were in most cases presented in the form of a peasant. But the “high” art oriented towards the universal ancient ideal was not able to solve this problem. In 1813, Vasily Demut-Malinovsky created the "Russian Scaevola" statue, which reproduced an unlikely story spread by patriotic propaganda. The sculpture depicts a peasant who cuts off his hand with a Napoleonic brand with an ax and thus follows the example of the legendary Roman hero. The rural worker is endowed here with an ideal, evenly developed body of the heroes of the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles. A curly beard seems to be a sure sign of the nationality, but even a cursory comparison of the head of the statue with images of the Roman emperors Lucius Verus or Marcus Aurelius destroys this illusion. Of the obvious signs of ethnic and social affiliation, only an Orthodox pectoral cross and a peasant ax remain.

"Russian Scaevola". Sculpture by Vasily Demut-Malinovsky. 1813 State Tretyakov Gallery

A new word on this path was the painting of Venetsianov. Free from the academic school based on the ancient canon and offering ready-made solutions, the artist made his own serfs the heroes of his canvases. The peasant women and peasants of Venetsianov are for the most part devoid of sentimental idealization, which is characteristic, for example, of similar images of Vasily Tropinin. On the other hand, they are immersed in a special harmonious world, only partly connected with reality. Venetsianov often depicts peasants in moments of rest, sometimes completely out of sync with their occupations. Such, for example, are the paintings of the 1820s “The Sleeping Shepherd” and “The Reapers”: a mother and son with sickles in their hands, frozen for a moment so as not to frighten away the hives that sat on their hands. For a second, a frozen butterfly conveys the fleetingness of a stopped moment. But here it is important that Venetsianov immortalizes his workers in a brief moment of rest, thus granting them, in the eyes of the viewer, the privilege of a free person - leisure.

Alexey Venetsianov. Sleeping shepherd. 1823–1826State Russian Museum

Alexey Venetsianov. Reapers. Late 1820sState Russian Museum

Turgenev's Notes of a Hunter (1847-1852) became an important milestone in the understanding of the peasant. In them, the peasant was seen as an equal, worthy of the same close look and careful penetration into the character as the noble heroes of the novels. The trend that gradually unfolded in Russian literature of the middle of the century, which opened up folk life, can be described in the words of Nekrasov, known from the memoirs of a contemporary:

“... I increased the material processed by poetry, by the personalities of the peasants ... Before me, never depicted, were millions of living beings! They asked for a loving look! And whatever a person is, then a mu-che-nick, whatever life is, then a tragedy!

In the wake of the social upsurge caused by the Great Reforms of the 1860s (primarily the emancipation of the serfs), Russian art, following literature, included in its field of vision an exceptionally wide range of everyday phenomena. The main thing is that it has moved from neutral descriptiveness to social and moral evaluation. It is no coincidence that at that time the everyday genre clearly dominated painting. He allowed the artist to represent a variety of types and characters, to play in front of the audience typical situations from the life of various strata of society. The peasantry was so far only one of the objects of interest of artists - however, it was scenes from rural life that allowed the appearance of works in which the accusatory pathos of the "sixties" manifested itself with the greatest distinctness.

Village procession at Easter. Painting by Vasily Perov. 1861 State Tretyakov Gallery

In 1862, at the insistence of the Synod, a painting by the leader of the new artistic generation, Vasily Perov, "Rural Procession at Easter" (1861) was removed from the permanent exhibition of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. The procession stretching under the gloomy sky, kneading the spring mud with their feet, made it possible to show a cross-section of the rural world, where vice captured everyone - from the priest and wealthy peasants to the last poor. If the well-dressed participants in the procession only turned pink from what they had drunk and eaten, then other characters demonstrate deeper stages of degradation and profanation of shrines: a ragged man carries the image upside down, and a drunken priest, walking from the porch, crushes the Easter egg.

At the same time, a new image of the peasants' habitat, free from idealization, came into Russian painting. The most impressive example is Pyotr Sukhodolsky's Noon in the Village (1864). This is a protocol-accurate image of a specific area - the village of Zhelny, Mosalsky district, Kaluga province: huts and sheds with perpetually holey roofs scattered without visible order (only in the background is the construction of a new house visible), lean trees, a swampy stream. The summer heat caught the inhabitants in their daily activities: women carry water or wash clothes, children play by the barn, men sleep in the sun, representing the same element of the landscape as a spotted pig that fell on its side, a harrow thrown directly into the grass or a plow stuck in a puddle that does not dry out. .

Afternoon in the village. Painting by Pyotr Sukhodolsky. 1864 State Russian Museum

From Gogol's colorful descriptions of a hot rural day, this view is distinguished by the objective view of the painter, devoid of visible emotion. In a certain sense, this depiction of the Russian countryside is even more bleak than Perov's demonstratively but tendentious picture. Meanwhile, the society of that time was obviously ready for such a spectacle: in 1864 Sukhodolsky received the Great Gold Medal of the Academy of Arts for this painting, and in 1867 it was shown in the Russian department of the World Exhibition in Paris. However, it should be noted that in later years, Russian painters painted the village as such relatively rarely, preferring to represent the peasants in a different environment.

The depiction of characters from the people in the 1860s was distinguished, as a rule, by the openly declared position of the artist: it was a publicly demanded criticism of social injustice and moral decline, the main victims of which were “humiliated and insulted”. Using the well-developed narrative tools of genre painting, the artist told "stories" that were similar in their rhetoric to theatrical mise-en-scenes.

The next decade brought a more multidimensional image of the people, which is becoming more and more clearly associated with the social lower classes. Instead of a silent reproach to the educated classes, the "simple" person becomes a moral model for them. This trend was expressed in its own way in the novels and journalism of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. The socialist ideology of populism is also connected with it, with its idealization of the peasant community as not only the economic, but also the socio-ethical core of the nation. But although Russian painting was in the general ideological context of the era, literal parallels between it, literature or journalism are far from always appropriate. For example, the realism professed by members of the most influential artistic association of the second half of the 19th century, the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, can hardly be understood as a direct analogy to the populist understanding of the peasantry.

For centuries, the depiction of a man from the people in European and Russian art suggested a distance between the character and the viewer, who invariably retained his privileged position. Now the tools of psychological analysis, worked out by literature and built up by realistic painting of the 19th century, had to be applied to the common people. “... Its inner essence ... is not some kind of special and curious, but a universal human essence, drawing its originality exclusively from the external situation,” Saltykov-Shchedrin argued in 1868. In a similar way, one can describe the aspirations of the Wandering realism of the 1870s and 80s.

Illarion Pryanishnikov. Kaliki are transitional. 1870State Tretyakov Gallery

Illarion Pryanishnikov. Fire victims. 1871Private collection / rusgenre.ru

Nikolay Yaroshenko. Blind. 1879Samara Regional Art Museum

Ivan Kramskoy. contemplator. 1876

The other side of the individualizing view was the building of the psycho-logical and social typology of the people. Ivan Kramskoy wrote in 1878: "... the type, and only for the time being, one type is today the entire historical task of our art." The search for such types of Russian painting was conducted throughout the 1870s. Among them stand out images of people, one way or another cut off from the roots, who, by their way of life or system of thought, are separated from the established way of life - a kind of children of the upheaval carried out by the reform of 1861. Such are the Passing Kaliki (1870) and the Pogoreltsy (1871) by Pryanishnikov, Sharvin's The Tramp (1872), Yaroshenko's Blind Men (1879) or Kramskoy's The Contemplator (1876), which Dostoevsky used in The Brothers Karamazov to characterize Smerdyakov:

“... in the forest, on the road, in a torn cafta-niche and bast shoes, stands alone, in the deepest solitude, a peasant wandered ... but he does not think, but “contemplates” something.<…>... Maybe, suddenly, having accumulated impressions over many years, he will leave everything and go to Jerusalem, wander and escape, or maybe he will suddenly burn his native village, or maybe both will happen together.

Barge Haulers on the Volga. Painting by Ilya Repin. 1872-1873 State Russian Museum

The turning point in relation to folk images is associated with Ilya Repin's (1872-1873) Barge Haulers on the Volga, whose heroes were precisely people uprooted from their familiar soil. Following how the artist’s attitude to the dramaturgy of his canvas changed, one can understand how in painting as a whole there was a transition from genre narrative and a patronizing-pitying look to an image where the folk organism becomes self-sufficient. Repin abandoned the original idea of ​​confronting the city's "pure" society at a picnic with "dank, terrible monsters" - from the depiction of an episode that he himself witnessed. In the final version, he created a canvas, the paradoxical nature of which eludes the modern viewer. Before us is a large canvas that instantly stops the visitor of the exhibition: the blue sky, the blue of the river and the sand of the Volga banks create an exceptionally strong color chord. But this is not a landscape or a genre canvas: Repin consistently refuses those compositional decisions that suggest some kind of plot plot. He chooses the moment when eleven people almost stopped, as if posing for a painter. This is actually a group portrait of people who are at the very bottom of Russian society. Looking at the canvas, we can read the characters and origin of barge haulers: from the stoic sage priest-stripper Kanin (the root of the human team) to the young Larka, as if resisting his fate (the brightest figure in the center of this gloomy row is a young barge hauler, in right -laying strap). On the other hand, eleven people, pulling a huge bark, turn into a many-headed creature, make up a single body. If we take into account that barge haulers are presented against the backdrop of a river expanse, behind them is depicted a ship drawn by them (an old symbol of the human community) under the Russian merchant flag, then we have to admit that we have before us a collective image of the people, appearing at the same time in desperate poverty and primordial natural force.

The public reaction to "Barge haulers" is indicative: conservative criticism deliberately emphasized the "tendentiousness" of the picture, believing that "this is Nekrasov's poem, transferred to the canvas, a reflection of his" civil tears "". But observers as varied as Dostoevsky and Stasov saw Burlaki as an objective image of reality. Dostoevsky wrote:

“None of them shouts from the picture to the viewer: “Look how unhappy I am and to what extent you owe the people!” ... -nom his position.

A peculiar result of the assessment of the canvas was summed up by the Grand Duke Vladimir Aleksan-dro-vich, who bought it for 3,000 rubles. In his palace, "Barge haulers" remained until.

Vasily Petrov. Fomushka-owl. 1868State Tretyakov Gallery

Ilya Repin. A timid man. 1877Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum

Ilya Repin. The man with the evil eye. 1877State Tretyakov Gallery

In the 1870s, realistic painting strives not only to show "social ulcers", but also to find a positive beginning in Russian life. In the work of the Wanderers, it is embodied in the landscape (Savrasov, Shish-kin) and portraits of the intelligentsia (Kramskoy, Perov, Repin). It was the portrait genre that opened up the possibility of combining the typical and the specific in folk images, made it possible to focus primarily on the character of a person and accept him as an equal. These are Perov's Fomushka the Owl (1868), Repin's The Timid Man and The Man with the Evil Eye (both 1877). But at the exhibitions, the images of specific peasants were not accidentally called “studies”: the portrait still retained the status of a social privilege.

Forester. Painting by Ivan Kramskoy. 1874 State Tretyakov Gallery

Kramskoy advanced further than anyone along the path of creating a strong and independent peasant character. Commenting in a letter to the collector Pavel Tretyakov on the study "Woodsman" (1874), depicting a forester in a hat shot through, Kramskoy wrote:

“... one of those types ... who understand a lot of the social and political structure of people's life with their own mind and who have a deeply rooted displeasure bordering on hatred. From such people, in difficult moments, Stenka Razina, Pugachevs recruit their gangs, and in ordinary times they act alone, where and how they have to, but they never reconcile.

Ivan Kramskoy. Peasant with a bridle. 1883National Museum "Kyiv Art Gallery"

Ivan Kramskoy. Mina Moiseev. 1882State Russian Museum

The most perfect embodiment of this approach to the folk type was Kramskoy's Peasant with a Bridle (1883). This is an infrequent case when we know the hero of the canvas - a resident of the village of Siversky near St. Petersburg. Preceding the picture by just one year, the study bears the name of the model - “Mina Moiseev”. A man with a gray beard and a wrinkled, tanned face in a casual blue shirt crossed his arms over his chest and leaned forward, as if engaged in a conversation. A characteristic pose, leaving a feeling of the hero's involvement in some process external to the picture, and a look directed outward and to the side, do not allow us to attribute this canvas to portraits in the strict sense of the word. On the contrary, the title of the canvas, where the image of Mina Moiseev is given worthy solidity, no longer contains the name of its hero, presenting now the peasant as such. This generalized character of the image was realized by Kramskoy himself. In a letter to the entrepreneur Tereshchenko, who later purchased the painting, the artist wrote that he was offering "a large study of the 'Russian peasant', in the form in which they discuss their village affairs."

It is the portrait-type that Kramskoy creates: Mina Moiseev is depicted straightened up, in the same worn blue shirt. An overcoat is thrown over it, a bridle hangs on the elbows of the left hand. The peasant is shown with undisguised sympathy, but it is unlikely that he himself would have agreed to appear before his descendants in this form: his hair is combed hastily, his shirt collar is open, and the coarse clothes thrown over his shoulders are torn somewhere, and somewhere patched up. If the hero of the canvas ordered his image himself, he would be depicted with well-groomed hair and a beard, dressed in the best outfit and, most likely, with some sign of prosperity, for example, a samovar: this is how we see in the photographs of wealthy peasants of that pores.

Of course, the addressee of this canvas was an educated visitor to the exhibition, and Kramskoy counted on his visual experience when creating this canvas, deliberately ascetic and noble in color. The figure of a peasant, depicted knee-deep, turns into a pyramid - a simple monumental form. The viewer looks at him as if from below. This technique, in its forced version, was used by Baroque portrait painters to convey an impression of majesty to their heroes. A stick in the hard-working hands of a peasant, which may well be the handle of a pitchfork or a shovel, seems to be a staff, that is, a traditional sign of authority, and the poor mantle with holes appears as the embodiment of the artless simplicity of a noble person. With these laconic but effective means, Kramskoy forms the image of his hero as a person endowed with an unintentional sense of dignity and inner benevolent strength, “common sense, clarity and positivity in mind,” as Belinsky once wrote about the properties of a Russian peasant.

The arrival of a sorcerer at a peasant wedding. Painting by Vasily Maksimov. 1875 State Tretyakov Gallery

The 1870s brought genre painting to a new level. At the 6th traveling exhibition in 1875, Vasily Maksimov showed the painting "The Arrival of a Sorcerer at a Peasant Wedding". The artist himself came from a peasant family, he knew rural life well, and the painting was based on his childhood memory of the appearance of a mysterious and somewhat sinister village character at the wedding of his older brother. This multi-figured composition, larger than a standard genre painting, adds a new dimension to the peasant scenes. The urban viewer is faced with a situation where he is completely alien, he has no key to what is happening, and the peasants - young and old - are lined up in a subtly nuanced mise-en-scene, where everything - both the measured ritual of the holiday, and the appearance of an intruder - inherently belongs to the peasant world. Maximov organizes his narration without overt action, skillfully creating the psychological tension of the situation, the meaning of which may not be completely clear to an external viewer. This is the peasants' own world, in which they behave appropriately, without thinking about an outside observer. Maximov seemed to respond to Shchedrin's expectation:

Vasily Maksimov. Blind owner. 1884State Russian Museum

Vasily Maksimov. Family section. 1876State Tretyakov Gallery

Vladimir Makovsky. On the boulevard 1886State Tretyakov Gallery

Edgar Degas. Absinthe. 1876 Musee d'Orsay

Maximov more than once later turned to village life, his most notable works told about the hard fate of the people ("Sick Husband", 1881; "Blind Master", 1884). In his "Family Division" (1876), as if on a theatrical stage, in the presence of representatives of the community, a family strife is committed - the division of property. Opinions were expressed that such a deliberately played out conflict runs counter to the traditional ways of resolving disputes within the community, but be that as it may, this canvas testifies that the Wanderers' painting was able to challenge the ideal image of the peasant world, constructed by the populist intelligentsia. Another conflict, dictated by the social transformations of the era, is presented in Vladimir Makovsky's painting "On the Boulevard" (1886). On a bench sit a young festively dressed tipsy craftsman with a fashionable accordion and a wife with a baby who came to visit him from the village: this is one of the sharpest images of irreversible mutual alienation in Russian painting, evoking images of “loneliness together" by Edgar Degas (for example, his "Absinthe", 1875-1876).

Ilya Repin. The arrest of the propagandist. 1892 State Tretyakov Gallery

The failure of "going to the people" - a campaign of revolutionary propaganda in the countryside, crushed by the government in 1877 - showed the illusory nature of the populist hope for the socialist and collectivist principles of the Russian peasantry. This dramatic story for the opposition intelligentsia prompted Repin to work on the canvas "The Arrest of the Propaganda", which took almost a decade. Naturally, the peasants were to become important participants in the scene. But if the central image of the picture - an agitator tied to a pole and therefore evoking associations with the scourged Christ - remained compositionally almost unchanged, then the characters responsible for his capture were radically transformed. In the early sketches, the pro-propagandist is tightly surrounded by the locals who have seized him (one of them is rummaging through a suitcase with proclamations). But gradually, Repin actually removes direct blame from the common people for the catastrophic mutual misunderstanding between the peasantry and the intelligentsia, which became the basis for the failure of the populist sermon: in later versions of the composition, the peasants gradually left the forefront, and in the final version of the canvas, completed in 1892, they are almost completely relieved of responsibility for the arrest, being present as silent witnesses in the far corner of the hut. Only one of them helps the gendarme to restrain the violent captive, and the search is carried out by officials and policemen.

Ilya Repin. Reception of volost foremen by Emperor Alexander III in the courtyard of the Petrovsky Palace in Moscow on May 5, 1883. 1885-1886 State Tretyakov Gallery

The peasant occupied a central place not only in populist and Slavic-Philo views, but also in the ideology of the Orthodox kingdom of Alexander III. The state has not yet considered art as a means of propaganda, and the image of a loyal peasantry is rarely found in Russian painting. But a noteworthy exception is Repin's painting "Reception of Volost Elders by Emperor Alexander III in the courtyard of the Petrovsky Palace in Moscow on May 5, 1883" (1885-1886), commissioned by the Ministry of the Imperial Court. Although the artist was dissatisfied with the fact that a quote from the royal speech marking the beginning of the reaction was placed on the magnificent frame of the canvas, the picture successfully represents the basic myth of the reign of Alexander III - a mystical union between self- holder and tillers over the heads of the elites. The sovereign rises here in the middle of a sun-drenched courtyard, he is surrounded by an attentive crowd of foremen, in which the whole empire is embodied: great Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars and Poles. All the other witnesses of the event, including the royal family, are crowded in the background.

In this vein is the opening by the artists of the Abramtsevo circle of the beauty of peasant art and attempts to renew the urban culture with its help. But at the same time, they mean that now the peasant world is becoming for artists not so much a social phenomenon as a bearer of eternal, universal artistic and national values. With its power and beauty, it will be able to inspire painters for a long time to come - from Philip Malyavin to Kazimir Malevich. But his artistic comprehension is now gradually but irreversibly losing that social and political relevance that allowed Russian painting of the 1860s-80s to create a unique image of the Russian peasant as the bearer of core social and moral values.

CHAPTER 2. THE IMAGE OF THE PEASANTRY IN RUSSIAN ART OF THE 18TH CENTURY

2.1. The image of the peasantry in painting

In the 18th century, secular art came to the fore in Russian art in Russian art. Several stages can be distinguished in the development of Russian painting of the 18th century. The first stage - the first third of the 18th century, the painters then depicted mainly people of high-ranking ranks. At this time, the peasants are practically not portrayed. A popular genre is portrait, landscape. The next two stages are the middle of the 18th century and the second half of the 18th century. These two stages are of interest to us, since they are marked by the further flourishing of Russian national painting, which developed along the path of realism, but our theme can be traced more in the second half of the 18th century, so we will talk about this half.

The 18th century is rich in Russian portrait painters, but among them there are those who are interested in the theme of the peasantry. These include Vishnyakova A.I. , Shibanova M. , Ermeneva I.A. , Argunova I.P. . Through the paintings of these artists, we can see the life, holidays and life in general of the peasants.

Vishnyakov Alexander Ivanovich - the son of the famous portrait painter Vishnyakov I.Ya. , not much is known about him, he was a genre painter. His painting "Peasants' Revel" (Fig 5) late 1760s - early 1770s. - one of the earliest images of peasant meals. Here we see the grotesque, characteristic of the depiction of rough nature, characteristic of the Dutch and Flemish paintings of the masters of the 17th century, that is, here we see the imitation of the Russian artist by these masters, which does not reflect the originality of the Russian people and in the community of peasants.

Another artist Mikhail Shibanov is a Russian artist of the second half of the 18th century, a painter from serfs, since 1783 he has been a “free painter”. He can be called the initiator of the peasant everyday genre in Russian art. His paintings are unique for their time in terms of the subject matter depicted - in the 18th century, almost no artist depicted peasants in the fine arts. First of all, we are talking about two canvases depicting scenes from the life of peasants "Peasant Lunch" (Fig. 6) and "The Feast of the Wedding Contract".

Figure 5

In 1774, Mikhail Shibanov painted the canvas "Peasant Lunch". This work was published during the Pugachev uprising. This topic was new for Russian society, and works devoted to the peasantry were even considered scandalous. And although what Shibanov depicted is far from what the real life of the peasantry was, he depicted them this way not because he wanted to embellish the life and life of the peasants, but because this could offend the aristocracy. It can be said that Shibanov was placed in a certain framework and could not fully see his vision. Despite the festivity of clothing, one can see the love of a mother for a child, the thoughtfulness of a grandfather, the crying of the Russian soul, here a true peasant life is shown.

Figure 6

Another picture of this theme is “The Celebration of the Wedding Contract” (Fig. 6). The title refers to what is depicted in the picture. It really is a celebration. Some women in decorated dresses, the guests are happy and happy for the bride and groom, who are in the center of the composition. These scenes by Shibanov are depicted masterfully. His courage is also striking that he was not afraid to raise such an acute problem.

Argunov Ivan Petrovich Russian portrait painter. Argunov was not occupied with this topic, but we can single out one painting from him “Portrait of an unknown peasant woman in Russian costume” (Fig. 7) - one of his most famous works. The portrait reflects the interest in the theme of the peasantry that has appeared in Russian society. Argunov, himself a native of the serfs of Count Sheremetyev, tried to show beauty and dignity in portraits, regardless of class.

Figure 7

The image of a peasant woman in this work Argunov is conveyed with truthfulness, sincerity and respect. Since the author dressed the girl in a festive outfit, many believe that it was an actress. From an ethnographic point of view, we see how accurately the costume of a peasant woman in the Moscow province is conveyed. Also, belonging to the peasant class is easy to determine in this girl by the lack of mannerisms and ingenuity. The soft features of the girl, a slight smile, a calm pose indicate modesty, openness, kindness of a girl from the people.

Ermenev Ivan Alekseevich Russian painter, also considered a serf, he became friends with the future Grand Duke, to whom he was attached to serve. Known for his series of eight watercolors "Beggars", as well as watercolors "Lunch (Peasant Lunch)". Most often, he depicted two full-length figures against the sky: a beggar old woman and a child, a beggar and a guide, or a lonely figure of a beggar, but the “Peasant Lunch” (Fig. 8) falls out of this series.

Figure 8

Many researchers believe that this picture reflects the formidable strength of ordinary people in such a difficult fate and life. Ermenev's paintings, especially the paintings on the theme of the peasantry, have a tragic meaning, show hopelessness and gloom, which we can see even in the colors chosen for the picture.

2.2. The image of the peasantry in literature

The literature of the 18th century prepared fertile ground for the development of the literature of the 19th century, so it cannot be said that the 18th century is oblivious. The writers of this time tried to solve the acute problems of their time. Of course, here many of them did not bypass the peasant question. As in painting, a number of authors who are interested in this problem can be distinguished, these include Bakhtin I. I., Lomonosov M. V., Radishcheva A. N., Fonvizina D. I., Karamzin N. M..

Ivan Ivanovich Bakhtin is a public figure and writer, satirical themes prevailed in his work. The most daring theme in Bakhtin's work was the peasant question. In the work "Satire on the cruelty of some nobles to their subjects" the author showed the real features of the peasant life of the 18th century. In the tale "The Master and the Peasant Woman", the writer also showed sympathy for the peasants, like some others.

Fonvizin Denis Ivanovich is a Russian writer who also raised the theme of the peasantry in his work. First of all, we can trace this in his work "Undergrowth". In this work, Fonvizin, seeing the root of all evil in serfdom, ridicules the noble system and noble education. Moreover, this can be seen already by the surnames and names of the main characters, all these surnames tell us about the inner qualities of these people. Fonvizin in many works speaks of the nobility and ridicules their life.

Another writer who was interested in the peasant question was Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin. In his work, we see the development of literature and an in-depth look at the relationship between the landowner and the peasant. These trends can be observed in the work "Poor Lisa". With the conventionality of the figure of Liza, this is still an image of the individual experiences of a peasant girl, her personal dramatic fate, in terms of the author’s emphasized sympathy and sympathy for her, which in itself was a new and, of course, a progressive literary fact. All this can be traced in an excerpt from the work "Poor Lisa":

“One Liza, who remained after her father of fifteen years, - one Liza, not sparing her tender youth, not sparing her rare beauty, worked day and night - weaved canvases, knitted stockings, picked flowers in the spring, and took berries in the summer - and sold them in Moscow. A sensitive, kind old woman, seeing her daughter’s indefatigability, often pressed her to her weakly beating heart, called her divine mercy, nurse, the joy of her old age and prayed to God to reward her for everything she does for her mother. ”We see the image of a hardworking, modest girl and how the author relates to her. Karamzin in his works tried to reflect not only the attitude towards the peasantry and draw a real image of the peasantry, but also to show his attitude to the relationship between peasants and landlords, the author himself believed that relations should go in a different direction, and real relations are remnants of the past.

Despite the fact that the above-mentioned authors were interested, spoke and considered the image of the peasantry and its place in Russian reality, but most of all, Radishchev Alexander Nikolaevich made a contribution to the study of this problem. This author was arrested for his views and exiled to Siberia. The image of the peasantry Radishchev reflected in the works "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow", "Liberty".

One of the most significant phenomena of Russian literature of the eighteenth century is the work of A. N. Radishchev "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow." It is written in the travel genre popular at the time. The main characters are the traveler and the Russian people. The traveler on his way met representatives of all classes and the picture that the traveler paints is unsightly, he speaks of the fall of Russian society. Moral baseness and filth are characteristic of all strata of society, but the peasants, as the most socially unprotected people, have the worst of it: "the peasant in law is dead." Indeed, the arbitrariness of the landlords goes beyond all moral limits, and ordinary people have to endure it. For example, in the chapter "Lyubani" the author meets a peasant plowing on Sunday - a holy day of rest for the Orthodox:

“- You, of course, are a schismatic, what do you plow on Sundays?

No, sir, I am baptized with a straight cross, - he said ... - in a week, sir, six days, and we go to corvee six times a week ...

How do you manage to get bread, if you only have a free holiday?

Not only holidays, and our night. Do not be lazy, our brother, he will not die of hunger.

The traveler threatens the feudal lords with this. In addition, the author says that the traveler sees not only the patience and hard life of the oppressed peasantry, but also the dormant strength of the people, which can wake up at any moment. For this work, the writer was exiled.

CHAPTER 3. THE IMAGE OF THE PEASANTRY IN RUSSIAN ART OF THE 19TH CENTURY

3.1. The image of the peasantry painting

The second chapter already spoke about the relevance of the topic of the peasantry in the 18th century and that many representatives of art began to raise this topic in their work, but still the topic was not the main one and not widespread. In the 19th century, Russian art acquired a folk sound, in painting we see this in the transition from romanticism to realism. In Russian painting, the national accent in creativity was valued, which tells us that in this period the image of the peasantry can be traced in the most vivid form. The theme of the peasantry can be traced not only in a more complex form, i.e. the authors of the works cover the problems in the acute form that actually existed in Russian society without censorship, but the number of authors writing about the peasant issue has become many times larger, in addition this theme has become new for Russian artists. All this is connected with the events that took place in connection with the reform of Russia, and first of all it concerns the reform that abolished serfdom. Russian painters who were interested in this topic - A. G. Venetsianov, V. A. Tropinin, P. A. Fedotov - they are also artists of the first half of the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century, this theme was reflected in the work of the Wanderers G.G. Myasoedova, I. E. Repina, V. M. Maksimova, S. A. Korovin, etc. .

The 19th century can be conditionally divided into 2 parts. The first part of the 19th century is represented in the works of such artists as Venetsianov A.G., Tropinin V.A., Fedotov P.A. - here the peasant world is reflected before the abolition of serfdom, and the second part of the 19th century is presented mainly in the work of the Wanderers - here we see the peasant world after the abolition of serfdom. At the beginning of the 19th century, the theme of the peasantry and folk life was new. Venetsianov Alexei Gavrilovich is a master of genre scenes from peasant life, he not only made a huge contribution to culture with the help of his paintings, but also brought up many peasants, giving them education and a path to another life. Despite the talent of Venetsianov in painting portraits, nevertheless, it was not portraits that brought him the greatest fame, but the writing of peasant images. Although Venetsianov was not the first to depict peasants, he was the first to portray them in poetic form. The artist painted peasant children, peasant girls and, of course, the life of the peasant people. We see a number of paintings called “peasant woman” by the painter, which depict peasant girls engaged in one activity or another, on their faces we see fatigue and a sad gaze into the distance, their hands indicate the hard daily work of girls, but at the same time says about their diligence and modesty; besides, of course, it is impossible not to single out some of his most famous paintings in this subject “Reapers” (Fig. 9) and “Barn”. The artist was inspired to paint the painting “Reapers” by peasants who admired nature and a butterfly that sat on the hand of a peasant woman. This picture is one of those that reflects the significance of the image of the Russian peasantry. The theme of the harvest in the work of Venetsianov can be traced throughout his artistic activity, as for this picture, we see a peasant woman and her son admiring nature, that is, butterflies crouching on the peasant woman's hand. Also, looking at the picture with the naked eye, we see that all the action takes place during the harvest, their clothes are yellowed from hard work and dust, and their hands are black from the work just done. No matter how strange the picture "Reapers" still did not bring such success as the work "Barn", which was completed for a huge amount of money. Here the theme of the harvest is again traced, but in the painting “Barn” we already see a composition that depicts many peasants either resting or preparing for hard work. The author emphasizes the importance of peasant labor and its difficult orientation.

Figure 9

Fedotov Pavel Andreevich made no less contribution to the transfer of the image of the Russian peasantry. Fedotov laid the foundations of critical realism in the everyday genre, which was the main thing for him in his work. But if Venetsianov showed the peasantry itself, then Fedotov showed the upper strata of society, showing their meaninglessness of existence, the emptiness they have inside. The artist, with the help of satire, shows the insignificance of some, and the significance of others. The work of Venetsianov and Fedotov was continued by the Wanderers, who were the color of the second half of the 19th century. Despite the fact that speaking about the beginning of realism and the transfer of the image of the Russian peasantry, we are talking about the names of Venetsianov and Fedotov, we must not forget to mention Tropinin. Tropinin Vasily Andreevich is a master of romantic and realistic portraits. He painted people of different classes, trying not to convey their belonging to a certain class, but to show a specific person typical of a given society. In Tropinin's work, we are interested in such works as "Lace Maker" (Fig. 10), "Gold Sewing", where we see the hard manual work of peasant women. These pictures were well received by critics and audiences alike. The painting "Lacemaker" has become a real gem of Russian art. This picture, like "Golden Sewing", shows us a very sweet girl and unlike a serf peasant woman. The author of these works wanted to convey to the viewer the image of hard peasant work, and Tropinin shows that hard work, happiness and dignity do not go against the grain. All this is demonstrated by the artist in his painting “The Lacemaker”. In the first half of the 19th century, the theme of the peasantry is new, but nevertheless the theme is much more pronounced in the second half of the 19th century. In the second half of the 19th century, “Wanderers” can be distinguished in painting, almost each of them contributed to the formation of the image of the peasantry. Myasoedov Grigory Grigorievich is the most prominent representative of Russian realism. The main topic addressed by Myasoedov is peasant life. The evolution of Myasoedov's creativity is visible in his works. One of the paintings reflecting the theme of the peasantry is “Zemstvo is having lunch” (Fig. 11). The picture was painted during the years of the abolition of serfdom. The peasants are next to the Zemstvo, apparently they were on some business, but they are forced to sit on the threshold. In the window you can see a servant who washed all the dishes, apparently the peasants decided that the ranks had a good lunch and their problem would not be of interest. The picture shows a new reality, which shows Russian society without embellishment.

Figure 10

In addition, in the picture we see a new technique of the author, expressing the theme, he is a critic who shows the truth of Russian society, and the author leaves some understatement, a question in his works, allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions. The main emphasis in this picture is on the peasants: their facial features are well drawn, which shows us the inner world of the peasants, who were hard to get used to the new free life and did not become happier from the reforms adopted towards the peasant question. Their facial expressions are unhappy and tired from hard work, which calls the viewer to the sympathy and pity of poor peasant husbands.

Figure 11

Unlike the previous painting “Mowers”, written even before “Zemstvo is having lunch”, shows us the lyricism of the image of the peasantry and speaks of their unity and good nature.

Another well-known itinerant artist, Maksimov Vasily Maksimovich, devoted all his work to the development of the theme of the peasantry. One of his main works, the work “The Witch Doctor at a Village Wedding” shows the true look of the Russian village, here the author tries to reveal the charm of folk images, peasant life, but the author reflected not only the life of the peasants, but also described the image of the Russian peasantry, in such paintings as “ Sick Husband”, “Family Section”, etc.

Contributed to the development of this theme and such an artist as Arkhipov Abram Efimovich. Not much is known about Arkhipov, but much has been said about his work. The main theme of Arkhipov's work is peasant. He painted many paintings about peasant life, such as “The Drunkard”, “Washerwomen” (Fig. 12), “Northern Village”, “On the Volga”, etc. can be attributed to them. All paintings show the true life of the peasants after the abolition of serfdom.

Figure 12

Each painting by Arkhipov shows a scene of peasant life. For example, "Washerwomen" canvas shows us exhausting, hard work. In this picture, we can trace the detail of the image, as well as social motives. Social motives can be traced in the image of fatigue from hard work and the hopelessness of their position as women, as well as spiritual longing, which is caused by a sense of hopelessness.

In considering this point, one should not forget such artists as Perov and Repin. Repin Ilya Efimovich is an outstanding artist, the theme of the peasantry was not the main one for him, but his first painting on this topic became world famous. “Barge haulers on the Volga” (Fig. 13) is exactly the picture that we know from school, it emphasizes many literary works. Each of the haulers in the picture is individual, but they all show the oppression of the poor. The picture calls for mercy towards ordinary people. With this work, Repin showed the verdict on modern society and showed the oppression of the disenfranchised.

Figure 13

Like Repin, Perov wrote peasant stories, but unlike him, he attached great importance to this topic. He painted many canvases on the theme of peasant oppression and the difficult fate of the peasants. Vasily Perov, like Repin, painted a picture similar to "Barge haulers on the Volga", the picture "Troika". The meaning is similar, but in the second work, Perov does not talk about barge haulers, but about ordinary children who pull a barrel of water. Perov's painting tells us about the need of peasants and peasant children and their difficult path, the author emphasizes the latter, showing how cold it is, the water freezes on the street, so we can imagine how cold it is for children to carry such a burden.

Figure 14

The authors depicting the images of the Russian peasantry express the national character of the Russian people. Artists in their canvases depict the real life of Russian society in the 19th century, but speaking of the Russian peasantry in art, one should not forget about the writers who tried to reach out to Russian society, raising the topical issue of enslavement.

Peasant life in the work of Russian artists.

The theme of the peasantry and peasant life attracted and excited many Russian artists. They turned to the life of the people and the labor activity of ordinary people and saw in this a special significance. believed that the peasantry is the backbone of the Russian state, and the peasants are the main keepers of the Russian traditions and culture of the country, because it was the peasantry who for many centuries managed to preserve the original Russian way of life and self-organization.

The life of a peasant was highly dependent on the change of seasons. In the period from spring to autumn, they worked in the field, picked mushrooms and berries for the winter, grazed cattle and prepared hay and firewood for the cold.

N.E. Makovsky "Feeding turkeys" oil on canvas. V.E. Makovsky "Girl with geese" oil on canvas. 1875

VE Makovsky "Fisherwomen" oil on canvas. 1886

I.F. Khrutsky "Portrait of a boy" oil on canvas. 1834. A.I. Strelkovskiy "At the Well" watercolor on paper. 1878.

Most of the time in the summer, the peasants, young and old, spent in the field. Therefore, a lot of rituals and holidays were associated with agriculture and the change of seasons. The peasants even had their own special calendar, which recorded the most important stages of agricultural work and the holidays associated with their completion.

A.G. Venetsianov "On arable land, spring" oil on canvas. 1820

G. Myasoedov. "The Passionate Time" oil on canvas. 1887

The peasants spent the whole day in the field. They worked from spring, growing crops all summer and early autumn. They went to the field with the whole family, where they dined and rested. Even babies were taken into the field, who were supposed to be looked after by older guys.

A.G. Venetsianov "Reapers" oil on canvas. 1820s

Makovsky K.E. "Peasant lunch in the field" oil on canvas. 1871

Z.E. Serebryakova "Peasants" oil on canvas. 1914

Makovsky K.E. "Reaper" oil on canvas. 1871

Harvest The final stage of farming was harvesting or “harvesting”. The peasants took this time very seriously, because they were gathering the long-awaited harvest, the result of everyday work. They said: "What you collect in August, you will spend the winter with it." “The first sheaf - the first autumn holiday” On the Dormition (August 28 - according to the new style), the holiday of the end of the harvest (dozhinki) was celebrated. These days, an ancient rite was performed, associated with the veneration of mother earth.

Z.E.Serebryakova. "Harvest" oil on canvas. 1915

A.G. Venetsianov “Summer, At the Harvest” oil on canvas. 1820

K.S.Malevich "Hacks" oil on canvas. 1912

In winter, the peasants were mainly engaged in household chores. The women sat at the needlework. They spun, weaved, knitted, sewed new clothes. Men went hunting, harvested firewood, fished, made tools for summer work. In some villages, they were engaged in folk crafts, such as basket weaving or pottery.

VG Malyshev "Kitchen" oil on canvas.

Z.E.Serebryakova "Peasant woman with pots" paper, watercolor, whitewash 1900s A.G.Venetsianov "Peasant woman at embroidery" oil on canvas 1843

I.A. Pelevin "Children in a sleigh" oil on canvas. 1870

Most peasant families had many children. From an early age, children were instilled with love for their families, respect for elders, for fellow villagers, and respect for their parents. They grew up in conditions of mutual assistance, older children always helped and looked after the younger ones, and the younger ones obeyed the elders. Peasant children worked together with adults, over time doing more and more difficult and responsible work, often doing the same work as their parents.

V.E. Makovsky "Peasant Children" oil on canvas.

A. M. Kolesov “Peasant woman giving a drink to a soldier” oil on canvas 1859 K. V. Lemokh “Varka” oil on canvas. 1893

V.E. Makovsky "Shepherds" oil on canvas. 1903

A.G. Venetsianov “The Sleeping Shepherd” wood, oil. 1824

V. Vasnetsov "For Water" oil on canvas. N. Pimonenko "Boy with a basket" canvas on cardboard, oil. late XIX - early XX

A.G. Venetsianov "Peasant children in the field" oil on canvas. 1820s Makovsky K.E. "Children running from a thunderstorm" oil on canvas. 1872

In the Russian village of the past, an important aspect of social and family life was a holiday. Holidays interrupted the monotony of everyday life, set a certain rhythm for life. The holiday was a real ritual, where everything had its time, its place. Sunday after the working week is not just a free day, but a festive day, which is being prepared for.

We were seriously preparing for the big holidays. The hostesses washed the floors and heated the baths, dressed in smart clothes, went to the festive service in the church, baked pies, cooked meat soup. Gathered on the table, spread a clean tablecloth, put treats. The father of the family played the accordion, sang songs, danced. Major holidays were celebrated by the whole village. The peasants even said: “We have been working for the holiday all year long.”

K.A.Trutovsky "Dance on the Trinity in the Kursk province" oil on canvas. 1860

One of the brightest moments in the life of the peasants was their young years before marriage. This is the time of joint games of girls and boys, gatherings, round dances, caroling at Christmas time.

A special place in the life of peasant youth was occupied by a round dance. The round dance often began like this: two or three young women and the same number of brides stood in the middle of the street and began to “play songs”. Many young women and girls joined them, then young men and boys came up, often with harmonicas, rattles, tambourines. Then one of the participants was already singing loudly, and a guy with a handkerchief in his hands came out into the middle of the circle. A round dance began ... Round dance

B.M. Kustodiev "round dance" oil on canvas

A.P. Ryabushkin "A guy got into a round dance" oil on canvas. 1902

Wedding Wedding was the main ritual in the life of a peasant. Marriage meant acquiring the status of a full and full member of the community. The whole settlement participated in the ritual, and each of the participants had a role consecrated by tradition. Married and married necessarily with the consent of the parents and with their blessing.

E.V. Chestnyakov "Svahonka, my dear, come out!" wood, tempera

E.V. Chestnyakov "Peasant Wedding" wood, oil

On long winter evenings, especially on Christmas Eve, peasant girls wondered, trying to penetrate the secrets of their fate and unravel who their betrothed would be. Divination

N. K. Pimonenko "Christmas divination" oil on canvas. 1988 A. G. Venetsianov "Fortune-telling on the cards" oil on canvas. 1842

The presentation was prepared by a teacher of additional education at the State Budgetary Educational Institution of School No. 245 of the Primorsky District of St. Petersburg Oreshkina Natalya Nikolaevna. 2014

Sergey Alexandrovich Lobovikov was born in 1870 in the village of Belaya, Glazovsky district, Vyatka province, in the family of a deacon. He graduated from a rural school, studied for two years at the Glazov Theological School. Orphaned at the age of 14. In 1885 he was given as a guardian to apprentice in the photography studio of Pyotr Grigoryevich Tikhonov in Vyatka. In 1892 he was taken to active military service (released in 1893 for health reasons). In 1893 he worked for a short time in photography by K. Bulla in St. Petersburg. In 1894 he returned to Vyatka and opened his own photo workshop (in 1904 he bought a house on the corner of Moskovskaya and Tsarevskaya streets, where his photograph was placed for 30 years). Since 1899, he participated in exhibitions in Russia and abroad, repeatedly received the highest awards. In 1900 he made a trip to Europe, participated in the Paris World Exhibition (bronze medal).

In 1908 he was elected chairman of the Vyatka Photographic Society, and received a gold medal for his photographs at the International Exhibition in Kyiv. In 1909 he made a second trip abroad, participated in an exhibition in Dresden. In 1909-1912. - Chairman of the Vyatka art circle, did a great job of organizing an art and history museum in Vyatka (traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg to see artists and collectors, collected paintings). In 1909 he received the first prize at the competition of the Russian Photographic Society. In 1913-1914. - Vowel of the Vyatka City Duma. Since 1918 - as a member of the board of the Provincial sub-department for museums and the protection of monuments of art and antiquity. In 1918, many photo studios were nationalized, Lobovikova's teacher Tikhonov was arrested by the Cheka as a hostage and shot (at the age of 66). Lobovikov managed to avoid the nationalization of the workshop, in 1920 he received a safe-conduct from Lunacharsky. In 1921-26. Lobovikov participated in the assessment of seized church valuables, compiled a collection of 617 items of ancient utensils and asked to leave it in Vyatka (despite repeated petitions, the collection was taken to Moscow). In 1927, a personal exhibition of Lobovikov was held in Moscow in honor of the 40th anniversary of his photographic activity. In those same years, the work of old Russian photographers was criticized as "narrow aesthetic, divorced from Soviet reality." Since 1920, Lobovikov taught photography at the Vyatka Pedagogical Institute. In 1932, he donated his house and photo lab to the Pedagogical Institute. By decision of the institute's management, the laboratory was soon liquidated, and a student hostel was placed in the house (the photographer himself and his family had to huddle in a small part of the house). In 1934 he received an academic pension, moved to Leningrad, worked in the film and photo laboratory of the Academy of Sciences. He died in November 1941 in besieged Leningrad. In 1954, the photo archive of S.A. Lobovikov was donated by his heirs to the Kirov Art Museum. Lobovikov's house in Vyatka (Kirov) was demolished in the late 1950s.

From the diary of S.A. Lobovikova: "December 9, 1899. I pass by the house of L ... va. A pair of trotters is standing at the porch. A poor peasant in poor clothes stopped at the gate, all cold; he looked at the horses, turned away, went on his way and only sighed deeply" How many words and feelings were expressed in this “e-he-he-e-e-e”; so deeply these exclamations fall into the soul, it becomes ashamed in front of this poor man ... Let him wrap himself in a new fur coat yourself, and what do you care about the fact that others are chilly, that they do not have warm clothes ... Yes, our souls are callous, cold - only our fur coats are warm!

A. Koltsov

What are you sleeping, man?
After all, spring is in the yard;
After all, your neighbors
They have been working for a long time.
Get up, wake up, get up
Look at yourself:
What were you? and what became?
And what do you have?
On the threshing floor - not a sheaf;
In the bins - not a grain;
In the yard, on the grass -
At least roll a ball.
From brownie cages
Rubbish dared with a broom;
And horses for debt
Divorced by neighbors.
And under the bench is a chest
Overturned lies;
And, bending down, the hut,
Like an old woman, she stands.
Remember your time
How did it roll
Through fields and meadows
Golden river!
From the yard and the threshing floor
Along the big path
Through villages, cities,
For trading people!
And how are the doors to him
Dissolved everywhere
And in the honorable corner
It was your place!
And now under the window
You sit with need
And all day on the stove
You lie without waking up.
And in the fields as an orphan
The bread is worthless.
The wind whittles the grain!
The bird is pecking at him!
What are you sleeping, man?
After all, the summer has passed
After all, autumn is in the yard
He looks through the curtain.
Winter follows her
In a warm coat goes
The path is covered with snow
It crunches under the sleigh.
All the neighbors are on them
Bread is being brought, sold,
Collect the treasury
They drink mash with a ladle.

Lobovikov's favorite filming location was the village of Fileyskoye, which stood near the city on the banks of the Vyatka River.

Lullaby

The sun is setting
And the day gets dark
Fell from the mountain
There is a shadow in the village.
Only the church dome
illuminated by the sun,
And the church is open
And the call goes on.
Bell for Vespers
Christians are calling;
Tomorrow is Sunday -
Rest from work.
And heard in the field
The bells are calling
Peasant to the village
Already drove the cows.
And in the village church
Already full of people
And sparkle with lights
Lots of candles.
Candles labor
Burning brighter than the stars
And people pray
They create in simplicity.

Ivan Nikitin
Grandfather

Bald, with a white beard,
Grandpa is sitting.
Cup with bread and water
It stands in front of him.
White as a harrier, wrinkles on the forehead,
With a tired face.
He saw a lot of trouble
For your lifetime.
Everything is gone; power is gone,
Dulled look;
Death laid in the grave
Children and grandchildren.
With him in a smoky hut
The cat lives alone.
He is also old, and sleeps the whole day,
It won't jump off the stove.
The old man needs a little:
Bast shoes to weave and sell -
Here is satiety. His consolation -
Go to God's temple.
To the wall, near the threshold,
Will be there, groaning,
And glorifies God for sorrows,
God child.
He is glad to live, not averse to the grave -
To a dark corner.
Where did you get this power?
Poor guy?