Svetlana Luchkina
Double drawings - double standards ...
Does an artist have the ability to evaluate and analyze what he sees more accurately and more accurately than a simple layman?.. Has the Master been given the ability to grasp characteristic features and details with a professional eye?.. Most likely, you will answer in the affirmative. After all, it is the visually obtained image that is transformed on paper into a work of art. And sometimes in ... irrefutable proof.
Russian artist Vasily Semenovich Kurochkin, better known under the pseudonym "Svarog" (- the name of the god of heaven and heavenly fire in Slavic-Russian mythology), like any accomplished master, knew the price of his powers of observation and fidelity of lines. Svarog had a chance to live at a time when not only his professional reputation and public recognition, but life itself depended on the accuracy of the lines and the general vision of the master. After graduating from college, in the 1900s. Svarog worked a lot in the genre of landscape and portrait. However, his most famous works of the pre-revolutionary period are associated with posters and satirical magazine graphics published in such St. Petersburg publications as Picturesque Review, Machine Gun, Spectator, Niva, Sun of Russia. In the satirical drawings and caricatures of a still quite young man, one could feel the hand of a shrewd master of psychological portraiture. The first recognition was a prize at a competition organized by the editors of the magazine "The Sun of Russia" for a series of illustrations for the novel "The Living Corpse" by Leo Tolstoy. In the 1920s and 1930s, Svarog published numerous drawings in the largest press organs: Leningradskaya Pravda, Krasnaya Gazeta, then in Pravda, Izvestia, Komsomolskaya Pravda and other publications. The dry facts of the official biography quite eloquently speak of the brilliant career of Vasily Semenovich Svarog as an artist ideologically consonant with revolutionary Russia. He performs portraits of V. I. Lenin, I. V. Stalin, their closest associates. Here are some of the titles of his works: “Red Guards with machine guns at Smolny” (1918), “Volkhovstroy” (1924), “Leningrad” (1925), “K. E. Voroshilov and A. M. Gorky in the shooting gallery of the Central House of Arts” (1933), “Meeting of the Chelyuskinites at the Belorussky Station” (1934), “Chapaev in Battle” (1936), “Voroshilov in a kayak” (1940), “I. V. Stalin and children” (1937), “I. V. Stalin and members of the Politburo among children in the TsPKiO im. M. Gorky "(1939)," Headquarters of October "(1940). "Stepan Razin" (1941), etc.
JV Stalin and members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks among children in the Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure in Moscow. 1939
However, possessing a true talent, Svarog, like many other masters of that time, who could now be called "engaged", created with inspiration in officially discouraged genres ...
To demonstrate the artist's professional vigilance, we have chosen a work that can hardly be called the most popular of his paintings from the point of view of academic art... It is difficult to describe in an aesthetically restrained language what exactly we see in front of us and what range of feelings we should experience. And yet look!
What, then, should we consider the sketch from Angleterre?.. A fact? Proof? Documentary evidence? It is difficult to dismiss some of the details of the drawing, which there is no reason to interpret as the violent fantasy of the author. We are talking about crossed legs, which could hardly be in a similar position with a body just taken out of the loop; about torn, disheveled clothes that bear traces of a brutal struggle ... An unequivocal understanding that the drawing does not fit well with the official version of the death of Sergei Yesenin appeared immediately. And not only among those who guessed about the murder, but also among those who knew the true state of things. And as a result of the "official version of the death of the poet" appeared "the official version of the drawing of Svarog." It was this “smoothed”, “buttoned” version that many readers and admirers of Yesenin’s work knew up to a certain point. Here she is:
Under the drawing, there is a signature in French: “Sergey Yesenin. The first sketch made after his death.
The significance of Svarog's drawings can hardly be overestimated, because these are unique documents showing the state of the body of Sergei Yesenin immediately after its discovery. It was Svarog who reflected how the poet looked before replicated photographs, photo artist Moses Nappelbaum. In the pictures of the "king of retouching", Yesenin's clothes have already been put in order, the blood has been washed away, the body has been transferred to the couch, etc.
Unfortunately, for the official investigation, the artist's drawings are just the artist's drawings. They cannot be considered carriers of information suitable for inquiry or investigative conclusions. The "official version" did everything to make the living, screaming, creepy sketches of Vasily Svarog become silent, impersonal evidence of the presence of a certain draftsman in a certain issue. And the "official version" would have a brilliant chance to explain all these stains on the temples, torn sleeves, unbuttoned trousers, crossed legs with just ... fiction. Graphic metaphor. The emotional perception of reality by an impressionable person "from art." There would have been a brilliant chance if Vasily Semenovich had not explained everything himself!
He told his friend, journalist I. S. Kheisin, his impressions of that morning, his conclusions about what exactly he saw in the Angleterre issue:
“It seems to me that this Erlich slipped something into him at night, well ... maybe not poison, but a strong sleeping pill. No wonder he "forgot" his briefcase in Yesenin's room. And he didn’t go home to “sleep” - with Yesenin’s note in his pocket. It was not in vain that he was spinning nearby all the time, probably, their whole company was sitting and biding their time in neighboring rooms. The situation was nervous, a congress was going on in Moscow, people in leather jackets were walking in the Angleterre all night. Yesenin was in a hurry to remove, so everything was so awkward, and many traces remained. The frightened janitor, who was carrying firewood and did not enter the room, heard what was happening, rushed to call the commandant Nazarov ... And where is this janitor now? At first there was a "noose" - Yesenin tried to loosen it with his right hand, so the hand stiffened in a cramp. The head was on the armrest of the sofa when Yesenin was hit above the bridge of the nose with the handle of a revolver. Then they rolled him up in a carpet and wanted to lower him off the balcony, a car was waiting around the corner. It was easier to steal. But the balcony door did not open wide enough, leaving the corpse by the balcony, in the cold. They drank, smoked, all this dirt remained ... Why do I think that they rolled it into a carpet? When I was drawing, I noticed a lot of tiny specks on my trousers and a few in my hair... they tried to straighten their arms and slashed the tendon of their right hand with a Gillette razor, these cuts were visible... They took off their jacket, wrinkled and cut, put valuables in their pockets and then they took everything away ... They were in a hurry ... They “hung up” in a hurry, already late at night, and it was not easy on a vertical riser. When they fled, Erlich stayed to check something and prepare for the version of suicide ... He also put this poem on the table, in a conspicuous place: "Goodbye, my friend, goodbye" ... A very strange poem ..."(Published in the newspaper "Evening Leningrad", December 28, 1990).
After this story, I would like to cite only one quote from the art historian I. E. Grabar. A quote that quite exhaustively answers our question asked at the beginning of the article about the adequacy of the artist's perception of what he saw.
“Svarog is characterized by “a special exceptional love for today, vigilance for its phenomena, facts, people. Throughout his life, he did not miss a single significant event, responding to it immediately, with lightning speed with his paintings.
He responded to the poet's death. Do you believe his response?
Magazine "N.L.O. Incredible. Legendary. Obvious”, March, 2010
Self-portrait. 1926. State Tretyakov Gallery
Vasily Semyonovich Korochkin was born into the family of a peasant Semyon and a laundress Olga Vasilievna Korochkin, in which, besides him, there were two more sisters Anna (later a village teacher) and Nadezhda (later a seamstress). At the age of two, he lost his father, his mother was engaged in raising children.
The desire for drawing was observed in Vasily Semyonovich from an early age. Noticing him, the drawing teacher of the old Russian city school, Chistyakov, collected money from the residents of the city by subscription so that a talented child could continue his art education after graduating from college. In 1896, at the age of thirteen, Vasily Semyonovich entered the Stieglitz St. Petersburg Art School of Technical Drawing and successfully completed it four years later. It was during the training that the pseudonym of the artist appeared - “Svarog”:
"N and in the third year of study, before the next exam, he was given the task of painting a picture on the theme "The god of heavenly fire Svarog" - a deity in the mythology of the Western Slavs. Well, our Vasya went to fantasize - he painted the sun, stars, lightning, flashes of the northern lights, dawns, rainbows, and in this sparkling environment - the face of a deity. The picture was a success, but the examiners said: "Korochkin, did you look in the mirror when you wrote Svarog? Exactly like you." From that day on, we jokingly began to call him Svarog. He's used to that nickname..."
I.E. Repin. Portrait of the artist V.S. Svarog (1915)
Repin Ilya Efimovich
Illustration source: Repin Ilya Efimovich. Sketches, graphics, sketches, portraits. MCF, IDDC. 2000.
Svarog V.S. SOLOISTS. (1910s)
From here: http://www.shishkin-gallery.ru/auction_20100522_lot66.html#bottom
Self-portrait with a torban, 1923. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Posthumous portrait of Yesenin returned to Russia
Svarog wrote such "political compositions":
1939. I.V. Stalin and members of the Politburo among children in the TsPKiO im. Gorky
K.E. Voroshilov and A.M. Gorky in the shooting gallery of the CDKA. Central Museum of the Soviet Army
From here: http://otkritka-reprodukzija.blogspot.ru/2008/05/1883-1946.html
But this is also:
Portrait of P.I. Tchaikovsky. 1940. Moscow. Concert Hall. P.I. Tchaikovsky
Portrait of the People's Artist of the USSR, Academician I.E. Grabar. 1942 State Tretyakov Gallery
guitarist . 1940. Ryazan Regional Art Museum, Ryazan, Russia.
Portrait of Andres Segovia
By the way, Svarog himself sang and played music perfectly!
And he also wrote this:
City". 1931. Old Russian Museum of Local Lore, V.S. Svarog Hall.
Scenery. 1932.
Turksib. 1934.
Original taken from oxxik in Staraya Russa. Art Gallery
As I told you yesterday, Staraya Russa now functioning Museum of Local Lore AndOther mapgallery cities. My today's post will be about her, about the art gallery, the entire space of which is dedicated to the work of Vasily Svarog and his followers. The first art gallery in the history of Staraya Russa was opened on the initiative of the artist Svarog in 1922. The events of subsequent decades, especially the Great Patriotic War, caused serious damage to the culture of the city. Much had to be created anew, including the art collection. Only in 1974, after a long break, the Staraya Russian Art Gallery was reopened. It was placed in the Church of the Presentation of the former Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. It was conceived as a gallery of countrymen artists.
Vasily Semenovich Svarog (Korochkin) was born in 1883 in Staraya Russa. He received his artistic education in St. Petersburg at the Baron Stieglitz Technical Drawing School. The style of Svarog the painter was formed under the influence of Russian pictorial realism at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries.
An important period of Svarog's work began in 1929 after moving to Moscow, where he created dozens of huge canvases depicting the leaders of the revolution, which brought him official recognition and material well-being. Svarog became one of the chroniclers of the Stalin era. These works are still kept in central museums, in the storerooms of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. They are part of our history.
However, the best that was created by Svarog in 1930-1940 in painting is not associated with the doctrine of socialist realism, but reflects the personal artistic preferences of the master, his deep knowledge of the traditions of Russian art of the "Silver Age". It is these works that occupy most of the exposition of the Staraya Russian Art Gallery. These are portraits and interiors, surprisingly free, saturated with air, rich in the play of light, distinguished by the accuracy of psychological characteristics and depth.
Vasily Semenovich Korochkin (pseudonym - Svarog) was born into a semi-poor family of a peasant and a laundress in Staraya Russa, a district town of the Novgorod province. At the age of two, he lost his father, and together with his two sisters he was brought up by his mother.
The artistic talent of the boy was noticed early, even in the parish school. He lived close to him in one of the alleys beyond Linear Prospekt. Under the influence of the teacher P.I. Dolgov Vasya Korochkin fell in love with watercolor, and did not change her all his life. From an early age, he learned to work with amazing ease in this subtle and difficult technique. Meanwhile, he was known not only as a gifted artist, but also as a capable guitarist.
Scenery
The local intelligentsia supported the growing talent, according to a subscription list, at the initiative of the teacher of the school P.P. Chistyakov, money was collected for the boy so that he could continue his education.
In 1896, at the age of 13, the future painter left for St. Petersburg and entered the Central School of Technical Drawing of Baron A.L. Stieglitz. Here he chose a new name for himself - the Slavic pagan god Svarog. Later, one of his classmates recalled that in the third year of study, before the next exam, Vasya Korochkin was given the task of painting a picture on the theme “The God of Heavenly Fire Svarog” “Well, our Vasya went to fantasize - he painted the sun, stars, lightning, flashes of northern lights, dawns , rainbows, and in this sparkling environment - the face of a deity. The picture was a success, but the examiners said: “Korochkin, did you look in the mirror when you painted Svarog? Looks exactly like you." From that day on, we jokingly began to call him Svarog. He's used to that nickname." At the school, Svarog lived from hand to mouth on "copper money", but diligently and received very good professional training. His mentors were P.I. Dolgov, N.A. Koshelev, A.N. Novosokoltsev, V.E. Savinsky.
Comrades K.E. Voroshilov and A.M. Gorky in the shooting gallery of the CDKA
After graduating from college in 1900, the aspiring artist painted a lot in the genres of landscape and portrait, but his canvases were not widely recognized. His most famous works of the pre-revolutionary period are associated with posters and magazine graphics, mostly satirical. In this field, Svarog has achieved tangible success. First he worked as an illustrator in the "Picturesque Review", and then in many major St. Petersburg magazines and newspapers. Illustrated editors recognized his talent and willingly gave him commissions. He skillfully executed watercolors and pen drawings, also worked with charcoal, graphic and colored pencils, and pastels. Such well-known St. Petersburg print media as "Niva", "The Sun of Russia", readily provided Svarog with their pages. In the era of the revolution of 1905, he took an active part in the satirical magazines "Machine Gun", "Spectator", "Magic Lantern", etc.
In 1911 V.S. Svarog was even awarded the first prize at a competition organized by the editors of the Sun of Russia magazine for a series of drawings for L.N. Tolstoy. Later, he completed illustrations for the poems of I.S. Nikitin (1912) and to the story by N.V. Gogol "Taras Bulba" (1918).
Soloists
The close acquaintance of V.S. Svarog with I.E. Repin. In 1915, the promising artist met Yuri Repin, the son of the famous painter, and painted a portrait of his new acquaintance, who delighted Ilya Efimovich: “What courage, what spontaneity of manner, what heroes we have!” The enthusiastic praise of the authoritative master meant a lot in the art world. The portrait, by the way, is kept to this day in the museum-estate of I.E. Repin in Penates. Svarog then painted in sepia a very successful portrait of the luminary of Russian painting himself. And that, in turn, is a portrait of V.S. Svarog. This is already much more than verbal encouragement, especially since Repin preferred not to paint his colleagues in the brush.
The young painter became his man in the Repin estate in Finland. Frequent visits to Ilya Efimovich, the presence at his portrait sessions, presumably, influenced the creative direction of Svarog, who was even considered Repin's student.
October Headquarters
In 1916, on the recommendation of I.E. Repin, he was accepted into the Association of the Wanderers. Starting this year, he constantly exhibited his work in traveling exhibitions. The best work of this period is "Portrait of a Mother" (1916), awarded the first prize at the spring Traveling Exhibition. Meanwhile, V.S. Svarog was an exhibitor of other exhibitions of that time: "Spring", "Independent", "Community", "Watercolors". He was also a member of the Society of Russian Watercolorists.
Simultaneously with the painting by V.S. Svarog seriously and not unsuccessfully studied music. Gifted with exceptional musical ability, perfect pitch and a beautiful voice, he taught himself to play the guitar. In 1907-1908 he performed as a guitar soloist at concerts and toured Russia. He owns a number of musical compositions, most of which have never been published.
self-portrait
The life of an artist from the provinces seemed to be developing quite successfully. February Revolution V.S. Svarog accepted with enthusiasm. He collaborates a lot and fruitfully with Niva (See his drawings: In the days of the revolution. Disguised policemen are being led, “They won’t leave.” Catching policemen in attics.).
But the October Revolution broke out, breaking in two not only the fate of Russia, but also many human destinies. And Svarog was no exception: sharp turns began in his work.
After the Bolsheviks came to power, he unexpectedly joined the left camp of the avant-garde, which he had never been. At the same time, he developed a vigorous activity. The artist himself said that he "worked especially intensively, since great events demanded great exertion from everyone." In 1918 V.S. Svarog takes an active part in decorating Petrograd for the celebration of the first anniversary of October. At the same time, he creates portraits of K. Marx, F. Engels, V.I. Lenin, as well as two of the most odious persons of the Petrograd party leadership: M.S. Uritsky, chairman of the city Cheka, and V.V. Volodarsky, commissar of the press, propaganda and agitation.
I.V. Stalin and members of the Politburo among children in the TsPKiO im. M. Gorky
Success with the communist authorities V.S. Svarog was provided, especially since the vast majority of artists refused to cooperate with the Soviet of Deputies. But the artist changes his course 180 degrees. From the ebullient Petrograd, where new socialist art was smelted and new names were created, he leaves for the wilderness - for his homeland, for Staraya Russa. And the point here is not only the illness of the mother and the famine in large cities during the civil war.
The artist will live in Staraya Russa from 1919 to 1922. And will be engaged in cultural and educational activities. He initiated the creation of an amateur choir and an orchestra circle. He laid the foundation for a local art museum and an art studio for teenagers. He organized the People's House, and with it a vocal circle and an opera troupe. He himself performed the most difficult opera parts on stage: the miller in "Mermaid", Mephistopheles in "Faust", Mazepa in the play of the same name and others.
At this time, V.S. Svarog does not leave the brush at all, he continues to paint pictures. But they are far from revolutionary themes. His canvases are dedicated to Staraya Russa and its inhabitants: “Rogachevka”, “Portrait of Vasya Ushakov”, “Children”, “Portrait of Valentina Kazarina” and others.
In the days of the revolution
According to the testimony of the artist’s wife Larisa Svarog, when asked what is most important for him - painting, music or singing, Vasily Semenovich answered: “Firstly, I am an artist, but I equally passionately love music and singing. I can't imagine life without these three arts. If I am ever deprived of one of them, if the balance is disturbed, I will probably cease to be an artist.
In 1922 V.S. Svarog once again abruptly changes his fate: he returns to Petrograd. It must be assumed that he was burdened by provincial life, even filled with creative creation.
He resumed work as an illustrator and poster artist. His numerous drawings appear in Leningradskaya Pravda, Krasnaya Gazeta, and later in the largest Soviet newspapers published in Moscow: Pravda, Izvestiya, Komsomolskaya Pravda. In order to earn money, he began teaching in 1924 at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts in Leningrad.
Report of V.I. Stalin on the adoption of the Constitution of 1936
In 1924 V.S. Svarog joins the ranks of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (AHRR). Founded in 1922, the association from the first steps enlisted very significant material support from the leadership of the Red Army, finding patronage primarily from K.E. Voroshilov. In a short time, the association became the most numerous and powerful organization among the creative groups in the country. The secret to AHRR's success was simple. Members of the AHRR belligerently opposed any innovations in the fine arts, their worst enemies were the avant-garde. The principle of the Akhrovtsy was the natural realism of painting, understandable to simple, poorly educated people. At the same time, they fully supported the ideological guidelines of the Soviet-party state. Therefore, the choice of pictorial themes was determined by the social, that is, party, order: the great socialist revolution, the victorious Red Army, wise people's leaders, valiant labor, happy Soviet life, and so on. AHRR became the fertile soil on which socialist realism grew.
All these ideological attitudes of the 1920s largely determined the thematic repertoire of V.S. Svarog. His work has acquired a pronounced politicized orientation. The artist himself called his creations "political compositions".
gray day
The artist performed portraits of V.I. Lenin, I.V. Stalin, major party leaders (G.K. Ordzhonikidze, V.V. Kuibyshev, S.M. Kirov, K.E. Voroshilov, etc.), shock workers, painted historical and revolutionary canvases, folk celebrations and celebratory meetings, created compositions on industrial and collective farm plots, reflected the life and exploits of the Red Army:
The titles of paintings, watercolors and drawings of the master speak very eloquently for themselves: “Gapon's Betrayal (January 9, 1905)”, “Black Hundred” (both - 1929), “Comrade Voroshilov brought weapons to the Lugansk workers”, “Combine at work”, "The death of "Chelyuskin"" (all 1931). He also creates twenty-four watercolors, united under the general title "The Red Army on maneuvers." The artist has repeatedly made trips to the largest new buildings in the country. He responded vividly to the topical industrial theme, writing "Reinforcement Workers" (1920s), "Volkhovstroy" (aqueous 1924), "Kuznetskstroy" (1931), "Dneprostroy" (1932) and others. Vasily Svarog combined creative work for earnings with pedagogical activity as a teacher of an art and industrial technical school.
In 1925, he received a silver medal at the World Exhibition in Paris for the album "January 9", for which he completed 11 large drawings. In 1928, he was successfully exhibited at the exhibition dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the Red Army.
Lenin and Stalin
V.S. Svarog was familiar with Sergei Yesenin. According to some reports, they had plans for joint performances: he was going to accompany Yesenin's recitation on the guitar. These plans, however, were not destined to come true due to the sudden death of the poet. On the tragic night of December 28, 1925, V.S. Svarog was in the Angleterre Hotel and made S.A. Yesenin's posthumous pencil drawing of the dead poet (first published: Our Heritage, 1990, No. 3). Supporters of the version of the poet's murder see in a pencil sketch a confirmation of their hypothesis. Currently, the drawing is stored in the Moscow State Museum of S.A. Yesenin.
Since 1929, the permanent residence of V.S. Svarog becomes Moscow, but the move did not mark any changes in the work of the painter.
In 1932, the notorious decree of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On the restructuring of literary and artistic organizations” was issued. Numerous art associations and groupings that previously existed in the USSR were liquidated. All artists were instructed to unite in a single creative union. In fact, freedom of creativity was forbidden and forced unanimity was established. On June 25, 1932, the Moscow Regional Union of Soviet Artists (MOSSKh) was organized. V.S. Svarog enters it, standing under the banner of socialist realism. True, for V.S. Svarog's entry into the Moscow Union of Artists did little to change: he had already become a engaged master working for a social order.
Soviet poster
In the following years, he successfully works on works sustained in the light of the decisions of the party authorities. The ideological function of art as a means of mass propaganda becomes a priority in his work (See, for example, Women in collective farms are a great power. I. Stalin. Plakat. 1935).
He created a whole gallery of portraits of leaders of the Communist Party and government. And, of course, priority is given to the great leader: “I. V. Stalin and children "(1937)," Report of I.V. Stalin at the VI Congress of the RSDLP (Bolsheviks)" (1935), "I. V. Stalin and members of the Politburo at the Tushino airfield "(1937)," Report of I.V. Stalin at the Extraordinary VIII Congress of Soviets on the draft Constitution of the USSR (1938), “I.V. Stalin and members of the Politburo among children in the TsPKiO im. M. Gorky "(1939).
The artist creates servile portraits of communist party and government figures: “K.E. Voroshilov on maneuvers "(1932)," Comrades K.E. Voroshilov and A.M. Gorky in the shooting gallery of the Central House of Arts” (1932), “Portrait of V. V. Kuibyshev on the podium” (1935) and others. He also painted cultural figures: “Portrait of Tchaikovsky” (1940), “Portrait of Mayakovsky” (1940), portraits of F.V. Gladkova, A.F. Pakhomov, V. P. Polonsky, A. A. Radakov, M. T. Semenova (1923-1942).
K.E. Voroshilov on maneuvers
V.S. Svarog also creates pictures of revolutionary historical content, far, it should be noted, from a true reflection of historical reality: “Smolny. 1917" (1935), Storming the Winter Palace (1937), October Headquarters (1934), revised version - October Headquarters (1939) and others.
In his works, V.S. Svarog constantly responded to modernity, singing the Soviet system. Some paintings were made on the basis of personal observations, others only according to newspaper reports: “Heroes-pilots in the Kremlin before the flight” (1934), “Death of Chelyuskin” (1934), “Meeting of Chelyuskinites on Red Square” (1934), “First May - Pioneers "(1937)," Sedovtsy on Red Square "(1940) and so on.
At the same time, V.S. Svarog depicted the life and deeds of the Red Army, folk celebrations and celebratory meetings, created compositions based on industrial and collective farm plots, distinguished by a wide variety of genres and images. He also creates a number of posters on ideologically significant topics.
Smolny
As an illustrator V.S. Svarog participates in the very prestigious publication "History of the Civil War in the USSR" edited by A.M. Gorky, K.E. Voroshilov, I.V. Stalin, A.S. Bubnova and others. The first volume was published in 1935, and two years later many of its direct compilers were declared "enemies of the people" and repressed. The book ended up in a special depository, but the artist did not win any laurels. However, things could have ended much worse for him. Maybe then the powers that be and there was some suspicion of the artist.
In his free time from his main work on ideologically verified works, V.S. Svarog, wrote that they say "for themselves", like many other socialist realists. He preferred lyrical everyday compositions, expressive landscapes, still lifes, chamber portraits. Mention should be made here: “Mother and Sister” (1926), a watercolor portrait of the Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia (1927), a portrait of the guitarist Shahumian (1928), “After the Storm” (1930), “Still Life with a Guitar” (1934), “Miscellaneous Glass "(1934), "Sick" (1935), "Shepherd Boy" (1938), "The Birth of a Poem" (1937), "Torban" (1939), "Sea, Calm" (1939). And, perhaps, his best work, created back in 1926 - "Self-Portrait" (1926).
I.V. Stalin and members of the Politburo at the Tushino airfield
In 1940, the Political Directorate of the Ministry of War united professional artists into the Studio of Military Artists named after M.B. Grekov. The studio was organized on the basis of the Art Workshops of amateur Red Army art. The new association was given the tasks of cultural and political education of soldiers, as well as displaying the heroic military path of the Red Army. The issue was close to V.S. Svarog for many years, therefore it was he who was appointed head of the studio, and he began to paint canvases on military-patriotic themes with increased energy.
With the beginning of the Patriotic War, the artist leaves for evacuation, first to Nalchik, then to Tbilisi. At the same time, V.S. Svarog worked on the creation of inspiring posters, drawings, paintings related to the war. Reproductions from the works of Svarog were published in many newspapers and illustrated publications. On May 25, 1942, a joint exhibition of paintings made in Tbilisi and Nalchik with I.E. Grabar took place in Tbilisi. In 1942, V. S. Svarog completed his last painting: a multi-figure historical composition “Stepan Razin”.
Kalyaev throws a bomb at the carriage of the Grand Duke
In October 1942, V.S. Svarog suffered an accident from which he never recovered. Returning from evacuation to Moscow, at the Samarkand railway station, he crossed the railway tracks with suitcases, stumbled and hit his left temple on the rail. He was taken to Moscow in critical condition. Gradually, he recovered somewhat, but could no longer return to painting. December 31, 1946 Vasily Semenovich Svarog died.
The artist was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery. Above the grave there is a tombstone, which was made by the student of the deceased - the famous sculptor N.V. Tomsk.
V.S. Svarog was a conscientious executor of the socio-political order of his time. His works are of interest as typological examples of socialist realism of the Stalin era. His canvases fully corresponded to the rigid ideological dictate established in Russia by the Communist Party. However, despite all efforts, V.S. Svarog failed to achieve a leading position in Soviet official art, like, say, Vladimir Serov or Alexander Gerasimov.
Report by I.V. Stalin at the VI Congress of the RSDLP (Bolsheviks)
V.S. Svarog was never given the Stalin Prize, and he was also not allowed to high positions in the artistic hierarchy. Only in 1943, the seriously ill painter was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor for many years of creative work.
In 1948, his posthumous exhibition was held through the efforts of the artist's wife and friends. About 300 paintings by the master were presented here.
According to the will, over 180 drawings, watercolors, paintings were donated to Staraya Russa by relatives of V.S. Svarog. They became the basis of the city art gallery, opened in 1974. Later, one of the streets of Staraya Russa was named after the artist.
The works of Svarog are kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the Academy of Arts, the Museum of the Red Army, the State Historical Museum, the Central House of the Soviet Army, the museums of A.S. Pushkin, M. Gorky and in many other state art collections in Russia and neighboring countries.
The handwritten heritage of Svarog, as well as a collection of graphics and watercolors, is collected in the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art.
The path of Vasily Semenovich Svarog in art is so unusual that we are obliged to give the floor to the artist himself: "I was born in the city of Staraya Russa. My parents are peasants ... I was a year and a half when my father died, and my mother, with the hard work of a laundress, raised three children to her feet, having managed to give them the necessary education ... Back in the city school they paid attention to my ability to draw, and after graduation, the teacher Chistyakov collected one hundred rubles from the local intelligentsia and sent me to St. Petersburg, where, having successfully passed the exam, I entered the Stieglitz Art School. The knowledge and skills acquired at the Stieglitz school turned out to be so solid that after graduation (1900) the artist began independent creative work. Genre compositions with fragments of peasant life and village life, drawings for numerous magazines at that time, portraits of acquaintances and to order - the artist's intense, often forced work in the 1900-1910s. He gets first place for a series of drawings for "The Living Corpse" by L.N. Tolstoy and for participation in the poster competition of the Niva magazine, participates in numerous exhibitions of those years.
In Soviet times, V.S. Svarog is also at work. From 1919 to 1922 he worked in Staraya Russa as an artist and singer in the opera house, which he also organized. There he paints many paintings and helps to create an art museum. This is followed by a historical-revolutionary series of paintings, portraits of the leaders and heroes of that time. In 1939 V.S. Svarog paints a large canvas "Members of the Politburo among children in the Park of Culture" for an exhibition in New York. The artist responds with his canvases to the anniversaries of A.S. Pushkin and P.I. Tchaikovsky. Finally, he teaches at the Studio of Military Artists named after M.B. Grekov, and therefore among his paintings the heroic theme of the Red Army is widely represented. Creativity V.S. Svarog fully corresponded to the dictates of a new life and the enthusiasm of the country
The artist's works are in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery.
) - Russian and Soviet artist.
| Vasily Semyonovich Svarog | |
|---|---|
| |
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| Name at birth | Vasily Semyonovich Korochkin |
| Date of Birth | March 5 (17)(1883-03-17 ) |
| Place of Birth | Staraya Russa, Novgorod Governorate |
| Date of death | 31th of December(1946-12-31 ) (63 years old) |
| A place of death | Moscow |
| Genre | portrait, landscape |
| Studies | CUTR Stieglitz, St. Petersburg |
| Style | realism |
| Awards | |
| Media files at Wikimedia Commons | |
Biography
Vasily Semyonovich Korochkin was born on March 5 (15) in the city of Staraya Russa, Novgorod province (now Novgorod region) in the family of a peasant Semyon and a laundress Olga Vasilievna Korochkin. Vasily had two sisters: Anna (later a village teacher) and Nadezhda (later a seamstress). At the age of two, he lost his father, his mother was engaged in raising children.
The desire for drawing was observed in Vasily Semyonovich from an early age. Noticing him, the drawing teacher of the old Russian city school, Chistyakov, collected money from the residents of the city by subscription so that a talented child could continue his art education after graduating from college.
- Since 1900, Svarog has been collaborating with the St. Petersburg illustrated magazines Picturesque Review, Magic Lantern, and The Sun of Russia.
- In 1911, V. S. Svarog was awarded the first prize at a competition organized by the editors of the magazine "The Sun of Russia" for a series of drawings for Leo Tolstoy's work "The Living Corpse".
- In 1915, V. S. Svarog met Yuri Repin and painted his portrait, which delighted his father, the famous artist Ilya Repin. This work allows Svarog to get close to the master, to attend his portrait sessions.
- In 1916, on the recommendation of Repin, he joined the Association of Wanderers and exhibited his works at traveling exhibitions.
- In 1916, Svarog wrote "Portrait of a Mother" (oil on canvas). The painting was awarded the first prize at the spring traveling exhibition.
- In 1918, Svarog takes an active part in decorating Petrograd for the celebration of the first anniversary of the October Revolution. The artist himself said that he "worked especially intensively, since great events demanded great exertion from everyone." At this time, he creates portraits of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, V. I. Lenin, M. S. Uritsky, V. V. Volodarsky.
- From 1922, due to a serious illness of his mother, Svarog spends in Staraya Russa. Here he organizes the People's House, creates an art studio, amateur choral and orchestral circles, an amateur opera house, where Dargomyzhsky's Mermaid, Rachmaninov's Aleko, Gounod's Faust, etc. were staged. During this period, Svarog creates many paintings dedicated to the city and its inhabitants - "Portrait of Vasya Ushakov", "Children" (exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery), "Portrait of Valentina Kazarina", "Rogachevka" and others.
- In 1923 he joined the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia.
- In 1925, V. S. Svarog received a silver medal at the World Exhibition in Paris for the album "January 9", for which he completed 11 large drawings.
- After the Great October Revolution, the work of Svarog acquires a bright political orientation. The artist himself calls his genre "political composition". Some paintings were made on the basis of personal impressions, others on the basis of newspaper reports:
- Being fond of music, V. Svarog created a number of works united by this theme:
- Svarog also painted portraits of the leaders of the party and government - V. I. Lenin, I. V. Stalin, K. E. Voroshilov, V. V. Kuibyshev.
- In 1940, the Political Directorate of the Moscow Military District united professional military artists into the M. B. Grekov Studio of Military Artists on the basis of the Art Workshops of Amateur Red Army Art. The studio was given the tasks of cultural and political education of soldiers, displaying the heroic combat path of the army. V. Svarog was appointed the head, who created a number of paintings on military topics:
- Since 1941 - in evacuation. First in Nalchik, then in Tbilisi. On May 25, 1942, an exhibition of paintings was held in Tbilisi. The newspaper Zarya Vostoka wrote:
Creative reports of artists. Monday, May 25th at 12 noon. On the same day, the winner of the Stalin Prize, Honored Art Worker I.E. Grabar and artist V.S. Svarog will give creative reports at the Art Gallery of Artists of Georgia. On this day, an exhibition of their paintings made in Tbilisi and Nalchik in 1941 and 1942 will open in the gallery.
- In 1942, Svarog completed his last painting - the multi-figure composition "Stepan Razin".
- In October 1942, returning from evacuation to Moscow, at the Samarkand railway station, crossing the tracks with suitcases, V. Svarog stumbled and hit his left temple on the rail. On October 10, in a serious condition, he was taken to Moscow. V. Svarog recovered, but could no longer return to painting.
In 1948, through the efforts of the artist's friends and his wife Larisa Semyonovna Svarog, a posthumous exhibition of his works was held. It featured paintings, portraits, sketches from expositions
