Children of the artist Kustodiev
Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev is an artist of rare boundless talent, who, first of all, was characterized by a special feeling and perception of his native nature.
Kustodiev could not only see and appreciate the beauty of the natural world, but it was also in his power and in his power to recreate and embody this on his artistic canvases in as much detail as possible. complex world wildlife.
Like most of the author’s works, Kustodiev’s landscape paintings are particularly bright, expressive and rich in color schemes. In Kustodiev’s paintings, nature is always something much more than just a landscape image. Kustodiev creates his own artistic description of nature, makes it extremely individual, original, and unlike anything else.
In this regard, one of Kustodiev’s works, written by the artist in 1918, “Horses during a thunderstorm,” is especially noticeable.
The painting “Horses during a thunderstorm” is an example of a talented oil painting. IN at the moment the canvas belongs to the collection fine arts 20th century State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. Central image and the motif of the canvas is already stated in the title of the painting.
Kustodiev Boris Mikhailovich (Kustodiev Boris) (1878-1927), Russian artist. Born in Astrakhan on February 23 (March 7), 1878 in the family of a theological seminary teacher.
Having visited the exhibition of the Itinerants in 1887 and seeing paintings by real painters for the first time, young Kustodiev was shocked. He firmly decided to become an artist. After graduating from theological seminary in 1896, Kustodiev went to St. Petersburg and entered the Academy of Arts. While studying in the workshop of I. E. Repin, Kustodiev writes a lot from life, striving to master the skill of conveying the colorful diversity of the world.
Walking on the Volga, 1909 Repin invited the young artist to co-author the painting “Meeting of the State Council” (1901-1903, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). Already during these years, the virtuoso talent of Kustodiev, a portrait painter, manifested itself (I. Ya. Bilibin, 1901). Living in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Kustodiev often visited picturesque corners of the Russian province, primarily in the cities and villages of the Upper Volga, where the artist’s brush created famous images of Russian traditional life (a series of “fairs”, “Maslenitsa”, “village holidays”) and colorful folk types (“merchant women”, “merchants”, beauties in the bathhouse - “Russian Venuses”). These series and related paintings (portrait of F. I. Chaliapin, 1922, Russian Museum) are like colorful dreams about old Russia.
Portrait of Fyodor Chaliapin, 1922, Russian Museum Although in 1916 paralysis confined the artist to wheelchair, Kustodiev continued to work actively in various forms of art, continuing his popular “Volga” series.
B.M. Kustodiev in his workshop. 1925 After the revolution, Kustodiev created his best works in the field of book illustration (“Lady Macbeth Mtsensk district» N. S. Leskova; “Rus” by E. I. Zamyatin; both works - 1923; and other drawings) and scenography (“The Flea” by Zamyatin at the Second Moscow Art Theater, 1925; and other scenery). Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev died in Leningrad on May 26, 1927.
Merchant's wife having tea, 1918 Russian Museum One of the favorite characters in Kustodiev’s works was the portly, healthy merchant’s wife. The artist painted merchants' bills many times - in the interior and against the backdrop of a landscape, naked and in elegant dresses. The painting “Merchant's Wife at Tea” is unique in its impressive strength and harmonious integrity. In the plump, immensely fat Russian beauty sitting on the balcony at a table laden with dishes, the image of the merchant’s wife takes on a truly symbolic resonance. The details in the canvas carry great meaning: a fat lazy cat rubbing against the owner’s shoulder, a merchant couple drinking tea on a nearby balcony, a city depicted in the background with churches and shopping arcades, and, in particular, a magnificent “gastronomic” still life. A ripe red watermelon with black seeds, a fat muffin, buns, fruit, porcelain, a large samovar - all this is written in an unusually material and tangible way and at the same time not illusory, but deliberately simplified, like on shop signs.
In the hungry year of 1918, in the cold and devastation, the sick artist dreamed of beauty, a full-blooded bright life, and abundance. However, the savoring of a well-fed, thoughtless existence is accompanied here, as in other works by Kustodiev, with light irony and a good-natured grin.
Merchant's wife with a mirror, 1920, Russian Museum Youth always attracts with its brightness, beauty, and freshness. The artist presents us with an ordinary scene from the life of a merchant. A young girl tries on a new silk shawl. The picture is full of details that reveal the character of the heroine. Jewelry is laid out on the table, a girl from the servants is sorting through furs, a green chest by the stove clearly hides the heroine’s “riches.” A smiling merchant in a rich fur coat stands at the door. He admires his daughter, who is captivated by her new wardrobe.
Beauty, 1915, Tretyakov Gallery Kustodiev always drew his inspiration from Russian popular prints. So his famous “Beauty” seems to have been copied from a popular print or from a Dymkovo toy. However, it is known that the artist painted from life, and it is also known that the model was famous actress Art Theater.
The artist approaches the curvaceous forms of his model delicately and with good humor. The beauty herself is not at all embarrassed, she calmly, with some curiosity, watches the viewer, very pleased with the impression she makes. Her pose is chaste. White, curvaceous body, blue eyes, golden hair, blush, scarlet lips - we really have before us beautiful woman.
Provinces. 1919 
View from the Sparrow Hills. 1919 
In old Suzdal, 1914 The exuberant luxury of colors blooms in lush colors in Kustodiev’s paintings, as soon as he turns to his favorite theme: depicting the foundations of life in the outback, its foundations, its roots. A colorfully depicted tea party in the courtyard cannot but please the eye with all the love of life that reigns in the picture.
Stately backs, proud posture, the obvious slowness of every movement, the conscious sense of self-esteem that is felt in all female figures - this is old Suzdal, the way the artist sees, feels, feels it. And he is all in front of us in full view - alive and bright, real. Warm. He definitely invites you to the table!
Morning, 1904, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg Depicted are Yulia Evstafievna Kustodieva, the artist’s wife, with her first-born son Kirill (1903-1971). The picture was painted in Paris.
Russian Venus, 1925, Nizhny Novgorod art museum, Nizhny Novgorod 
Bathing, 1912, Russian Museum According to Kustodiev’s style, the sunny day in the picture is overcrowded rich colors. blue sky, green slope, mirror-like shine of water, sunny yellow swimming pool - all together make up a warm summer.
The bathers are depicted by the artist schematically, very delicately. Kustodiev himself seems to take the viewer’s gaze away from the bathhouse and draws attention to the surrounding nature, filling it with unnatural bright colors.
It's coming on the shore ordinary life. Boatmen offer the public a ride along the river; a loaded cart struggles up the mountain. On the hill there is a red church.
Twice the artist depicted the Russian tricolor. A white, blue and red cloth decorates the bathhouse and the side of a large boat. Most likely, we have a holiday ahead of us. Summer is a holiday for everyone who is able to appreciate it.
The bathers are having a leisurely conversation, enjoying the warmth, sun, and river. Slow, measured, happy life.
Merchant's wife and brownie, 1922 The artist depicted a very piquant scene. The brownie, walking around his property, froze in amazement in front of the naked body of the sleeping mistress of the house. But the details still tell the viewer that the heroine of the picture has prepared everything for this scene. The hot stove is left open so that the fire provides light. The pose is carefully thought out. One gets the feeling that the hostess’s dream is theatrical. It’s as if the beauty herself is luring the brownie to look at him. Fairy tale, Christmas story, miracle.
An elegant, fair-haired, dazzlingly beautiful merchant's wife - on the one hand, an eerie, fur-covered, pot-bellied brownie - on the other. They are like the embodiment of merchant female and male beauty. Two different beginnings, opposites.
Trinity Day, 1920, Saratov State Art Museum. A. N. Radishcheva 
Portrait of the artist Ivan Bilibin, 1901, Russian Museum This portrait is an early work of the master. It was created in the academic workshop of I. Repin. In this work, Kustodiev’s style barely shows through. It just hasn't formed yet. Bilibin is depicted very realistically. Before us is an exquisitely dressed young man: a black frock coat, a snow-white shirt. The red flower in the buttonhole is a detail that characterizes the model. The hero is dapper, a lover of women and entertainment. The look is ironic, even funny. The facial features are correct. Before us is a handsome young man.
Portrait of Yu.E. Kustodieva. 1920 
Portrait Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.1911 
Merchant's wife with purchases.1920 
Moscow tavern, 1916, Tretyakov Gallery The Moscow tavern is a special, difficult place. The main thing in it is communication and relaxation. This is exactly how the tavern appears in the picture. The sex workers serving visitors are graceful and graceful. Red ceilings and vaults give the work a joyful and festive atmosphere. Judging by the bunch of willow behind the icon, the action takes place on the eve of Easter.
In the center of the tavern, a very colorful group sat at one table. Their identical clothes identify them as cab drivers taking a tea break. The cab drivers sip their tea with decorum and dignity. Like medieval guild masters during a solemn ceremony. A musical accompaniment provided by songbirds in cages under the ceiling. The elder of the respected congregation sits under the icon. One can even discern some similarity between the image on this icon and the stern and solemn face of the chairman of the tea party.
Portrait of Yu.E. Kustodieva with her daughter Irina. 1908, State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan 
Lilac.1906 
Emperor Nicholas II. 1915 Kustodiev could not only see and appreciate the beauty of the natural world, but it was also in his power and in his power to recreate and embody this complex world of living nature in as much detail as possible on his artistic canvases.
Like most of the author’s works, Kustodiev’s landscape paintings are particularly bright, expressive and rich in color schemes. In Kustodiev’s paintings, nature is always something much more than just a landscape image. Kustodiev creates his own artistic description of nature, makes it extremely individual, original, and unlike anything else.
In this regard, one of Kustodiev’s works, written by the artist in 1918, “Horses during a thunderstorm,” is especially noticeable.
The painting “Horses during a thunderstorm” is an example of talented oil painting. At the moment, the canvas belongs to the collection of fine art of the 20th century of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. The central image and motif of the canvas is stated in the very title of the painting.
Kustodiev Boris Mikhailovich (Kustodiev Boris) (1878–1927), Russian artist. Born in Astrakhan on February 23 (March 7), 1878 in the family of a theological seminary teacher.
Having visited the exhibition of the Itinerants in 1887 and seeing paintings by real painters for the first time, young Kustodiev was shocked. He firmly decided to become an artist. After graduating from theological seminary in 1896, Kustodiev went to St. Petersburg and entered the Academy of Arts. While studying in the workshop of I. E. Repin, Kustodiev writes a lot from life, striving to master the skill of conveying the colorful diversity of the world.
Walking on the Volga, 1909 Repin invited the young artist to co-author the painting “Meeting of the State Council” (1901–1903, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). Already during these years, the virtuoso talent of Kustodiev, a portrait painter, manifested itself (I. Ya. Bilibin, 1901). Living in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Kustodiev often visited picturesque corners of the Russian province, primarily in the cities and villages of the Upper Volga, where the artist’s brush created famous images of Russian traditional life (a series of “fairs”, “Maslenitsa”, “village holidays”) and colorful folk types (“merchant women”, “merchants”, beauties in the bathhouse - “Russian Venuses”). These series and related paintings (portrait of F. I. Chaliapin, 1922, Russian Museum) are like colorful dreams about old Russia.
Portrait of Fyodor Chaliapin, 1922, Russian Museum Although paralysis confined the artist to a wheelchair in 1916, Kustodiev continued to work actively in various forms of art, continuing his popular “Volga” series.
B.M. Kustodiev in his workshop. 1925 After the revolution, Kustodiev created his best works in the field of book illustration (“Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District” by N. S. Leskov; “Rus” by E. I. Zamyatin; both works - 1923; and other drawings) and stage design (“Flea” by Zamyatin in Second Moscow Art Theater, 1925; and other scenery). Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev died in Leningrad on May 26, 1927.
Merchant's wife having tea, 1918 Russian Museum One of the favorite characters in Kustodiev’s works was a portly, healthy merchant’s wife. The artist painted merchants' bills many times - in the interior and against the backdrop of a landscape, naked and in elegant dresses.
The painting “Merchant's Wife at Tea” is unique in its impressive strength and harmonious integrity. In the plump, immensely fat Russian beauty sitting on the balcony at a table laden with dishes, the image of the merchant’s wife takes on a truly symbolic resonance. The details in the canvas carry great meaning: a fat lazy cat rubbing against the owner’s shoulder, a merchant couple drinking tea on a nearby balcony, a city depicted in the background with churches and shopping arcades, and, in particular, a magnificent “gastronomic” still life. A ripe red watermelon with black seeds, a fatty cake, buns, fruit, porcelain, a large samovar - all this is written in an unusually material and tangible way and at the same time not illusory, but deliberately simplified, like on shop signs.
In the hungry year of 1918, in the cold and devastation, the sick artist dreamed of beauty, a full-blooded bright life, and abundance. However, the savoring of a well-fed, thoughtless existence is accompanied here, as in other works by Kustodiev, with light irony and a good-natured grin.
Merchant's wife with a mirror, 1920, Russian Museum Youth always attracts with its brightness, beauty, and freshness. The artist presents us with an ordinary scene from the life of a merchant. A young girl tries on a new silk shawl. The picture is full of details that reveal the character of the heroine. Jewelry is laid out on the table, a girl from the servants is sorting through furs, a green chest by the stove clearly hides the heroine’s “riches.” A smiling merchant in a rich fur coat stands at the door. He admires his daughter, who is captivated by her new wardrobe.
Beauty, 1915, Tretyakov Gallery Kustodiev always drew his inspiration from Russian popular prints. So his famous “Beauty” seems to have been copied from a popular print or from a Dymkovo toy. However, it is known that the artist painted from life, and it is also known that the model was a famous actress of the Art Theater.
The artist approaches the curvaceous forms of his model delicately and with good humor. The beauty herself is not at all embarrassed, she calmly, with some curiosity, watches the viewer, very pleased with the impression she makes. Her pose is chaste. White curvaceous body, blue eyes, golden hair, blush, scarlet lips - before us is a truly beautiful woman.
Provinces. 1919 View from the Sparrow Hills. 1919 
In old Suzdal, 1914 The exuberant luxury of colors blooms in lush colors in Kustodiev’s paintings, as soon as he turns to his favorite theme: depicting the foundations of life in the outback, its foundations, its roots. A colorfully depicted tea party in the courtyard cannot but please the eye with all the love of life that reigns in the picture.
Stately backs, proud posture, the obvious slowness of every movement, the conscious sense of self-esteem that is felt in all female figures - this is old Suzdal, the way the artist sees, feels, feels it. And he is all in front of us in full view - alive and bright, real. Warm. He definitely invites you to the table!
Morning, 1904, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg Depicted are Yulia Evstafievna Kustodieva, the artist’s wife, with her first-born son Kirill (1903-1971). The picture was painted in Paris.
Russian Venus, 1925, Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum, Nizhny Novgorod 
Bathing, 1912, Russian Museum According to Kustodiev’s style, the sunny day in the painting is filled with rich colors. Blue sky, green hillside, mirror-like shine of water, sunny yellow swimming pool - all together make up a warm summer.
The bathers are depicted by the artist schematically, very delicately. Kustodiev himself seems to take the viewer’s gaze away from the bathhouse and draws attention to the surrounding nature, filling it with unnatural bright colors.
Life goes on as usual on the shore. Boatmen offer the public a ride along the river; a loaded cart struggles up the mountain. On the hill there is a red church.
Twice the artist depicted the Russian tricolor. A white, blue and red cloth decorates the bathhouse and the side of a large boat. Most likely, we have a holiday ahead of us. Summer is a holiday for everyone who is able to appreciate it.
The bathers are having a leisurely conversation, enjoying the warmth, sun, and river. Slow, measured, happy life.
Merchant's wife and brownie, 1922 The artist depicted a very piquant scene. The brownie, walking around his property, froze in amazement in front of the naked body of the sleeping mistress of the house. But the details still tell the viewer that the heroine of the picture has prepared everything for this scene. The hot stove is left open so that the fire provides light. The pose is carefully thought out. One gets the feeling that the hostess’s dream is theatrical. It’s as if the beauty herself is luring the brownie to look at him. Fairy tale, Christmas story, miracle.
An elegant, fair-haired, dazzlingly beautiful merchant's wife - on the one hand, an eerie, fur-covered, pot-bellied brownie - on the other. They are like the embodiment of merchant female and male beauty. Two different beginnings, opposites.
Trinity Day, 1920, Saratov State Art Museum. A. N. Radishcheva 
Portrait of the artist Ivan Bilibin, 1901, Russian Museum This portrait is an early work of the master. It was created in the academic workshop of I. Repin. In this work, Kustodiev’s style barely shows through. It just hasn't formed yet. Bilibin is depicted very realistically. Before us is an exquisitely dressed young man: a black frock coat, a snow-white shirt. The red flower in the buttonhole is a detail that characterizes the model. The hero is dapper, a lover of women and entertainment. The look is ironic, even funny. The facial features are correct. Before us is a handsome young man.
Portrait of Yu.E. Kustodieva. 1920 
Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.1911 
Merchant's wife with purchases.1920 Moscow tavern, 1916, Tretyakov Gallery The Moscow tavern is a special, difficult place. The main thing in it is communication and relaxation. This is exactly how the tavern appears in the picture. The sex workers serving visitors are graceful and graceful. Red ceilings and vaults give the work a joyful and festive atmosphere. Judging by the bunch of willow behind the icon, the action takes place on the eve of Easter.
Name: Boris Kustodiev
Age: 49 years old
Place of birth: Astrakhan
Place of death: Saint Petersburg
Activity: artist, portrait painter
Marital status: was married
Boris Kustodiev - biography
The outstanding Russian artist Boris Kustodiev, whose 140th birthday is celebrated on February 23, managed to create on his canvases an amazing world where beautiful good people, where they drink and eat deliciously, where the sun shines brightly and the dazzling white snow sparkles. And the worse the artist got - at the age of thirty he was confined to a wheelchair - the more joyful and colorful the life on his canvases was.
Boris Kustodiev hardly remembered his father - candidate of theology, teacher of the Astrakhan Theological Seminary Mikhail Lukich Kustodiev died a year after the birth of his son. In addition to Boris, two more girls were growing up in the family, Sasha and Katya, there was not enough money, and Mikhail Lukich earned money by teaching lessons. In the cold autumn he caught a cold and died at the age of 37, leaving a widow, Ekaterina Prokhorovna, who was not yet thirty, with four children - the youngest, named after his father Mikhail, was born a few months after his father's death - and a 50-ruble survivor's pension.
The mother did not have money for the children’s education, but Boris was lucky - as the son of a deceased teacher, at the age of nine he was accepted into the Astrakhan Theological School, and then into the seminary. He studied mediocrely, but in drawing he would have been the best in the class. From the age of five he never let go of a pencil and loved to draw on paper everything he saw. Boris decided to become an artist at the age of 11, when his sister Katya, who was fond of art, took him to an exhibition of paintings by capital artists from the Association of Traveling Exhibitions.
The pictures fascinated the boy. The second time he experienced this feeling was when, during the holidays, he went to visit his uncle in St. Petersburg and ended up in the Hermitage. And what was his happiness when Katya advised him to take drawing lessons and introduced him to a graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Pavel Vlasov.
Vlasov, larger, stronger, with a loud voice, came from the Cossacks. Despite some rudeness, he was distinguished by extraordinary kindness, and most importantly, he had a special gift - he knew how to recognize talent in a student and help this talent develop. Vlasov taught Boris to carry a sketchbook and a pencil everywhere and sketch everything interesting. A capable student quickly mastered both watercolor and oil paints. And one day Pavel Alekseevich said to his student: “Stop wasting time. Submit documents to Moscow school painting, sculpture and architecture. If it doesn’t work out in Moscow, go to St. Petersburg, to the Academy of Arts.”
Vlasov knew how to persuade, so he convinced Ekaterina Prokhorovna that Boris needed to leave the seminary, a brilliant future awaited him in painting. Sorry, I did this late. The Moscow School accepted students only up to 18 years of age, and Boris had already turned 18. There was only one path - to St. Petersburg, to the Higher art school at the Academy of Arts.
In the capital, Boris settled with his uncle, who was unhappy that his nephew left the seminary. Boris writes bitterly to his mother after another scandal: “I think that I won’t live with him for a long time if this happens again. I... walked around all day yesterday... stunned by my uncle's reproaches and swearing. I have 20 rubles left of your money. 60 k. It’s good if I enter the Academy.
There, the students are all exempt from paying fees, and they also use government albums, etc.” Ekaterina Prokhorovna persuaded her son: “...there is no reason for you to leave him now, just be patient a little” - and believed in his future: “... we miss you, but I am consoled by the thought that someday I will see you big and an honest man, and maybe even famous - which doesn’t happen in the world!”
In October 1896, Kustodiev was admitted to the Academy. At first he studied in the workshop of the historical painter Vasily Savinsky, and in his second year he was transferred to the workshop of Repin. Students said different things about Repin. It often happened that today he liked what yesterday he called mediocre. But the students forgave Repin everything - after all, he was a real, great artist.
Life has twisted Boris. A provincial young man found himself in the very center of the capital's vibrant artistic life - theaters, exhibitions, new ideas, interesting people. But still, he didn’t really like it in St. Petersburg. “Everything around is gray, everything is somehow boring, cold - not like some kind of river with green banks and with white winged sails, with steamships - like the Volga...” - he wrote to his mother.
In the summer of 1900, Boris invited his friend Dmitry Stelletsky to go with him to Astrakhan. There he was joined by his old friend, also a student of Vlasov, Konstantin Mazin, and the three artists set off on a voyage up the Volga to paint en plein air. In Kineshma they went ashore, Mazin stayed with relatives in the village of Semenovskoye, and Kustodiev and Stelletsky stayed nearby, in the village of Kalganovo.
Once, acquaintances advised young artists to visit the Vysokovo estate - two charming young ladies, the Proshinsky sisters, lived there under the tutelage of the venerable Grek sisters. Their parents died early, and Maria and Yulia Grek, their close friends who did not have children of their own, took the girls in to raise them.
We went without an invitation, and therefore the most courageous inhabitant of Vysokov, Zoya Proshinskaya, greeted them at first as uninvited guests. Realizing that these were not some kind of robbers, but even artists, and even from St. Petersburg, the Greek sisters allowed them to enter the house. Antique furniture, dishes from Napoleonic times, landscapes and portraits on the walls, a piano - everything testified to the good taste of the owners. And then, during conversations over tea, it turned out that Yulenka, Zoya’s sister, was studying painting at the School for the Encouragement of Arts.
As they said goodbye, the young people received an invitation to visit Vysokovo again, which they took full advantage of. The initiator of these visits was Boris - he really liked Yulia Proshinskaya. It was somehow surprisingly simple and fun for him to be with her. They discovered many common interests. And what wonderful eyes she had. And how well she looked at him.
Apparently, he made a favorable impression on her - easily blushing from embarrassment, but at the same time cheerful, with humor, a light character, she clearly liked him. When they parted, Boris and Yulia agreed to write to each other - and to meet in St. Petersburg. Yulia visited Vysokov only in the summer. In winter, she lived in the capital, worked as a typist for the Committee of Ministers, and took up painting.
They met. In letters to the old ladies, Greek Julia said that Kustodiev painted her portrait, that they went to the theater together, and in the newspaper “Novoye Vremya” her friend was highly praised for the portrait of Bilibin, which was a great success at an exhibition in Munich, where he was awarded a gold medal .
It was generally very good year, because in the spring of this year Repin invited him to work on a government order - the grandiose canvas “Great Meeting of the State Council”. Working next to Repin, Boris learned a lot. Of the hundreds of portraits of the country's main dignitaries on the canvas, 20 were painted by Kustodiev. These people had enormous power back then. Today, few people remember their names, but the names of the artists who captured their faces have gone down in history. Russian culture.
In June, Boris again went to the Kostroma province. Having settled not far from Vysokov, he could meet with Yulia every day. And when he returned to St. Petersburg, he wrote letters to her every day. The guardian sisters did not welcome their friendship. They did not at all like the beginner artist without any fortune as a candidate for the husband of their beloved Yulenka. After all, she had other, more promising candidates.
Julia tried her best to get the Greek sisters to change their minds about Boris. “We see each other almost every day”, “yesterday I went with B.M. to the big skating rink in the evening”, “On Sunday... I visited the Kustodievs. Boris Mikh. treated me to tea and sweets,” she wrote in Vysokovo. She really wanted to show that her chosen one was worthy of respect: “At Bor. Mich. things are not bad. Now he has two commissions of portraits. One started today, and when he finishes, he will paint a lady - the wife of an official from the State Council”; “Tomorrow we are going to an exhibition where 2 portraits painted by Bohr are on display. Mich.", "Bor. Mich. They praised it very much in the Petersburg Newspaper...”
They became husband and wife on January 8, 1903. This is evidenced by the entry in the registry book of the Astrakhan Church of the Nativity of Christ, the same one where Boris was baptized: “Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev, on January 8, 1903, entered into a legal marriage with the daughter of the court councilor Yulia Evstafievna Proshinskaya, 22 years old, Roman Catholic.. "The Greek sisters did not live to see this wedding. Now Julia has only her beloved Boris left in her life.
Everything was going great. For the painting “Bazaar in the Village” Kustodiev was awarded gold medal and the right to a year-long trip abroad, at the international exhibition in Munich he was again awarded an award - for “Portrait of Varfolomeev”; a correspondent for the respected newspaper Birzhevye Vedomosti interviewed him, in which he wrote: “ To the young artist only 25 years old. What a huge life ahead, and how much he can do with his love for work and ability to work hard,” but the main thing is that on October 11, Kustodiev’s son was born. The boy was named Kirill.
With him in January of the following year, they all went on a trip abroad, inviting Ekaterina Prokhorovna on the trip to help the young mother. The first stop is Paris, which shocked Kustodiev. Boris was studying in the studio famous artist Rene Menard, and the rest of the time, with a notebook in his hands, he wandered the streets in fascination and made sketches. Only in Paris could such a lyrical Kustodiev painting as “Morning” appear: a young mother bathes her little son. A true hymn to motherhood and love...
And then Kustodiev went to Spain, and Yulia remained in Paris - after crying, she was consoled by his promise to write often. This promise was fulfilled, and Boris told his wife in letters about the paintings of Velazquez, about the trip to Seville, about bullfights, about Cordoba and the amazing cathedral-mosque...
In the summer of 1904, the Kustodievs returned to their homeland. Having bought a small plot of land near Kineshma, they began to build their own house- “Terem”. The house really looked like a tower from Russian fairy tales. Kustodiev enjoyed doing housework, doing carpentry, and cutting trim for windows. Julia and Boris were so happy, so full of love for each other and life, that when their daughter, Irina, was born in the spring of 1905, their friends gave them a painting parody of “Morning” - there are already 12 children in the bathtub, and the mother in looks at them in horror, throwing up his hands.
Once Julia wrote to Boris: “... it’s such happiness that you love me, we have something to live on, we are healthy... I’m even afraid...” And then misfortune came to their home. In January 1907, they had another son, Igor, who died without living even a year. “With his death, the first gray strand appeared in my mother’s black hair,” recalled Irina Kustodieva. That same year, Boris Kustodiev experienced the first pain in his hand - symptoms of an impending serious illness.
But he tried not to notice anything and work, work, so as not to damage the reputation of one of the best Russian portrait painters, because it was he, and not Serov, who was commissioned for portraits of Alexander II and Nicholas I. And it was his “Portrait of the Polenov Family”, shown at the exhibition in Vienna, purchased by the Belvedere Museum. Perhaps he suspected that his illness was serious and tried not to waste time.
Julia, who was grieving the death of her son, lived with the children mainly in Terem, but Boris was in no hurry to go to them - he was full of his plans and work. That same year, he again traveled around Europe - this time it was Austria, Italy, and Germany. And new impressions distracted him from his family, especially the charming ladies who posed for him in Venetian gondolas. It was said that one Russian mistress was so diligent in posing that her jealous husband nervously ran on dry land during the sessions. But even after returning to St. Petersburg, Kustodiev was in no hurry to see his wife and children.
It seems, Julia wrote to her husband indignantly, you really like spending time with naked models. In his response letter, Boris, generally not feeling guilty at all, formulated his life credo: “I received your “terrible” letter today, but... for some reason I wasn’t very afraid of it. Somehow I can’t believe that you can “ask” me! And for what, exactly? Because I work and therefore don’t go? If this is so, then this is very strange, and it means that I was very deceived in you, in your understanding of my work and myself... My work is my life...
Yours state of mind I completely understand, but because of this I will not give up what I have to do, neither now nor ever in the future. You must know this, or else I am not what you imagined, and you are not what I thought until now...” And at the end of the letter he again promised that he would soon come to Terem. And he came, brought gifts, painted his grown daughter, and then a month and a half later he left them alone again - his life was in St. Petersburg.
Soon, apparently at the insistence of Yulia, who was afraid of losing her husband, his entire family moved there. They settled on Myasnaya Street. They brought furniture from the one sold by Vysokov - it reminded Yulia of her childhood, of the old Greek women. They set up a workshop where Boris worked, and along the corridor Irina and Kirill were running around on roller skates, running and playing hide and seek.
Again they were close, Julia and Boris, and again she shared all his joys, successes and failures. And pain. Now his hands often hurt so much that his fingers could not hold his hand, and then his head began to hurt unbearably. It was necessary to go to the doctors. The famous doctor Ernest Augustovich Giese examined the artist for an hour and found neuralgia right hand and advised me to take an x-ray of my shoulder and neck. And work less. But he just couldn’t live without work. The orders were one more responsible than the other.
In 1911, the Alexander Lyceum was to celebrate its centenary, and a commission of former graduates decided to install marble busts of Tsars Nicholas II and the founder of the Lyceum, Alexander I, in the building. The busts were ordered from Kustodiev. Kustodiev spoke with obvious irony about how Nicholas II posed for him: “He was extremely graciously received, even to the point of surprise... We talked a lot - of course, not about politics (which my customers were very afraid of), but more about art - but I couldn’t enlighten him - he’s hopeless, alas... What’s also good is that he’s interested in antiquity, I just don’t know, deeply or so - “because of the gesture.”
The enemy of innovation, and confuses impressionism with revolution: “impressionism and I are two incompatible things” - his phrase. We parted on good terms, but apparently he was tired of the sessions...” In the spring of 1911, the pain became so severe that Boris went to Switzerland, to the town of Leysin near Lausanne, to be treated at the private clinic of Dr. Auguste Rollier, an honorary member of all European medical societies. Rollier diagnosed him with “bone tuberculosis” and forced him to come in the fall, ordering him to wear a special corset “unsuccessful, especially when sitting... It’s only good to walk in it.”
He worked in this terrible corset, hard as a shell, from neck to waist, taking it off only at night. In total, he stayed in the clinic for more than 9 months, but the pain, despite Rollier’s assurances, did not disappear. In St. Petersburg, Yulia was worried about him, complained of loneliness, it was not easy with children without a husband. She poured all this out in her letters. But what could he tell her? He himself was tormented by doubts, he himself did not know how to continue to live with these pains, with this growing weakness.
“...You write about the feeling of loneliness, and I fully understand it - it is even intensified for me... by the consciousness that I am unhealthy, that everything that others live with is almost impossible for me... In a life that rolls so quickly next to me and where I have to give my all, I can no longer participate - I have no strength. And this consciousness intensifies even more when I think about the lives connected with me - yours and the children. And if I were alone, it would be easier for me to bear this feeling of disability.” And he added: “Such wonderful days and everything is so beautiful around that you forget that you are sick... And never, it seems, have I felt so strong a desire to live and feel alive.”
The hand did not stop whining, the St. Petersburg aesculapians advised the sea and the sun, and the Kustodievs, all together, went for the sun and sea to France, to the town of Juan-les-Pins, not far from Antibes. Then they left for Italy, and then went to Berlin - many advised Kustodiev to see the famous neurosurgeon Professor Oppenheim. Herr Professor carefully examined the artist and made a conclusion that surprised everyone: “You have never had any bone tuberculosis. Remove the corset. You have a disease of the spinal cord, apparently there is a tumor in it, you urgently need surgery...” Treatment in Switzerland with Rollier, by the way, very expensive, was in vain.
In November, Kustodiev and his wife were again in Berlin. The operation took place on November 12. The professor found the tumor and removed it, but warned that a relapse was possible and, most likely, the operation would have to be repeated. But for now everyone hoped that the disease had been defeated.
And again Kustodiev was full of work, and everything worked out for him - both painting and work in the theater, which he was very interested in. While working on the play “The Death of Pazukhin” at the Moscow art theater Kustodiev met actress Faina Shevchenko and was inspired to paint her portrait, and in the nude. Faina was young and pretty. She came to the Moscow Art Theater in 1909, still very young, at 16 years old. In 1914, when Kustodiev met her, she had already played almost all the leading roles.
No one knows how he persuaded her, a serious actress of a serious theater, to pose naked, but it happened! And he was happy, because in her, this sweet young woman, he saw the image of a real Russian beauty, the owner of a magnificent, appetizing body. This painting, “Beauty,” is bright, slightly ironic, and daring, and created a real sensation. The newspapers wrote: “The one who’s doing weird things is Kustodiev... It’s as if he’s deliberately throwing himself from side to side.
Either he paints ordinary good portraits of ladies, or suddenly he exhibits some plump “beauty” sitting on a chest painted with bouquets... Deliberate and invented bad taste.” But many people liked her, this Kustodian beauty, it was difficult to move away from the picture - she was mesmerizing, and one metropolitan, seeing her, said: “The devil himself led him with his hand, obviously, because she disturbed my peace.”
Kustodiev worked a lot at that time - and was happy that he was in demand and needed. And, he probably said, he overdid it a little - the pain appeared again, it became difficult to walk. More and more often he remembered the Berlin professor and his words about a repeat operation, but how to do this now that the war has begun and the Germans are enemies? He was treated again, went to Yalta for sun and sea, but nothing helped, his mood was very bad, and even new paintings, which were successful and he liked, did not significantly change the situation. It became clear that we could no longer delay the operation.
Kustodiev was admitted to the clinic of the Kaufman community of Red Cross sisters, which was headed by G.F. Zeidler. The operation was performed by the brilliant Russian neurosurgeon Lev Stukkey. “They gave me general anesthesia for 5 hours,” Irina Kustodieva said about the operation. - Mom is waiting in the corridor... Finally, Professor Zeidler came out himself and said that a dark piece of something was found in the very substance of the spinal cord closer to the chest, it may be necessary to cut the nerves to get to the tumor, you need to decide what to save the patient - arms or legs. “Leave your hands, hands! - Mom begged. -The artist has no hands! He won’t be able to live!” And Stukkey retained the mobility of Kustodiev’s hands. But - only hands!
Every day Stukkey came to the ward and felt his legs. No, Kustodiev did not feel anything. Yes, of course, the nerves are damaged, the doctor said, but perhaps the ability to move will appear. You need to believe. And Boris believed, and what else could he do? And fortunately, he was not alone in this faith, in this struggle for life - next to him was his Yulia, a devoted, faithful wife, the mother of his children, and now also a nurse. A month after the operation the pain was gone, but now he suffered from immobility and idleness.
He passionately wanted to work! However, the surgeon strictly forbade even the slightest tension. And Kustodiev began to create pictures in his mind. Only very soon this was not enough for him, and he begged his wife to bring him the album and watercolor paints. At first, he painted in secret from the doctors, and when he was caught doing this, he declared: “If you don’t let me write, I’ll die!” And he painted the heroes of his night visions.
And he dreamed of the free Russian Maslenitsa - bright, joyful, happy... This large canvas was shown at the World of Art exhibition in the fall of 1916. Among the visitors to the exhibition was the surgeon Stukkey. He didn’t know much about painting, but this picture shook him to the core. “Where does this man chained to a chair have such a thirst for life? Where does this holiday come from? Where does this incredible power of creativity come from? - the doctor tried to understand. “Maybe his art is his best medicine?”
The year 1917 began both anxiously and joyfully. It seemed to everyone that real freedom had arrived and now everything in Russia would be wonderful. In those days, Kustodiev sat at the window with binoculars and tirelessly watched the life of the street. Excited by what was happening, he wrote to a friend in Moscow: “Congratulations on great joy! Here's Peter for you! ... he took it and did such a thing in 3-4 days that the whole world gasped. Everything has shifted, turned over... - take, for example, yesterday’s arbiters of our destinies, now sitting in Petropavlovka!
“From prince to rags...” On February 27, the general strike grew into a general uprising; in March, Russia ceased to be a monarchy - the tsar abdicated the throne. And then the October Revolution happened, power passed into the hands of the people - rude people in caps, leather jackets, with Mausers in their hands. All of this was incredible, all of this had to be understood, somehow comprehended, and learned to live in a new country, where people were often robbed and killed on the streets at night, and the shops were empty. And only thanks to Yulia, their house is warm, cozy and there is always something to treat guests - she was a wonderful hostess.
In 1920, the management of the Mariinsky Opera House decided to stage the opera “Enemy Power” by Alexander Serov, the artist’s father, about the life of the Russian merchants. The director of the play was Fyodor Chaliapin, and it was decided to entrust the design to Kustodiev, because who had a better feel for merchant Rus', its characters and morals. And the singer went to the artist to negotiate. “It was a pity to look at the deprivation of man (Kustodiev’s legs were paralyzed), but it was as if it was invisible to him: about forty years old, fair-haired, pale, he struck me with his cheerfulness...” said Chaliapin.
He came to Kustodiev every day, looked at the sketches of the scenery and costumes. They, these two, talented, strong, became friends. They recalled with pleasure their youth and their native places - after all, both were born on the Volga. One day Chaliapin came to Boris Mikhailovich wearing a luxurious fur coat. “Please pose for me in this fur coat,” the artist asked. - Your fur coat is very rich. It's a pleasure to write it." “Is it clever? The fur coat is good, but perhaps stolen,” Chaliapin noted. “How is this stolen? You’re kidding, Fyodor Mikhailovich!”
“Yes, yes. About three weeks ago I received it for a concert from some government agency. But you know the slogan: “Rob the loot.” Kustodiev decided that it was simply wonderful - in his painting the singer would be depicted in a fur coat of such dubious origin. “Both an actor and a singer, but he whistled his fur coat,” he joked. The premiere of Enemy Power took place on November 7, 1920 and was brilliant. The actors received a standing ovation, and then they loudly applauded the artist - both his art and his courage. “My father returned home excited, saying that Chaliapin was a genius and that for the sake of history it was necessary to paint his portrait,” recalled the artist’s son Kirill.
This work was especially difficult for Kustodiev. He decided to paint the singer in full height, that is, the height of the picture had to be at least two meters. On the ceiling of the room, brother Mikhail fixed a block with a load, the canvas with a stretcher was suspended, and Kustodiev himself could bring it closer, move it away, move it left and right. The huge picture was painted in parts - preparatory drawings Kustodiev transferred it to the picture by cells. Thus, at the cost of incredible efforts, this amazingly joyful, sun-filled canvas was born.
Chaliapin was delighted with the portrait and bought it, as well as the sketches for Enemy Power. When he went abroad in 1922, he took the portrait with him. Years later he wrote: “I knew a lot of interesting, talented and good people. But if I have ever seen a truly high spirit in a person, it was in Kustodiev... It is impossible to think without excitement about the greatness of the moral force that lived in this man and which cannot otherwise be called heroic and valiant.”
Despite severe pain, Kustodiev worked with inspiration and joy - he painted pictures, made engravings, lithographs, was engaged in stage design, and illustrated books. On his canvases are charming merchant women, tea lovers, dashing cab drivers, crazy Maslenitsa, and a fun fair. Here are the heroes of past years - Stepan Razin, and of modern times - for example, the Bolshevik from the film of the same name. This strange, ambiguous picture is “Bolshevik”. It would seem that the artist is glorifying the revolution. But the one he depicted huge man, this Bolshevik with thoughtless eyes, mercilessly walks over heads ordinary people, according to their lives, destinies, which seem to be not at all important to him.
Everything that Kustodiev did was bright, fresh, interesting. It was impossible to believe that the creator of these powerful images was a seriously ill person, a disabled person who moved in a wheelchair. In 1923, Kustodiev was operated on again - for the third time. The operation was performed by the famous German neurosurgeon Otfried Förster, who was invited to treat Lenin.
“Anesthesia,” said the artist’s daughter, “was given locally, the general heart would not have been able to withstand it. Four and a half hours of inhuman suffering... The doctors said that every minute there could be a shock and then it would be the end...” Like the previous ones, this operation did not bring significant relief.
Last big picture The artist became the magnificent “Russian Venus”. “She will not lie naked on velvet, like Goya, or in the lap of nature, like Giorgione,” Boris Mikhailovich told his daughter Irina, who posed for this picture. - I will put my Venus in the bathhouse. Here the nudity of a Russian woman is natural.” At night he had nightmares - “black cats dig into his back with sharp claws and tear apart his vertebrae,” and during the day he created his Venus. Posing, Irina held a ruler in her hands instead of a broom, and her brother Kirill whipped foam in a wooden tub. His children created this masterpiece with him...
Anticipating the end, at your last year Kustodiev lived as few people can, even when completely healthy: he painted 8 portraits, several landscapes, posters, created dozens of engravings, illustrations for books, scenery for three performances... In 1927, when it became clear that his illness had worsened , he turned to the People's Commissariat for Education with a request to allow him to go to Germany for treatment. The government allocated $1,000, and paperwork began. While waiting, Kustodiev asked to be taken to the Hermitage; he wanted to see the works of Rembrandt and Titian again.
This gave the artist’s brother Mikhail the idea of building a car in which his relatives would take the artist out into the world of healthy people. The apartment began to look like a repair shop, but everyone in the household, including poor Yulia, put up with this horror, knowing in the name of what it was all being done. And the car was assembled. Now Kustodiev could even go on a visit. On May 5, 1927, when she and Yulia returned home from Detskoe Selo, where they had visited Alexei Tolstoy, he developed a fever. They decided it was a cold; the car was open.
The temperature remained stable, but on May 15, when his name day was celebrated, Kustodiev, sitting in front of the guests in a white shirt with a bow tie, joked and amused everyone. The next day he felt ill. On the evening of May 26, 1927, Irina asked her father if she could go to the theater - the Moscow Chamber Theater, which had come on tour to St. Petersburg, was giving a play, starring Alisa Koonen. “Of course,” he replied. “Then you’ll tell me.” Returning home, she no longer found him alive. Kustodiev was only 49 years old. He was buried at the St. Petersburg Nikolskoye cemetery. So many unrealized plans went with him, but so many beautiful paintings remained after his death...
His widow Yulia Evstafievna lived alone, without her husband, for another 15 years, devoting all these years to serving his memory and preserving his legacy. She died during the siege in 1942.
Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev (February 23 (March 7) 1878, Astrakhan - May 26, 1927, Leningrad) - Russian artist.
Biography of Boris Kustodiev
Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev, who came from the family of a gymnasium teacher, began studying painting in Astrakhan with P. A. Vlasov in 1893-1896.
Born in 1878. Took drawing lessons from P.A. Vlasov, who graduated from the Moscow School of Painting.
After a two-year stay in general classes Academy of Arts entered the workshop of I.E. Repin, whom he helped in writing the painting “Meeting of the State Council” (Kustodiev painted the whole right side paintings, with sketches for it).
Received a business trip abroad for the film “Village Fair”.
He exhibited his works successively at the “Spring Exhibitions” at the Academy of Arts, at exhibitions of the “New Society”, at exhibitions of the “Union”, at the “Salon”, and since 1910 at exhibitions of the “World of Art”, abroad - in Paris, Vienna , Munich, Budapest, Brussels, Rome, Venice, Malmo and other cities.
Kustodiev's creativity
Kustodiev began his career as a portrait artist. Already while working on sketches for Repin’s “Great Meeting of the State Council on May 7, 1901,” student Kustodiev showed his talent as a portrait painter. In sketches and portrait sketches for this multi-figure composition, he coped with the task of achieving a resemblance to in a creative manner Repina. But Kustodiev the portrait painter was closer to Serov.
Already from the beginning of the 1900s, Boris Mikhailovich was developing a unique genre of portrait, or rather, portrait-picture, portrait-type, in which the model is linked together with the surrounding landscape or interior.
At the same time, this is a generalized image of a person and his unique individuality, revealing it through the world surrounding the model. In their form, these portraits are related to the genre images-types of Kustodiev (“Self-portrait” (1912), portraits of A. I. Anisimov (1915), F. I. Chaliapin (1922)).
Subsequently, Kustodiev gradually shifted more and more towards an ironic stylization of folk and, especially, the life of the Russian merchants with a riot of colors and flesh (“Beauty”, “Russian Venus”, “Merchant’s Wife at Tea”).
Like many artists of the turn of the century, Kustodiev also worked in the theater, transferring his vision of the work to the theater stage.
The scenery performed by Kustodiev was colorful, close to his genre picture, but this was not always perceived as an advantage: creating a bright and convincing world, carried away by its material beauty, the artist sometimes did not coincide with the author’s intention and the director’s interpretation of the play (“The Death of Pazukhin” by Saltykov-Shchedrin, 1914, Moscow Art Theater; never saw the light of day “ Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky, 1918).
In their more later works for the theater, he moves away from the chamber interpretation to a more generalized one, seeks greater simplicity, builds the stage space, giving freedom to the director when constructing mise-en-scène.
Kustodiev's success was his design work in 1918-20. opera performances (1920, " The Tsar's Bride", Bolshoi Opera House of the People's House; 1918, “Snow Maiden”, Bolshoi Theater(staging not carried out)). Scenery sketches, costumes and props for A. Serov’s opera “The Power of the Enemy” (Academic (former Mariinsky) Theatre, 1921).
Artist's works
- “Introduction. Moscow" drawing
- “Morning”, (1904, Russian Russian Museum)
- "Balagany"
- "Fairs"
- "Maslenitsa"
- "Lilac" (1906)
- self-portrait (1912, Uffizi Gallery, Florence)
- “Merchantwomen in Kineshma” (tempera, 1912, Museum of Russian Art in Kyiv)
- portrait of A. I. Anisimov (1915, Russian Museum)
- “Beauty” (1915, Tretyakov Gallery)
- “Merchant's Wife at Tea” (1918, Russian Museum)
- "Bolshevik" (1919-20, Tretyakov Gallery)
- "F. I. Chaliapin at the fair" (1922, Russian Russian Museum)
- "Moscow tavern" (1919)
- “Portrait of A.N. Protasova” (1900)
- "The Nun" (1901)
- "Portrait of Ivan Bilibin" (1901)
- “Portrait of S.A. Nikolsky” (1901)
- “Portrait of Vasily Vasilyevich Mate” (1902)
- "Self-Portrait" (1904)
- "Portrait of a Lady in Blue" (1906)
- “Portrait of the writer A.V. Shvarts” (1906)
- "Fair" (1906)
- “Zemstvo school in Moscow Rus'” (1907)
- “Portrait of Irina Kustodieva with her dog Shumka” (1907)
- "The Nun" (1908)
- “Portrait of N.I. Zelenskaya” (1912)
- "Frosty Day" (1913)
Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev as a master of several artistic directions was alien and inconvenient for many of his contemporaries. Having a liking for different types of painting and participating in several artistic associations, he confidently followed his creative path.
The Peredvizhniki accused Kustodiev of being “popular”, modernists called him hopelessly straightforward, avant-garde artists were indignant at his umbilical attachment to their teacher Repin, proletarian artists saw in him “a singer of the merchant-kulak environment.” And all these accusations were provoked by the artist’s creative scatteredness.
In Kustodiev, several artistic attachments coexisted together, which distinguished him from others. It’s easy to see this if you take one year of his work offhand. For example, in 1920 he painted “Merchant’s Wife with a Mirror”, “Blue House”, “Merchant’s Wife with Purchases”, “Trinity Day (provincial holiday), a classic portrait of his wife, the painting “Bolshevik”, “May Day Parade. Petrograd. Field of Mars."
In an artistic environment, as in any other, you cannot be talented in everything. Kustodiev’s simultaneous appeal to completely different themes and styles came down to the lack of internal integrity of the artist. “Multipurpose” equaled “aimlessness,” which already foreshadowed a sad verdict on his future career.
Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev was born in 1878 in Astrakhan. The artist’s father, a teacher at the theological seminary Mikhail Lukich Kustodiev, died of consumption when his son was in his second year. Mother Ekaterina Prokhorovna devotes herself entirely to her four children, instilling in them a love of music, literature, painting, theater...
The family lived in a rented small wing of a merchant's house. Years later, children's impressions of the merchant world will be materialized in the paintings of B. M. Kustodiev. Here is what the artist himself recalled about this period:
“The whole way of rich and abundant merchant life was in full view... These were Ostrovsky’s living types...”
From the age of seven, Boris attended a parish school, then moved to a gymnasium. At the age of 14, Boris begins his studies at the theological seminary and at the same time attends classes famous artist P. A. Vlasova. In 1887, having visited for the first time an exhibition of paintings by the Itinerants, he finally decided to become an artist. In 1896, on the advice of his first teacher P. A. Vlasov, Boris entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. After two years of studying in general classes, he was accepted into I. Repin’s workshop. The young student writes a lot from life and is interested in portraiture.
Before graduating from the Academy, as the best student, he was involved in working on a painting commissioned from his mentor, “The Ceremonial Meeting of the State Council on May 7, 1901.” For this canvas, Kustodiev painted 27 portraits. Repin himself sometimes did not distinguish between his own and Kustodiev’s sketches in this work.
Kustodiev had a great work ethic; along with sketches, he painted portraits of people close to him in spirit: I. Ya. Bilibin, D. L. Moldovtsev, V. V Mate...
In 1901, at the Munich International Exhibition, the portrait of I. Ya. Bilibin was awarded a gold medal.
In 1903, Kustodiev was awarded a gold medal and the right to a foreign pensioner internship for one year for thesis"Bazaar in the village." In the same year, he married Yulia Evstafievna Proshinskaya, a former Smolyanka. Kustodiev met his fate back in 1900 while traveling along the Volga. On his first European trip to France and Spain, the artist was accompanied by his wife and newly born son Kirill. Yu. E. Proshinskaya was the artist’s most faithful friend. In 1905, a house-workshop was built near Kineshma, which the artist lovingly called “Terem”. The family spent every summer here, and this time was the happiest for her.
B. M. Kustodiev did not limit himself exclusively to painting; he was engaged in the design and illustration of works of Russian classics. Among them: “Dubrovsky” by A. S. Pushkin, “Dead Souls” and stories by N. V. Gogol, “Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov” by M. Yu. Lermontov, “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” by N. S. Leskov, “Singers” "I. S. Turgenev, poems by N. A. Nekrasov, stories by A. N. Tolstoy...
The main theme of the artist’s work was family. In Paris, he painted the lyrical painting “Morning,” where he depicts his wife and his first-born son bathing in a trough. The mother gently holds the back and legs of the child with her hands, who is clapping his hands in the water. Warm rays of the sun shine from the window, brightly illuminating the table, the fireplace and the mother bending over the child. They play in the water sunbeams, from which the baby does not take his eyes off, clumsily trying to catch. It is no coincidence that the child is depicted in the center of the picture. He is the meaning of a family’s life, the joy of being, made up of the blood affection of mother and child.
The very plot of the painting suggests that for the artist, family happiness lies in “bathing” in mother's love baby.
In search of himself, Kustodiev returns to his wife’s homeland, to the Kostroma province, urgently interrupting his pensioner period of stay abroad.
Since 1900, he has traveled a lot in his native country and abroad, getting acquainted with the works of old and modern masters.
Kustodiev’s formative years as an artist coincided with an increased interest in graphics in the artistic community. Not only representatives of the World of Art, but also Kustodiev’s teacher I.E. Repin were involved in drawing.
Kustodiev, of course, did not stand aside, declaring himself as a wonderful draftsman.
During the first Russian revolution, he contributed to satirical magazines, creating cartoons and caricatures of influential dignitaries. He created a mass of graphically sharp portraits, nudes, many studies and sketches, allowing him to study in detail the mechanisms of this period of creativity.
In 1907, Kustodiev received the title of member of the Union of Russian Artists, and in 1909 - the title of academician of painting. His paintings are shown at domestic and international exhibitions. Many influential people commission portraits from him.
By the end of the 1900s, the Kustodievs already had two children. From the memories of daughter Irina:
“I remember my father when he was still young, unusually active, elegant, cheerful, affectionate. I remember an apartment near the Kalinkin Bridge, on Myasnaya Street, 19. We lived on the third floor. The height of the rooms is unusual. There are five rooms, all of them arranged in a suite. The first is a living room with green striped wallpaper. Behind the living room there is a workshop with two windows, a dining room, a children's room and a parents' bedroom. Parallel to the rooms there is a huge corridor where Kirill and I skated around on roller skates. They ran hide and seek. Sometimes my dad also put on roller skates: he generally loved roller skating. Our house was always full of dogs and cats. Dad closely followed their “personal life”, loved to watch them, and imitated their habits with amazing skill. It seems to me that in this he was similar to A.P. Chekhov - both of them “respected” animals and portrayed them in their works as equal “members of society.”
In the 1900s, Kustodiev was interested in sculpture. The heroes of his sculptural portraits were A. M. Remizov, F. K. Sologub, M. V. Dobuzhinsky, Emperor Nicholas II... different periods life, sculptural portraits of the artist’s family were created: “Children” (1909), “Mother with Child” (1910), made in memory of youngest son an artist who died after his birth.
Many art historians attribute a distinctive feature to Kustodiev painting - theatricality. Kustodiev did a lot for the theater. Success of many theatrical productions V capital theaters depended largely on the artist.
In 1911, Kustodiev wrote the scenery for the play based on A. Ostrovsky’s play “Warm Heart” for the Moscow theater of K. N. Nezlobin. Sketches for the performance were created in Switzerland, where the artist was treated for a diagnosis of bone tuberculosis. Along with recognition and fame, trouble comes to him - a serious illness.
In 1913, in Berlin, he underwent the first operation to remove a tumor in the spinal canal. In 1916 there was a repeat operation, after which the lower part of the body was paralyzed. Then the doctors asked Yu. E. Kustodieva’s wife what to save: arms or legs? “Of course, hands. “He is an artist, and he cannot live without hands,” she answered.
During this most difficult time for the artist, the most festive pictures of colorful provincial life appear, the famous beautiful merchant women... Finding himself cut off from the outside world, he writes fantastic works, more real than reality itself.
In 1913-1916, a group portrait of the artists of the “World of Art” was created (N.K. Roerich (1913), M.V. Dobuzhinsky (1913), I.Ya. Bilibin (1914), E.E. Lansere (1915). I. E. Grabar (1916)). These portraits are distinguished by skill and originality of composition.
The artist received the revolution of 1917 with enthusiasm. On the eve of the anniversary October Revolution participates in the design of Petrograd. In the 20s he depicted on his canvases modern life V festive processions and political demonstrations, illustrates Lenin's collections. In 1925 he went to Moscow to design several performances at the new theater. One of the performances he designed was “The Flea,” written by E. I. Zamyatin based on “Lefty” by N. S. Leskov. The Kustodiev scenery mixed everything that appealed to the viewer: fun and tragedy, parody, reality, popular print, grotesque... He designed Ostrovsky’s plays “Our People - We Will Be Numbered”, “Wolves and Sheep”, “There Wasn’t a Penny, Yes Suddenly Altyn", "Thunderstorm".
However, not all of his plans were realized.
Due to the progression of the disease, the artist could not cope with a cold, which resulted in pneumonia. On May 26, 1927, his heart stopped. B. M. Kustodiev was only 49 years old.
Famous paintings by B. M. Kustodiev
Kustodiev's holiday paintings are imbued with love for everything Russian. They will be understandable and interesting for children up to school age.
"Maslenitsa" (1916)
The famous painting “Maslenitsa” is a symbol of the artist’s creative maturity. Beginning of March. Still standing winter frosts. All the trees are shrouded in white fluffy frost. The spring sky, painted with delicate pink, green, and yellow colors, spreads over the snow-covered city. Birds from distant lands return with loud cries.
Crowds of people took to the city streets. It is felt that all the people, from rich to poor, were looking forward to the end of winter. The sky, birds, people rejoice at the arrival of spring. Townspeople, young and old, gathered at the booths for cheerful performances. Children ride down the icy mountains and play at taking the snowy town. In the foreground of the picture there are huge snowdrifts with fresh marks from felt boots, which emphasizes the crowded nature of the holiday.
Decorated sleighs drawn by pairs and threes of horses are flying everywhere. On logs near the very outskirts of the city, people welcome spring with Maslenitsa songs accompanied by an accordion. Maslenitsa is celebrated on a grand scale: the accordion plays, birds scream, children laugh, runners creak, buffoons make noise...
Bright horse harness with bells and painted arches, elegant attire of the townspeople, flying flags on the booths give the picture a festive feel. We see and hear the Russian daring Maslenitsa.
The artist managed to show us the aesthetic, theatrical side of the holiday, its special flavor, publicity, and street character.
In Russian literature, the painting “Maslenitsa” found many “responses”. In I. Shmelev’s novel “The Summer of the Lord” there is an excerpt:
“Maslenitsa...Even now I still feel this word... bright spots, ringing sounds - it evokes in me; flaming stoves, bluish waves of smoke... a bumpy snowy road, already oily in the sun, with cheerful sleighs diving along it, with cheerful horses in roses, bells and bells, with playful strumming of an accordion..."
The painting was painted after the second operation, at a time when doctors prescribed complete rest to the artist.
Repin accepted the work enthusiastically, perceiving in it the search for a new ideal of beauty. A scandal broke out at the Academy of Arts when purchasing the painting “Maslenitsa”. Some council members decided that this work had nothing to do with art, calling it “popular print.”
“I think,” he said, “the diversity and brightness is very typical of Russian life.”
Tell your child about the history of the celebration. Look carefully at the picture and try, together with your son (daughter), to describe Maslenitsa and the traditions of its celebration.
Offer your child exciting journey based on paintings by Kustodiev. This excursion is unusual. A beautiful, kind fairy tale is composed of the brightest Kustodiev paintings. Welcome to the fairy tale!
Children of middle school age usually become acquainted with some of Kustodiev’s portraits at school. Parents should be familiar with the artist's portraits in order to answer all the child's questions.
Portrait of F. I. Chaliapin
The acquaintance of the two great people took place in 1919. Chaliapin turned to Kustodiev with a proposal to make the scenery and costumes for the opera “Enemy Power” based on A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “Don’t Live the Way You Want,” which he staged at the Mariinsky Theater.
The portrait was created thanks to a fur coat, which attracted the artist’s attention. At the first meeting, the artist asked Chaliapin:
“...Pose for me in this fur coat. Your fur coat is too rich.”
Chaliapin loved the artist’s provincial paintings, which amaze, in his words, “with such cheerful ease of drawing and such appetizing richness of paint in the tireless depiction of Russian people.” It so happened that one day he too became the hero of Kustodiev’s portrait.
F. I. Chaliapin recalled:
“I have known a lot of interesting, talented and good people in my life, but if I have ever seen a truly high spirit in a person, it was in Kustodiev... It is impossible to think without excitement about the greatness of the moral force that lived in this man and which would otherwise cannot be called heroic and valiant.”
Chaliapin posed for the wheelchair-bound artist. The canvas with the stretcher had to be moved with a special device mounted under the ceiling.
Initially the painting was titled “F. I. Chaliapin in an unfamiliar city."
The portrait of Chaliapin enjoys special fame. The singer's figure occupies the entire foreground. It barely fits into the canvas format. A beautiful ruddy face, a free stage pose, a ring on the little finger, an open fur coat with shimmering fur, a concert costume with a bow, a colorful scarf fluttering in the wind, a cane set aside...
The portrait conveys the spirit of creativity of the owner of a unique voice. The landscape background with folk festivities, aptly chosen by the artist, emphasizes Chaliapin as a man of a broad soul. Behind the artist’s back there is everything that usually happens at Russian Maslenitsa: booths, tables with food, painted carts, ice slides... A poster on the street corner announcing Chaliapin’s tour indicates Chaliapin’s great love for Russian traditions and his homeland.
At the feet of the performer folk songs his favorite dog is standing - a white bulldog. The appearance of this real character in the portrait speaks of the author’s good-natured irony, which was present when creating the picture.
Tell your child about the life and work of F.I. Chaliapin, about his acquaintance with the artist Kustodiev. Listen to his songs.
Children can begin to get acquainted with the gallery of merchant images at primary school age.
"Merchant's Wife at Tea" (1918)
The merchant image personifies the harmony of the Russian world. The artist seems to be saying goodbye to a familiar, understandable, close world for him, defeated (overthrown) in a few days... The work sounds a nostalgic note for the past of Russia, for the picturesque life of the Russian province...
Before us is the Volga town where the artist spent his childhood, where a quiet and measured life flowed.
The merchant's wife embodies the ideal folk beauty: arched eyebrows, lips in a bow, luxurious body, proud to become... A well-groomed face with a pronounced healthy blush speaks of her peace. An important cat, very similar to its owner, clung to the heroine’s shoulder. He is comfortable in this world. On the table there is a huge samovar, a vase with jam, bowls of fruit, a basket with buns and sweets... There is a saucer in the merchant’s hand. Shown here old tradition, which existed in Rus' - drinking tea from a saucer.
In the distance, on the veranda, sitting over tea merchant family. The artist emphasizes the iron regularity of her existence against the background of a frozen landscape and a provincial town, showing time as if stopped.
In the year the picture was created, the year of famine and devastation, the collapse of old Russia occurs, civil war, human life is devalued...
Until recently, incorrect associations associated with the Kustodiev merchant women were accepted. The description of the painting corresponded to political requirements. And the arbitrary meaning of the works was chosen, far from the author’s. Lazy merchant women symbolized a well-fed woman frozen in inertia merchant Russia. The description of the painting was as follows: The merchant's wife has a narrow range of interests. She thoughtlessly and languidly looks at the life around them. It is no coincidence that the lush still life was introduced into the picture. It helps to imagine the environment of abundance in which the heroine lives. In the paintings we see ripe fruits and vegetables (“The Merchant’s Wife”), watermelon, grapes, apples, gilded cups (“The Merchant’s Wife at Tea”), rings, silk, necklaces (“The Merchant’s Wife with a Mirror”)…
Nowadays, parents and teachers should look at things objectively and should not impose the wrong point of view on the child.
Tell your child about the artist’s childhood and the history of merchants in Rus'. It is important to show merchant life, its way of life and foundations as a significant part of Russian culture.
Ask your child to describe the picture and name the Russian features of merchant life that the artist depicted.
Kustodiev’s works dedicated to the revolution arouse interest among children of high school age. It is difficult for a high school student to understand the meaning of these works. The parents’ task is to study the works and explain their content. It is incorrect to talk to a child about Kustodiev’s closeness to Bolshevik ideas. Kustodiev belonged to that part of the intelligentsia that greeted the February Revolution with the expectation of change. The October Revolution split society, which resulted in a bloody civil war.
"Bolshevik" (1919)
Some art historians argue that the Bolshevik, in his appearance, determination and courage, resembles the “All-Russian elder” M.I. Kalinin.
The image of a Bolshevik is a generalized image that expresses the scale of the transformations that turned Russia upside down. Kustodiev managed to summarize his own impressions of the revolution using allegory. A crowd flows through the narrow streets of Moscow in a viscous stream. The sky is shining. The sun casts its rays on the roofs of houses, forming blue shadows. A Bolshevik walks above the crowd and houses with a red banner in his hands. The scarlet banner flutters in the wind, capturing the entire city with its flame. A red cloth covered the upper part of the church dome, where the cross is attached, which symbolizes the denial of Orthodoxy in the new ideology. Bright colors give the picture a major sound. The picture evokes fear and anxiety. The armed people below are in a hurry to deal with the old world. There is coldness in the eyes of the huge Bolshevik, as a sign of the irreversibility of change.
The picture “Bolshevik” is quite complex. To understand the author's intention, it is necessary to carefully consider its individual details.
B. M. Kustodiev lived in an era that could not but affect his work. He strove for freedom, truth and beauty, and his dream came true.
I. E. Repin gave a high assessment of Kustodiev’s work, calling him “a hero of Russian painting.”
Here is what the artist N.A. Sautin wrote about him:
“Kustodiev is an artist of versatile talent. A magnificent painter. He entered Russian art as the author of significant works of the everyday genre, original landscapes and portraits with deep content. An excellent draftsman and graphic artist. Kustodiev worked in linocut and woodcut, performed book illustrations and theatrical sketches. He developed his own original artistic system, managed to feel and embody the original features of Russian life.”
Dear reader! What attracts you to the work of the artist B. M. Kustodiev?