Zinaida Serebryakova (1884-1967), born Zinaida Evgenievna Lansere, is one of the biggest female names in Russia. She was a bright representative of symbolism and art deco, a member of the World of Art association, and also just a woman with strong character, which endured all the hardships of two wars and revolutions.
There was nothing unexpected in the talent of the future great artist, which was discovered at a young age - she inherited it as a representative of the Benois-Lanceret creative dynasty: the famous architect Nikolai Benois was her grandfather, her father, Eugene Lanseret, was a sculptor, and her mother was a graphic artist.
At the age of 16, Zinaida graduated from a women's gymnasium and entered art school Princess Tenisheva. Later, her education was carried out by the talented portrait painter Osip Braz. And in 1905-1906, Serebryakova studied painting at the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris.
The artist spent many years in exile, but her style was formed in her youth, in St. Petersburg. Zinaida was in love with Russia with all her soul, and the difficult trials that befell the country tormented her much more than separation from her homeland.
TO early period Her works include the paintings “Peasant Girl” (1906) and “Orchard in Bloom. Neskuchnoye” (1908), which are filled with love for the simplicity and natural beauty of the surrounding world and the Russian land. These works were made with the firm hand of a master, which indicates the very early formation of the girl’s professional artistic skills - at that time she was a little over 20 years old.
However, the artist’s skill did not push her to create complex masterpieces, filled with sophisticated techniques and replete with details. On the contrary, Zinaida’s paintings are distinguished by their simplicity and pleasant lightness in depicting reality. She almost never turned to a cold range of colors; her works were dominated by light pastel shades of a warm palette.
Serebryakova’s fame was first brought to her by her own self-portrait, painted in 1909 – it is called “Behind the Toilet”. It was this work that became the most recognizable in the artist’s work. The painting shows a young girl looking in the mirror while combing her long brown hair.
The expressive features of her face force the viewer to linger on the canvas for a long time. Her image simultaneously combines the aristocracy of a representative of a famous family and the simplicity of an ordinary Russian girl, in whose soul passions sometimes boil, and in whose eyes slyness and laughter are hidden. The strap of a light blouse is carelessly lowered from one shoulder, toiletries, knitting and jewelry lie in disarray on the table - the author of the picture does not seek to embellish himself and is not afraid to appear funny in the eyes of the viewer. Both the appearance of the beauty depicted in the self-portrait and the environment around her speak of the energy and cheerfulness of the heroine.
It should be noted that Serebryakova often “dabbled” in portraying herself. One cannot blame her for this inclination - what modern girl miss the chance to take your own photo? Zinaida always had at hand all the necessary tools to perpetuate her image at different times, in different moods, in different clothes, with family and friends. In total, there are at least 15 self-portraits of Serebryakova. Among them, for example, “Self-Portrait in Red” (1921) and “Self-Portrait”, painted in 1946.
It should be noted that the artist did not hesitate to let the viewer not only into her room, but also into her family. It was typical for her to depict her life. Family members very often ended up on the canvas.
One more no less famous work Zinaida, related to domestic genre portraits - “At Breakfast” (1914). On it the artist masterfully depicted warm atmosphere home comfort and peace. The viewer unwittingly ends up visiting the Serebryakova family during lunch.
Her children - Zhenya, Sasha and Tanya - are sitting at a table covered with a white tablecloth, on which plates of food are placed. Genuinely sincere emotions are written on their gentle faces - boredom, curiosity, surprise. The boys are dressed in similar blue shirts, and Tanya is wearing a house dress with nice lace at the collar and on the shoulders. In the corner of the picture you can also notice the presence of an adult - a grandmother, whose hands are carefully pouring soup for one of the children. Judging by the table set, the family lives in abundance, but does not strive for excess.
The period from 1914 to 1917 is considered to be the heyday of Serebryakova’s creativity. At this time, she was especially interested in Russian motifs and themes folk life, peasant life and culture. Love for the motherland is rethought by the artist - probably due to the darkening colors of the First World War, which affected the destinies of many Russian people. Serebryakova emphasizes the unity of the people, their identity and the beauty of the working person. The artist’s tender feelings for her homeland are perfectly conveyed by the paintings “Harvest” (1915), “Peasants. Lunch" (1914) and "Whitening the Canvas" (1917).
The revolution and the events that followed it turned into a series of dramatic events for Serebryakova. Her husband died of typhus, and Zinaida was left alone with four children and a sick mother in her arms. She had to fight hunger and a lack of the basic necessities of life. The issue of selling works became acute.
During that period, Zinaida wrote her most tragic picture - “House of Cards” (1919). And again the main characters were the artist’s children. The house of cards that Katya is building under the strict guidance of her brothers and sister is, of course, a metaphor. It reflects the instability and fragility of life in Russia at that time. Even children forget happy games and begin to build a house out of cards with all seriousness, fearing that it will collapse at any moment.
Speaking about the artist’s work, it is necessary to note her love for the portrait genre. Perhaps no other direction of painting in the work of this artist can compare with her passion for depicting the faces of others.
She painted not only members of her family, but also acquaintances, including quite famous and wealthy people - among them, for example, the poetess Anna Akhmatova, ballerina Alexandra Danilova, art critic Sergei Ernst and Princess Yusupova.
Portraits by Serebryakova are characterized by a partial or complete absence of background - the artist very rarely painted it in detail. She focused all her attention on the characters in her works. She managed to convey the individuality of everyone and “introduce” the viewer to their individual characteristics.
Nude occupies an important place in Serebryakova’s work. It’s amazing how a woman is able to depict the beautiful curves of girls’ bodies with such ardent passion. But the fact is undeniable: Zinaida was just as successful in working in the nude style as portraits and genre sketches on the theme of peasant life. Beautiful young girls were depicted by her in a variety of poses - standing, sitting, imposingly stretched out on the bed. Serebryakova skillfully emphasized the advantages of her models, and she drew out their feminine curves with special admiration.
In 1924, Serebryakova went to Paris, from where she received an order to create a large decorative panel. Separation from her family, albeit temporary, greatly worried Zinaida. But the trip was necessary, as it made it possible to feed the children. And the heavy forebodings did not deceive: the artist was unable to return to her homeland. For many years she was separated from her two children and mother. True, Sasha and Katya managed to be transported to France almost immediately.
During this time, the artist visited a huge number of countries - not only European, but also African. The Moroccan series of Serebryakova’s work deserves special attention. Some of them are made with pastels, the rest with oil paint.
An indelible impression on Zinaida was made by the life of the local people and their customs. In her letter to her brother Eugene, she talks about how much she was amazed that local residents spent a huge amount of time every day sitting in a circle and watching dances, magic tricks and taming snakes.
However, not even the brightest performance allowed Zinaida to forget her longing for her homeland. Only with the onset of the thaw did the country again become “favorable” to Serebryakova. In the last years of her life, she again gained popularity in her homeland and in the union republics. Her works were especially valued, more and more proposals for exhibitions were received, even a series of stamps with her paintings were published, but the artist was never able to return completely. Until her last days, she lived in Paris, which once accepted her in difficult times.
From April 5, 2017 to July 30, 2017, a large-scale monographic exhibition will be held in the Engineering Building of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Zinaida Serebryakova, a Russian artist who became famous at the beginning of the 20th century for her self-portrait, lived a long and eventful life, most of which was spent in exile in Paris. Now, in connection with the holding of a huge exhibition of her works at the Tretyakov Gallery, I would like to remember and talk about her difficult life, about the ups and downs, about the fate of her family.
Zinaida Serebryakova: biography, first successes in painting
She was born in 1884 in the famous artistic family Benois-Lancere, which became famous for several generations of sculptors, artists, architects and composers. Her childhood was spent in a wonderful creative atmosphere surrounded by big family who surrounded her with tenderness and care.
The family lived in St. Petersburg, and in the summer they always moved to the Neskuchnoye estate near Kharkov. Zinaida Evgenievna Serebryakova studied painting privately, first with Princess Tenishcheva in St. Petersburg, then with the portrait painter O. Braz. She later continued her education in Italy and France.
Upon returning from Paris, the artist joined the World of Art society, which united artists of those times, later called the era Silver Age. Her first success came in 1910, after showing her self-portrait “At the Toilet” (1909), which was immediately purchased by P. Tretyakov for the gallery.
The painting depicts a beautiful young woman standing in front of a mirror, doing her morning toilet. Her eyes look welcomingly at the viewer, women's little things are laid out on the table nearby: bottles of perfume, a box, beads, and an unlit candle. In this work, the artist’s face and eyes are still full of joyful youth and sunshine, expressing a bright, emotional, life-affirming mood.
Marriage and children
She spent her entire childhood and youth with her chosen one, constantly communicating both in Neskuchny and in St. Petersburg with the family of her relatives, the Serebryakovs. Boris Serebryakov was her cousin, they loved each other since childhood and dreamed of getting married. However, this did not work out for a long time due to the church’s disagreement with consanguineous marriages. And only in 1905, after an agreement with the local priest (for 300 rubles), their relatives were able to arrange a wedding for them.
The newlyweds had completely opposite interests: Boris was preparing to become a railway engineer, loved risk and even went to practice in Manchuria during Russo-Japanese War, and Zinaida Serebryakova was fond of painting. However, they were very tender and strong love relationship, bright plans for a future life together.
Their life together began a year long, where the artist continued to study painting at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, and Boris studied at the Higher School of Bridges and Roads.
Returning to Neskuchnoye, the artist is actively working on landscapes and portraits, and Boris continues his studies at the Institute of Railways and takes care of the house. They had four children of the same age: first two sons, then two daughters. During these years, many works were dedicated to her children, which reflect all the joys of motherhood and the growing up of children.
The famous painting “At Breakfast” depicts a family feast in a house where love and happiness live, depicts children at the table, surrounding household little things. The artist also paints portraits of herself and her husband, sketches of economic life in Neskuchny, draws local peasant women in the works “Whitening the Canvas”, “Harvest”, etc. Locals they loved the Serebryakov family very much, respected them for their ability to manage a household, and therefore gladly posed for the artist’s paintings.
Revolution and famine
The revolutionary events of 1917 reached Neskuchny, bringing fire and disaster. The Serebryakov estate was burned down by the “fighters of the revolution,” but the artist herself and her children managed to leave it with the help of local peasants, who warned her and even gave her several bags of wheat and carrots for the road. The Serebryakovs move to Kharkov to live with their grandmother. During these months, Boris worked as a road specialist, first in Siberia, then in Moscow.
Not receiving any news from her husband, and very worried about him, Zinaida Serebryakova goes to look for him, leaving the children with her mother. However, after their reunion on the road, Boris contracted typhus and died in the arms of loving wife. Zinaida is left alone with 4 children and an elderly mother in hungry Kharkov. She works part-time at an archaeological museum, making sketches of prehistoric skulls and using the money to buy food for her children.
Tragic "House of Cards"
The painting “House of Cards” by Zinaida Serebryakova was painted a few months after the death of her husband Boris, when the artist lived from hand to mouth with her children and her mother in Kharkov, and became the most tragic among her works. Serebryakova herself perceived the title of the painting as a metaphor for her own life.
It was painted with oil paints, which were the latest in that period, because... All the money was spent to prevent the family from dying of hunger. Life fell apart like a house of cards. And the artist had no prospects ahead in her creative and personal life; the main thing at that time was to save and feed her children.
Life in Petrograd
There was no money or orders for painting work in Kharkov, so the artist decides to move the whole family to Petrograd, closer to relatives and cultural life. She was invited to work in the Petrograd Department of Museums as a professor at the Academy of Arts, and in December 1920 the whole family was already living in Petrograd. However, from teaching activities she refused in order to work in her workshop.
Serebryakova paints portraits, views of Tsarskoye Selo and Gatchina. However, her hopes for better life did not materialize: there was also famine in the Northern capital, and we even had to eat potato peelings.
Rare customers helped Zinaida feed and raise her children; daughter Tanya began studying choreography at the Mariinsky Theater. They constantly came to their house young ballerinas who posed for the artist. This is how a whole series of ballet paintings and compositions were created, which show young sylphs and ballerinas getting dressed to go on stage in a performance.
In 1924, a revival began. Several paintings by Zinaida Serebryakova were sold at an exhibition of Russian art in America. Having received the fee, she decides to go to Paris for a while to earn money to support her large family.
Paris. In exile
Leaving the children with their grandmother in Petrograd, Serebryakova came to Paris in September 1924. However, creative life here she turned out to be unsuccessful: at first she did not have her own workshop, there were few orders, she managed to earn very little money, and even that she sent to her family in Russia.
In the biography of the artist Zinaida Serebryakova, life in Paris turned out to be a turning point, after which she could never return to her homeland, and she would see her two children only 36 years later, almost before her death.
The brightest period of life in France is when her daughter Katya comes here, and together they visit small towns in France and Switzerland, making sketches, landscapes, portraits of local peasants (1926).
Trips to Morocco
In 1928, after painting a series of portraits for a Belgian entrepreneur, Zinaida and Ekaterina Serebryakov set off on a trip to Morocco with the money they earned. Struck by the beauty of the East, Serebryakova makes a whole series of sketches and works, drawing eastern streets and local residents.
Returning to Paris, she organized an exhibition of “Moroccan” works, collecting a huge number of rave reviews, but could not earn anything. All her friends noted her impracticality and inability to sell her work.
In 1932, Zinaida Serebryakova again traveled to Morocco, again doing sketches and landscapes there. During these years, her son Alexander, who also became an artist, was able to escape to her. He is engaged in decorative activities, designs interiors, and also makes custom lampshades.
Her two children, having arrived in Paris, help her earn money by actively engaging in various artistic and decorative works.
Children in Russia
The artist’s two children, Evgeny and Tatyana, who remained in Russia with their grandmother, lived very poorly and hungry. Their apartment was compacted, and they occupied only one room, which they had to heat themselves.
In 1933, her mother E.N. Lansere died, unable to withstand hunger and deprivation, the children were left on their own. They have already grown up and have also chosen creative professions: Zhenya became an architect, and Tatyana became a theater artist. Gradually they arranged their lives, created families, but for many years they dreamed of meeting their mother, constantly corresponding with her.
In the 1930s, the Soviet government invited her to return to her homeland, but in those years Serebryakova worked on a private order in Belgium, and then the Second World War began. world war. After the end of the war, she became very ill and did not dare to move.
Only in 1960 was Tatyana able to come to Paris and see her mother, 36 years after the separation.
Serebryakova exhibitions in Russia
In 1965, during the Thaw years in the Soviet Union, the only lifetime personal exhibition of Zinaida Serebryakova took place in Moscow, then it was held in Kyiv and Leningrad. The artist was 80 years old at that time, and she was unable to come due to her health, but she was immensely happy that she was remembered in her homeland.
The exhibitions were a huge success, reminding everyone of the forgotten great artist who was always devoted to classical art. Serebryakova was able, despite all the turbulent years of the first half of the 20th century, to find her own style. In those years, impressionism and art deco, abstract art and other movements dominated in Europe.
Her children, who lived with her in France, remained devoted to her until the end of her life, arranging her life and helping her financially. They never started their own families and lived with her until her death at the age of 82, after which they organized her exhibitions.
Z. Serebryakova was buried in 1967 at the Saint-Genevieve des Bois cemetery in Paris.
Exhibition in 2017
The exhibition of Zinaida Serebryakova at the Tretyakov Gallery is the largest in the last 30 years (200 paintings and drawings), dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the artist’s death, and runs from April to the end of July 2017.
The previous retrospective of her work took place in 1986, followed by several projects that showed her work in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg and in small private exhibitions.
This time, the curators of the French Fondation Serebriakoff collected a large number of works to make a grandiose exhibition, which during the summer of 2017 will be located on 2 floors of the gallery’s Engineering building.
The retrospective is arranged chronologically, which will allow the viewer to see the various creative lines of the artist Zinaida Serebryakova, starting from early portraits and ballet works of dancers Mariinsky Theater, which were made in Russia in the 20s. All her paintings are characterized by emotionality and lyricism, a positive feeling of life. IN separate room works with images of her children are presented.
The next floor contains works created in Paris in exile, including:
- Belgian panels commissioned by Baron de Brouwer (1937-1937), which were at one time thought to have been lost during the war;
- Moroccan sketches and sketches written in 1928 and 1932;
- portraits of Russian emigrants, which were painted in Paris;
- landscapes and nature studies of France, Spain, etc.
Afterword
All children of Zinaida Serebryakova continued creative traditions and became artists and architects, working in various genres. Serebryakova’s youngest daughter, Ekaterina, lived long life, after the death of her mother, she was actively involved in exhibition activities and work at the Fondation Serebriakoff, died at the age of 101 in Paris.
Zinaida Serebryakova was devoted to the traditions of classical art and acquired her own style of painting, demonstrating joy and optimism, faith in love and the power of creativity, capturing many beautiful moments of her life and those around her.
(1884-1967) Russian painter, graphic artist
Zinaida Serebryakova was born into a family where everyone was involved in art. The artist’s great-grandfather A. Kavos and her grandfather N. Benois were famous architects. Father, E. Lanceray, was engaged in sculpture, his works are kept in leading museums in the country and the world. Mother, E. Lanseray (née Benois), studied painting with P. Chistyakov, from whom everyone studied famous painters Russia in the seventies and eighties of the XIX century. True, she did not become a professional; she considered herself an amateur artist. Brother, E. Lanceray, became a painter, graphic artist, and member of the World of Art society. Zinaida Serebryakova's uncle, A. Benois, was considered a recognized authority in the history of art and was himself an extraordinary painter.
Zinaida was born on the Neskuchnoye estate, which belonged to her father. After his sudden death, the artist’s mother and her children moved to St. Petersburg and settled in the house of her father N. Benoit. From that time on, Zinaida Serebryakova grew up in an atmosphere of admiration for art. The girl’s drawing abilities were noticed early; the artist herself wrote that she had been drawing for as long as she could remember.
Since 1901, Serebryakova attended the school of the philanthropist Princess M. Tenisheva, where I. Repin taught. Particular influence on its formation creative manner was influenced by a trip to Italy with his mother and sisters.
Returning to Russia, Zinaida continued to take lessons and studied in 1903-1905. in the private art studio of O. Braz, a painter and graphic artist who was part of the World of Art group. In 1905, she went to France, where she entered the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, which was directed by the artists Simon and Dochesne. Soon she was joined by her cousin B. Serebryakov. She studied drawing techniques a lot, and while traveling around the country she constantly made various sketches.
The artist’s first works were sketches made on the Neskuchnoye family estate, located near Kharkov, where she was born and subsequently constantly spent her summers. The artist’s archive contains many drawings and watercolors: she painted almost everything she saw: peasants during agricultural and domestic work, animals, birds, flowers. Hers are also interesting landscape sketches. It is believed that the work of A. Venetsianov, his images of Russian peasants, had a special influence on the artist.
Over time, it turned out that most of Zinaida Serebryakova’s creative heritage consists of portraits of voluntary sitters - friends and relatives, as well as self-portraits. IN the latest genre different states of her life are consistently recorded: from a joyful worldview to quiet sadness caused by complex life's vicissitudes. She will gradually move away from carefully describing the things surrounding her autobiographical heroine, focusing more on conveying her own inner state. Researchers noted that close people do not age in Serebryakova’s paintings (portraits of Katya), because, having once seen their individuality, Zinaida Serebryakova reflects it on her canvases.
In 1905, Zinaida married her cousin B. Serebryakov, who received an engineering degree in 1908. The father had to seek special permission from church authorities for the marriage. It turned out to be successful, although family life Serebryakova's relationship did not last long. IN revolutionary years B. Serebryakov died, and his wife had to raise four children alone. All of them showed themselves in the artistic field. Alexander worked a lot for cinema and theater, painted in watercolors, painting the interiors of private palaces in France and England, Katya became a painter.
The daughter was able to keep her mother’s last apartment, where most of Zinaida Serebryakova’s works created in exile are located. Even the artist’s grandson, the son of her daughter Tatyana, Ivan Nikolaev, is known for his works in the field of monumental art: in particular, he designed the Moscow Borovitskaya metro station.
Since 1909, Zinaida Evgenievna Serebryakova began to exhibit constantly; she participated in the seventh exhibition of the “Union of Russian Artists” (1910) and the exhibition “Modern woman portrait", held in the editorial office of the magazine "Apollo" in St. Petersburg. At the same time, professional fame came to her, and “Self-Portrait” (1910) and one of the peasant compositions acquired Tretyakov Gallery. Researchers note that created in 1914-1917. the paintings are already monumental canvases in which the life of the peasants is consistently revealed.
Since 1911, Zinaida Serebryakova has been a regular exhibitor at exhibitions of the World of Art society. She travels a lot: in the Crimea in the summer months (1911-13), in Italy and Switzerland (1914).
In 1914, A. Benois, at the request of the architect A. Shchusev, the author of the Kazan station project, headed the work on monumental paintings station, he involved M. Dobuzhinsky, N. Lanceray, N. Roerich and Zinaida Serebryakova in the work, who made a number of sketches and drawings of panels on the themes “India”, “Siam”, “Turkey”, “Japan”. Carrying out her plan, she spent many hours in libraries, studying the art and history of the countries of the East.
In 1917, Zinaida Serebryakova was nominated as an academician along with A. Ostroumova-Lebedeva and other women artists, but due to revolutionary events the elections did not take place.
In the first post-revolutionary years, Serebryakova lived in Neskuchny with her family, where she survived the death of her husband from typhus and a fire in which her paintings almost burned down. In 1919, she worked in Kharkov, participated in the 1st exhibition of the arts department of the Kharkov Council, and the next year she moved to Petrograd, where she continued to work in museums. For several months, Zinaida Serebryakova worked as an artist at the Archaeological Museum, decorating the halls, showing amazing willpower and courage. After all, the salary was so meager that it was only enough for a pound of butter. There was no heating in the halls, and my fingers were swollen from hunger and cold. Benoit repeatedly sold her works to private collections and sent money to the artist. The artist’s mother helped run the household.
Despite difficult living conditions, Serebryakova continued to work: she bought paints at flea markets from young ladies who had once been involved in fine arts, and now sold their property to feed themselves, and painted scenes from the lives of ballet dancers and city landscapes.
Zinaida Serebryakova strived for her children to receive an education. Daughter Tanya studied at the Petrograd Choreographic School, and the artist often painted right in the theater, creating a whole series of paintings dedicated to dance (pastels from 1922-1923). Even at the end of her creative career, Serebryakova remained faithful to the hobbies of her youth; her lyrical sketch-portrait of the famous ballerina Yvette Chauvire (1962) is interesting.
Children have always remained Zinaida Evgenievna Serebryakova’s favorite subject; she painted them in any situation: at the table, while playing, reading, when they were sleeping or getting dressed. The artist could make a sketch during a conversation, and then create a portrait based on it. Her sketch of the younger S. Prokofiev (son of the composer) in 1927 is amazing: the figure, made in bluish-golden tones, is inscribed in red-brown furniture, which becomes a kind of frame .
The artist’s works were presented at exhibitions of members of the House of Arts and the World of Art (in 1922 and 1924). In particular, Serebryakova presented 16 portraits made in pastels for the 1922 exhibition. In the same year, a monograph about the artist was published by critic N. Ernst.
It is curious that almost all her life Zinaida Serebryakova painted nudes, not only achieving greater self-expression, but also expressing her life credo. She always believed in man, in his beauty. Therefore, her paintings, written in different techniques(oil, sanguine and pastel), so rich in color transitions. The artist always carefully verified the compositional location of nature on the canvas, while simultaneously achieving a particularly decorative effect on the image. A kind of prelude to the “nude” were the portraits of “Bath Girls”, which the novice artist worked on.
The evolution of her creative style in her self-portraits is also noticeable: sometimes, in the absence of another nature, she had to paint herself. From the naive coquetry of a girl, only exploring the world, she comes to the image of her mother, filling her own image with soft lyrical and partly sad tones.
In 1924, Zinaida Evgenievna Serebryakova went to Paris to organize an exhibition; A. Benois assumed that she would be able to earn extra money and financially support her family. The artist believed that she was leaving for a short time, so she took only her son Alexander with her. In 1928, her daughter Katya came to visit her. The family was cut in half: another son and daughter remained with the artist’s mother. Moreover, after graduating from the architectural institute and leaving to work in Vladivostok, son Evgeniy was taken on active duty. military service and could not enter into correspondence with his mother. Tatyana visited her loved ones only after the war; she became the custodian of Serebryakova’s archive and the organizer of her exhibitions in Russia. Later she began to travel to her mother with her brother.
Zinaida Serebryakova's time was distributed between creativity for herself and commissioned works. She remained the head of the family, she had to earn money, but she could not help but write to Serebryakova. Ekaterina recalled that her mother always carried a pencil, pastels and watercolors with her, and constantly made sketches during walks.
In the twenties, Zinaida Serebryakova participated in a number of exhibitions held around the globe: her works were exhibited in America (1923-1924) and Japan (1926-27). Initially they were not in demand, although the artist usually exhibited up to a dozen works. But one of the buyers, Baron Brower, not only ordered portraits of his family members, but also financed Serebryakova’s trip to Morocco in 1928 and 1932. A. Benois described the portraits and still lifes of his niece as follows: “Such freshness, simplicity, accuracy, liveliness, so much light!” In a month and a half, Zinaida Serebryakova painted 60 sketches in pastels, masterfully conveying different types of people. Later, she painted decorative panels for the mansion of Baron Brower near Brussels (the interior design was carried out by her son Alexander). The panel reflects the motifs of the four seasons.
Although the material success of Serebryakova’s Moroccan exhibition turned out to be small, the owners of private galleries nevertheless decided to exhibit the artist’s works: in the Parisian Charpentier Gallery (in 1927, 1930/31, 1932, 1938), in the Parisian galleries of V. Hirschman and Bernheim (1929). From 1927 to 1938, five personal exhibitions of the artist took place.
Fame brought orders, although not much, because Serebryakova did not like to paint ceremonial or cabinet portraits. This is, in particular, the portrait of G. Girshman (1925), created in Paris, the wife of a famous entrepreneur, captured at one time by V. Serov. But the portrait of Zinaida Serebryakova is more intimate. In it, pomp is combined with special sophistication; we see, first of all, an elegant secular beauty, and not an arrogant owner of a mansion, as in Serov’s painting.
Serebryakova always tried to talk about a person, his interests, tastes, habits. She carefully recorded inner world portrayed, trying to convey a certain state of mind. Therefore, the poses of her heroes are natural and relaxed; it seems that people took a break from their work for a while to pose for the artist (“Portrait of Mikhail Grinberg”, 1936).
Zinaida Evgenievna Serebryakova constantly participated in joint projects where it was presented Russian art(in Paris, in Brussels in 1928), in exhibitions of Russian artists in Berlin and Belgrade (1930), in a joint exhibition with D. Bouchen in Brussels and Antwerp (1931), in exhibitions of Russian art in Paris and Riga ( 1932), Prague (1935).
In the spring of 1932, Zinaida Serebryakova again worked in Morocco at the suggestion of Brower and A. Leboeuf. The Charpantier Gallery presented 63 works by the artist, 40 of which were created in Morocco. Several nudes can be considered unique, because Serebryakova became the first European artist who managed to persuade Moroccan women to pose nude.
She took every opportunity to go on location. At the invitation of her relatives, Zinaida Serebryakova visited London several times, traveled several times to Brittany, from where she brought amazing sketches of Breton women, and landscape sketches of the south of France were also preserved. Serebryakova also painted views of Italy, where she visited in 1929 and 1932, and she managed to visit Belgium and Switzerland.
Still lifes became an important component of her work. When she painted self-portraits, she simply had fun, trying to depict every little detail on the toilet. Later, independent compositions began to be formed from components, individual objects. They continued to reflect the diversity of life and talk about the beauty of nature (“Painting with grapes,” 1934; “Still life with vegetables,” 1936).
After the war, abstract art became widespread. Zinaida Serebryakova always gravitated towards a realistic style of painting and could not count on selling her paintings; nevertheless, in 1954, a personal exhibition of the artist took place in her own studio in Paris, and in 1965-66. - personal retrospective exhibition in Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv and Novosibirsk.
Zinaida Serebryakova was very demanding about her work; she even called the painting “Bather” (1911), stored in the Russian Museum, a sketch, although the painting has large size and very meaningful in terms of artistic design.
She worked in a variety of techniques: she used oil, pastel, tempera, and graphite pencil. Only death could stop the tireless creative search that the artist led throughout her life. Serebryakova is buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery near Paris.
Zinaida Serebryakova is a Russian artist from the creative dynasty of Benois-Lancere-Serebryakov. She studied painting at the school of Maria Tenisheva, in the workshop of Osip Braz and at the Grand Chaumier Academy in Paris. Serebryakova became one of the first women nominated by the Academy of Arts for the title of academician of painting.
"The Most Joyful Thing"
Zinaida Serebryakova (nee Lansere) was born in 1884 in the Neskuchnoye estate near Kharkov, she was youngest child of six children. Her mother, Catherine Lanceret, was a graphic artist and sister of Alexandre Benois. Her father, the sculptor Evgeny Lansere, died of tuberculosis when Zinaida was one and a half years old.
Together with her children, Ekaterina Lanceray moved to St. Petersburg to live with her father, architect Nikolai Benois. Everyone in the family was creative, often visited exhibitions and read rare books on art. Zinaida Serebryakova with youth started drawing. In 1900, she graduated from high school and entered the art school of Princess Maria Tenisheva - Ilya Repin taught here in those years. However, the future artist studied for only a month: she went to Italy to get acquainted with classical art. Returning to St. Petersburg, Serebryakova studied painting in the studio of Osip Braz.
During these years, the Lansere family visited Neskuchnoye for the first time after a long life in St. Petersburg. Zinaida Serebryakova, accustomed to the strict aristocratic views of St. Petersburg, was shocked by the riot of southern nature and picturesque rural landscapes. She made sketches everywhere: in the garden, in the field, she even painted views from the window. Here the artist met her future husband - her cousin Boris Serebryakov.
After the wedding, the newlyweds went to Paris - there Serebryakova studied at the Grand Chaumier Art Academy. After returning, the couple settled in St. Petersburg. However, they often traveled to Neskuchnoye, where the artist spent all her time at the easel: she painted spring meadows and blooming gardens, peasant children and her newborn son. In total, four children were born in the family - two sons and two daughters.
Zinaida Serebryakova. Before the thunderstorm (Neskuchnoye village). 1911. Timing
Zinaida Serebryakova. Orchard in bloom. 1908. Private collection
Zinaida Serebryakova. Orchard. 1908-1909. timing belt
In 1909, Zinaida Serebryakova painted a self-portrait “Behind the Toilet.” A year later, he and 12 more canvases - portraits of acquaintances, “peasant” sketches and landscapes - participated in the World of Art exhibition. Serebryakova's paintings hung next to works by Valentin Serov, Boris Kustodiev, Mikhail Vrubel. Three of them - “Behind the Toilet”, “Greenery in Autumn” and “Youth (Maria Zhegulina)”) were acquired by the Tretyakov Gallery. Serebryakova was elected a member of the World of Art.
“Now she has amazed the Russian public with such a wonderful gift, such a “smile from ear to ear,” that one cannot help but thank her. Serebryakova’s self-portrait is undoubtedly the most pleasant, the most joyful thing... There is complete spontaneity and simplicity, true artistic temperament, something ringing, young, laughing, sunny and clear, something absolutely artistic.”
Alexander Benois
Zinaida Serebryakova. Behind the toilet. Self-portrait. 1909. Tretyakov Gallery
Zinaida Serebryakova. Greenery in autumn. 1908. Tretyakov Gallery
Zinaida Serebryakova. Young woman (Maria Zhegulina). 1909. Tretyakov Gallery
Almost an academician of painting
In the following years, Zinaida Serebryakova continued to paint - landscapes of Neskuchny, portraits of peasant women, relatives and herself - “Self-portrait in a Pierrot costume”, “Girl with a candle”. In 1916, Alexander Benois invited her to his “brigade” when he was assigned to paint the Kazansky railway station in Moscow. The building was also decorated by Boris Kustodiev, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky and Ekaterina Lanceray. Zinaida Serebryakova chose an oriental theme. She depicted the countries of Asia - India and Japan, Turkey and Siam - in the images of beautiful young women.
Zinaida Serebryakova. Whitening the canvas. 1917. Tretyakov Gallery
Zinaida Serebryakova. Girl with a candle (Self-portrait). 1911. Timing
Zinaida Serebryakova. At breakfast (At lunch). 1914. Tretyakov Gallery
In 1917, the Council of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts nominated Zinaida Serebryakova for the title of academician of painting. However, the revolution prevented him from getting it. The revolution found the artist with her children and mother in Neskuchny. It was unsafe to remain on the estate. As soon as the family moved to Kharkov, the estate was looted and burned. The artist got a job at the Kharkov Archaeological Museum, where she sketched exhibits for the catalog. A small salary helped the family survive.
In 1919, Boris Serebryakov made his way to the family. However, the couple did not stay together for long: the artist’s husband died suddenly of typhus.
“For me it always seemed that being loved and being in love was happiness, I was always as if in a child, not noticing life around me, and was happy, although even then I knew sadness and tears... It’s so sad to realize that life is already behind, that time is passing, and there is nothing more but loneliness, old age and melancholy ahead, but there is still so much tenderness and feeling in the soul.”
Zinaida Serebryakova
In January 1920, the Serebryakovs moved to St. Petersburg, to the apartment of Nikolai Benois, which, after compaction, became a communal apartment. Zinaida Serebryakova earned money mainly by painting portraits and selling old canvases. She recalled: “I sew all day long... lengthening Katyusha’s dress, mending linen... I cook it myself oil paints- I grind the powders with poppy seed oil... We still live by some miracle.”.
Soon, one of Serebryakova’s daughters began to study ballet - this is how fresh ideas appeared in the artist’s works. theatrical plots. She spent a lot of time behind the scenes of the Mariinsky Theater, took home props for performances, and invited ballerinas to her place, who willingly posed for the canvases.
Zinaida Serebryakova. In the ballet dressing room (Big Ballerinas). 1922. Private collection
Zinaida Serebryakova. In the ballet dressing room. Ballet " Swan Lake" 1922. Timing
Zinaida Serebryakova. Sylph Girls (Ballet “Chopiniana”). 1924. Tretyakov Gallery
Portraits for a promise to advertise
In 1924, Zinaida Serebryakova participated in an American charity exhibition for Russian artists. Her paintings were a great success; several paintings were immediately bought. In the same year, Serebryakova, with the support of her uncle Alexander Benois, left for Paris. The artist planned to work a little in France and return to the USSR. However, this turned out to be impossible: she still wrote a lot and received very little money for it. Serebryakova sent all her fees to Russia - to mothers and children.
Nikolay Somov, artist
With the support of the Red Cross and relatives, two children - Alexander and Catherine - were sent to Paris in 1925 and 1928. But Evgeniy and Tatyana remained in the USSR.
Once Zinaida Serebryakova painted family portraits for a Belgian entrepreneur. She received a large fee: enough money to travel with her children to Morocco. The country delighted the artist. Serebryakova wrote: “Everything here amazed me to the extreme. And costumes of the most diverse colors, and all human races mixed here - blacks, Arabs, Mongols, Jews (totally biblical). I’m so stupefied by the newness of my impressions that I can’t figure out what or how to draw.”. After the trip, new still lifes, city landscapes and portraits of Moroccan women appeared from Serebryakova’s brush - bright and juicy.
Zinaida Serebryakova. Woman opening her veil. 1928. Kaluga Regional Art Museum
Zinaida Serebryakova. View of the Atlas Mountains from the terrace. Marrakesh. Morocco. 1928. Kaluga Regional Art Museum
Zinaida Serebryakova. Young seated Moroccan woman. 1928. Private collection
In the 1930s, Serebryakova held several solo exhibitions in Paris, but very little was sold. In 1933, her mother died of hunger, and Serebryakova decided to go to Russia to join her children. She was once again hindered by circumstances: first the paperwork was delayed, then the Second World War began. See you with eldest daughter the artist succeeded only 36 years after the separation - in 1960, Tatyana Serebryakova was able to go to her mother in Paris.
In the mid-60s, an exhibition of paintings by Zinaida Serebryakova was held in Moscow. But the artist could not come: at that time she was already 80 years old. Two years later, Zinaida Serebryakova passed away. She was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery.
All children of Zinaida Serebryakova became artists. The eldest, Evgeniy, worked as an architect-restorer. The “Parisian” children painted in the rare genre of watercolor or gouache miniatures in the tradition early XIX century. Alexander painted types of estates to order, including Russian ones - their architectural appearance he reconstructed from memory. Catherine, who lived to be 101 years old, also painted estates, palace interiors, and created custom building models. Tatyana worked as a theater artist at the Moscow Art Theater.
In 2015, one of Zinaida Serebryakova’s paintings was sold at Sothbey’s for £3,845,000 - that’s about $6,000,000. “Sleeping Girl” became her most expensive painting to date.
Zinaida Serebryakova (1884 - 1967) was waiting happy life. Beautiful and kind girl. Married for great love. She gave birth to four healthy children.
Joyful everyday life of a happy mother and wife. Which had the opportunity to realize itself. After all, she, like many children in the Lanseray-Benois family, painted with early childhood.
But everything began to fall apart in 1917. She was 33 years old. Wonderful world turned into a series of hardships and suffering.
Why didn’t Serebryakova fit into new era? What forced her to leave for Paris forever? Why will she be separated from her children for 36 years? And recognition would come to her only a year before her death in 1966?
Here are 7 paintings by the artist that tell us about her life.
1. Behind the toilet. 1909
Zinaida Serebryakova. In front of the mirror (self-portrait). 1910 State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Wikipedia.orgUnusual self-portrait. The girl is reflected in the mirror. We understand this from the double candle. Snow-white underwear. White in the interior. Women's trinkets in front of the mirror. Pink blush. Big eyes and a spontaneous smile.
Everything is so charming and fresh. It's like an allegory of carefree youth. When the mood is good even in the morning. When there is a day ahead full of pleasant worries. And there is so much beauty and health in stock that it will last for many more years.
Zinaida Serebryakova was a sickly and withdrawn child as a child. But her childhood thinness turned into an elegant figure. And isolation leads to a modest and friendly character.
Her friends noted that she always looked younger than her age. Both at 40 and 50 years old, she hardly changed in appearance.
Self-portraits of Z. Serebryakova (aged 39 and 53 years).
The self-portrait “Before the Mirror” was painted in happy years life. She married her cousin, with whom she was deeply in love. She has already given birth to two boys. Life went on as usual on their family estate Neskuchnoye.
2. At breakfast. 1914
Zinaida Serebryakova. At breakfast. 1914 State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. Art-catalog.ruThere are three children of Serebryakova in the picture. Zhenya buried his nose in the glass. Sasha turned around. Tanya also looks attentively, putting her pen on the plate. The fourth child, Katya, is still in the arms of her nurse. She is too small to sit at a common table.
Why is the picture called “At Breakfast”? After all, on the table we see a tureen.
Before the revolution, it was customary to have two breakfasts. One was easy. The second one is more satisfying. Which later became known as lunch.
The plot of the picture is very simple. It's like a photograph was taken. Grandma's hand pouring soup. View of the table slightly above, from the height of an adult. Children's immediate reactions.
My husband is not at the table. He is a travel engineer. And at that time I was on a business trip in Siberia. On construction railway.
3. Whitening the canvas. 1917
Zinaida Serebryakova. Whitening the canvas. 1917 State Tretyakov Gallery. Artchive.ruIn the 1910s, Serebryakova created a series of works with peasants. Who worked on her estate. She got up very early and ran with the paints to the field. To make sketches from life.
Serebryakova was an esthete. Her simple women are all beautiful. By passing the images through herself, they came out purified and clear to her. Even the most ordinary person became special. The most unsightly thing is amazing.
Her paintings were in stark contrast to the works of other artists. At that time, they admired the luxurious Vrubel and the extraordinary Chagall.
Left: . 1890 State Tretyakov Gallery. Right: . Birthday. 1915 Museum contemporary art, New York
Among these bright, expressive images, Serebryakova’s unassuming peasant women stood apart. But she was still appreciated. And they even awarded the title of academician at the beginning of 1917.
But life full of confession and prosperity will collapse very soon. Like a house of cards.
4. House of cards. 1919
Serebryakova Zinaida. House of cards. 1919 Russian Museum, St. Petersburg. Artchive.ruThis is one of Serebryakova’s saddest paintings. There is no extravaganza of light colors on it. Only sad children. A fragile house of cards. And even the lying doll takes on a sinister meaning. A tragedy occurred in Serebryakova’s life...
It's 1919. The peasants approached the owners' house in a crowd. They decided to warn Zinaida that things were really bad. Almost all the estates around were plundered. And if something happens, they will not be able to protect the housewife and children.
Serebryakova put the children and mother on the cart. They left forever. In a few days the estate will be set on fire.
There was no news of my husband for a whole year. He was in prison. On the way home he catches typhoid fever. And he will quickly fade away in his wife’s arms.
Serebryakova was a monogamist. Even then she realized that her happy life was over forever. She will never get married again.
5. Snowflakes. 1923
Zinaida Serebryakova. Ballet restroom. Snowflakes (ballet “The Nutcracker”). 1923 State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg. Artchive.ruSerebryakova had four children and an aging mother in her arms. It was necessary to feed the family. And she decided to move to St. Petersburg. Hoping to make money there.
I often painted ballerinas at the Mariinsky Theater. In the theater that her great-grandfather once designed.
The ballerinas are not depicted on stage. And behind the scenes. Straightening hair or pointe shoes. Again the effect of a photograph. A moment in the life of beautiful, elegant girls.
But in St. Petersburg, her work brought her mere pennies. Her paintings did not fit into the new era.
Artists were required to retrain as poster artists and designers of Soviet life. Progressive Stepanova and Rodchenko willingly obeyed the call “Artist to production.”
Left: Varvara Stepanova. Sportswear project. 1923 Right: Alexander Rodchenko. Poster “There have never been better nipples.” 1923
Poverty haunted the family. Serebryakova decided to go to Paris to work. I thought for a couple of months. But it turned out to be forever.
6. Illuminated by the sun. 1928
Serebryakova Zinaida. Illuminated by the sun. 1928 Kaluga state museum. Avangardism.ruIn Paris, things went well at first. She painted portraits to order.
However, Serebryakova lacked the ability to defend her interests. She gave portraits as gifts or sold them for pennies, just to win the sympathy of wealthy clients. Many took advantage of this generosity. As a result, I worked almost at a loss. I got out of it. I made homemade paints. To keep working.
One day - luck. Baron Brower ordered a Serebryakova panel for his mansion. He liked the artist’s work so much that he even sponsored her trip to Marrakech. Where she gained incredible impressions.
There her masterpiece “Sunlit” was written. Incredible feeling from the picture. The heat, from which the air “melts” and stings the eyes. In contrast with the dark skin of the smiling Moroccan woman.
It's amazing that the picture was painted in 30 minutes! The Koran forbids people to pose. Therefore, Serebryakova worked at phenomenal speed to complete the drawing in half an hour. Her Moroccan models did not agree to more.
But vivid impressions only temporarily muted heartache. The Soviet government allowed only her two children, Sasha and Katya, to leave the country ( youngest son and youngest daughter).
The two remaining children, the eldest Zhenya and Tatyana, were never released for unknown reasons. She would see them only 36 years later.
7. Sleeping model. 1941
Zinaida Serebryakova. Sleeping model. 1941 Kiev Museum of Russian Art. Gallerix.ruIn Paris, Zinaida created many nudes. They are written in neoclassical style. Like the old masters. Her nudes are similar to or Giorgione. Beautiful. Tender. Pink-skinned.
There was not a drop of Russian blood in Serebryakova. She was French by origin (nee Lanceray). But in France she felt Russian. She wasn't friends with anyone. She worked around the clock.
Besides, she was again out of fashion. Art Deco style ruled the roost.
Left: Tamara Lempicka. Self-Portrait in Green Baghetti. 1929 Private collection. Right: Jean Dupas. Woman in a fur cape. 1929. Private collection.
As her daughter Katya recalls, there were many artists around who followed fashion. Move the brush up and down. They will call it something special. And they sell.
Serebryakova could not agree to this. What about the details? What about the color? And she persistently painted her classic nudes. It was rare that we managed to sell it.
One joy. After the war, her children were allowed to visit their mother. Daughter Tatyana was already 48 years old. She recalls that she easily recognized her mother. She hasn't changed much. Same bangs, same smile...