Boris Kustodiev

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev (Russian Борис Михайлович Кустодиев, scientific transliteration Boris Kustodiev Michajlovič; born February 23 / March 7, 1878 in Astrakhan, † May 26, 1927 in Leningrad) was a Russian painter and graphic artist.

Life

Born the son of a school teacher he began to study theology after completion of schooling. On the side he took in the period from 1893 to 1896 private painting lessons with PA Vlasov in Astrakhan. In the years 1896 to 1903 he continued his education at the St. Petersburg Academy of Art, among others under the direction of WJ Sawinski and Ilya Repin. He participated in this time together with Ivan Kulikov at working on Repin's painting ceremonial session of the State Council on May 7, 1901 the centenary of its foundation ( Заседание Государственного совета ). At that time he also made ​​several portraits of Russian contemporaries, including Ivan Bilibin (1901 ).

In 1904 he completed his studies and went on to travel abroad. This led him in 1904 to France and Spain, to Italy in 1907 and 1909 to Austria and Germany, and a second time to Italy. Organizer of this study tour was the New Society of Artists. During this period many portraits and genre paintings.

After his return to Russia Boris Kustodiev was appointed in 1909 as a member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. He was just two years earlier in 1907 a member of the Association of Russian Artists. In 1911, he joined the artistic movement I Iskusstwa. A serious illness - tuberculosis - let it load on medical advice a creative break. He went for a year to a private clinic in Switzerland. From 1916 he was a paraplegic.

From 1913 he taught at the New Artists' School in St Petersburg ( Leningrad). After the October Revolution he was a multi-commodity, where he primarily devoted to the issues of the day in Russia after the October Revolution. Thus arose templates for posters, calendars, magazines and books. In addition, he was active lithographically. In 1923 he became a member of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia. He died in 1927 in Leningrad.

Kustodijew created vividly bright and exuberant paintings. He also devoted himself to the illustration of books. He illustrated books by Nikolai Gogol, Mikhail Lermontov and Leo Tolstoy. In the period 1905-1907 he worked for the satirical magazine Schupel ( German: specter ). From 1911 he designed temporary decorations for theater performances. His works are mostly in the Russian Museum, Nizhny Novgorod in the Art Museum, exhibited at the Art Museum of Astrakhan and in the Tretyakov Gallery.

An acquired by the Russian patron Viktor Vekselberg Felixowitsch 2005 at Christie's for £ 1.5 million picture Odalisque of 1919 proved to be a forgery.

Works (selection)

Portrait Kustodijewa Julia, wife of the artist (1903 )

Irina, the daughter of the artist (1906 )

Portrait of Elizaveta Grigoryevna Puschkina (1907 )

Promenade along the Volga (1909 )

The Market ( 1910)

Wife of the merchant (1912 )

Portrait Paula Renee Notthafft (1914 )

The Beautiful (1915 )

Butter Tuesday ( 1916)

Members of the art world (1916-1920)

Portrait of Countess Grabowska (1917 )

Stenka Razin (1918 )

Bolshevik (1920 )

Feodor Chaliapin ( 1921)

Kapitsa and Semyonov ( 1921)

Maximilian Voloshin (1924 )

Russian Venus (1925 /26)

• Tomorrow ( Утро ) ( 1904)
• Fair booths ( Балаганы )
• Fairs ( Ярмарки )
• Rural Holidays ( Деревенские праздники )
• Almost eight weeks ( Масленицы )
• Self-portrait in front of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, 1912, Uffizi Gallery
• Kaufmann women ( Купчихи ) ( 1912)
• Holiday in honor of the 2nd Congress of the Comintern on the Jurizki Square ( Праздник в честь 2- го конгресса Коминтерна на площади Урицкого ) ( 1921)