Kustodiev's works. Boris Kustodiev - biography, photos, paintings, personal life of the artist

artistic talent Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev the world-famous representative of Russian painting of the last century, gave us a nostalgic world, sunny and joyful, emphasizing the feeling of a holiday with bright colors. As a student, Kustodiev not only inherited Repin's manner and style, but also introduced a play of colors inherent only to him, which involuntarily charges with positive and happiness. It is worth noting that the formation of Boris Mikhailovich as an artist began long before he met the teacher, this is evidenced by his work, riddled with echoes of childhood attachments and experiences.

Kustodiev was born in the family of a seminary teacher in 1878 in Astrakhan. Fate decreed that Boris's father died when the boy was a little over a year old, and all responsibility for upbringing fell on the fragile shoulders of his mother - a 25-year-old widow with four children in her arms. Despite a very modest income, the family lived together, and maternal love brightened up the difficulties of life, making it possible to form a creative personality. It was the mother, Ekaterina Prokhorovna, who instilled in her children a love for high art - theater, literature, painting. Such an upbringing clearly defined the future of Boris, and already at the age of 9 he knew that he would become an artist.

In 1892, having entered the Astrakhan Theological Seminary, Kustodiev simultaneously began to take lessons from the local painter A.P. Vlasov. With the blessing of Vlasov, in 1896 Kustodiev became a student at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and after two years was accepted into the workshop of Ilya Repin. The great artist immediately drew attention to the student, placing great hopes on him, which subsequently resulted in joint work on a monumental canvas -. The result of such a successful start was the defense of the thesis with a gold medal and an internship abroad. On his journey to Europe, the artist went with a young family, a recently born son and a young wife - Yulia Evstafievna Proshinskaya.

Subsequently, in 1905, paying tribute to the fateful meeting with his love, Kustodiev built the house-workshop "Terem" near the city of Kineshma, on the Volga. "Terem" became the place of work and creativity of the artist, and here, almost every summer, Boris Mikhailovich was seized by a feeling that is commonly called happiness, inspiring him to create and realize the fullness of life. Beloved wife, who became a faithful assistant, son and daughter, in the indestructible concept of the family, were reflected in the artist's work and became a separate big theme in his painting (the painting "Morning").

A year earlier, in 1904, the artist spent several months abroad, in and out, visiting exhibitions and museums. Native expanses called Boris Mikhailovich to Russia and, returning to his homeland, Kustodiev plunged into the world of journalism, collaborating with the satirical magazines Zhupel and Infernal Mail. So, the first Russian revolution inspired him to try his hand at cartoons and caricatures of government officials.

The year 1907 became eventful: a trip to, a passion for sculpture, membership in the Union of Artists. And in 1908, the world of theater opens up for Kustodiev - he works as a decorator at the Mariinsky. The popularity of Boris Mikhailovich is growing, the fame of the portrait painter becomes the reason for the famous work of Nicholas II in 1915, but long before that, in 1909, trouble came to the artist's family - the first signs of a spinal cord tumor appear. Despite this, he continues to actively travel around Europe, receiving the title of academician of painting in the same year. Having visited Austria, Italy, France and Germany, Kustodiev goes to Switzerland, where he undergoes treatment. Subsequently, in Berlin in 1913, he undergoes a complex operation.

It would seem that the disease receded and 1914 was marked by exhibitions at the Bernheim Gallery in Paris, International Art Exhibitions in Venice and. In 1916, Kustodiev underwent a second operation, which resulted in paralysis of the lower body and amputation of the legs. Since then, the whole world of the artist is his room, memory and imagination. It was during this period that he wrote his most vivid and festive paintings, depicting provincial life (, "Rural Holiday") and the beauty of the body ().

But cheerfulness and optimism are not able to overcome the disease, which, as it progresses, gives the artist a single lifetime exhibition of his own works in 1920 at the Petrograd House of Arts. The last milestones of his life were marked by the design of the play "Flea" and participation in the International Exhibition in Paris.

In 1927, on May 26, at the age of 49, Boris Mikhailovich dies literally while working on a sketch of the triptych conceived by him “The Joy of Work and Rest”. Thus ended the difficult, but full of light and joyful notes, life of the famous artist, who left us a legacy demonstrating a thirst for life and knowledge.

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev painted a huge number of paintings during his life. Many of them are full of bright colors, sun, fun. But not many people know that he spent most of his life in a wheelchair. Despite all the hardships and hardships that he had to endure, his work is striking in its cheerfulness. The biography of the great artist, as well as interesting facts are offered to your attention.

Talented student

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev is rightfully considered one of the famous artists of the last century. He was a student of the great Ilya Efimovich Repin. Boris Mikhailovich not only inherited the style of his teacher, but also introduced something special into it. The inclinations of a creative nature were laid in him at an early age. Let's take a closer look at the fate of this amazingly talented and courageous person.

Boris Kustodiev: biography

He was born in Astrakhan on February 23, 1878. Boris Kustodiev's childhood was not carefree. He hardly remembered his father at all. He died when the boy was only a few years old. A very young mother, Ekaterina Prokhorovna, was left alone with four children. There was very little money, and the family often lived from hand to mouth. What they had in abundance was kindness, tenderness, motherly love. Despite all the difficulties and hardships, the mother was able to instill in her children a love of art. Such upbringing allowed Boris Kustodiev to decide on the choice of profession already at the age of nine. He really liked to observe any changes in nature and transfer it to a piece of paper. Rain, thunderstorm, sunny day, any other phenomena of the surrounding world were reflected in his work.

When Boris Kustodiev was 15 years old, he began to take drawing lessons from P. Vlasov, a talented artist. Thanks to these studies, in 1896 he entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Popularity comes when he begins to draw the faces of the people around him. But the soul demands something else. He likes to depict genre scenes. He goes to the Kostroma province. Here he is looking for nature for his competitive painting "At the Bazaar", and meets his future wife.

fruitful time

Having brilliantly graduated from the Academy, he receives the right to an annual pensioner's trip abroad and in Russia. He goes to Paris with his family. By this time, they had already had a son. Boris Kustodiev studied the work of great artists on trips to Germany, France and other countries. After six months, he returned to his homeland, he works fruitfully. New ideas are reflected in his work, and Boris Kustodiev's paintings are highly appreciated by critics. As a recognition of merit, in 1907 he was admitted to the Union of Russian Artists.

Any information about the idol will always be curious to his fans. We invite you to get acquainted with some details of the biography of Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev, which few people know about:

1. For the first time the boy began to draw at the age of five.
2. Parents were very fond of Russian art, literature, philosophy.
3. Together with I. Repin, Boris Kustodiev completed the famous painting “The Ceremonial Meeting of the State Council”.
4. The artist's paintings became known all over the world when he was only thirty years old. He was trusted to represent Russia abroad, and his work won numerous medals.
5. He was an excellent photographer.
6. Worked in the theatre. Prepared scenery for performances.
7. Because of his illness, Boris Kustodiev was forced to wear a corset from the chin to the waist.
8. Before his death, the artist asked to plant only a birch on his grave, instead of a tombstone.

Boris Kustodiev: creativity

His very first paintings were portraits. It was from them that he began his creative path. But the peculiarity of this artist is that he did not just paint the faces of the people around him. He revealed the individuality of the human soul through the surrounding world. This is how the most striking portraits were created: Chaliapin, Roerich and others.

Later, the artist's work switches to depicting the life of the people and the life of the Russian merchant class. Each detail is in its place and carries a certain semantic load. His paintings are always full of life and colors. Kustodiev liked to embody the world around him in his creations.

Most famous works

Artist Boris Kustodiev painted a large number of paintings throughout his life. There are more than five hundred of them. Let us recall the most famous paintings by Boris Kustodiev.

« Horses during a thunderstorm »

The most talented example of oil painting reflects the artist's love for nature. One of the amazing and terrible natural phenomena - a thunderstorm - is captured in the picture.

"Merchant for tea"

The details here have a great semantic load: a fat lazy cat rubbing against the mistress's shoulder; a merchant couple sitting on a balcony nearby; in the background of the picture you can see a city with shops and a church; genuine admiration is caused by a still life of products located on the table. All this is written incredibly brightly and colorfully, which makes the canvas almost tangible.

"Russian Venus »

When the artist created this amazingly beautiful creation, he was tormented by severe pain. Knowing this, one never ceases to admire the talent and fortitude of a great man. A girl washing in a bath personifies female beauty, health, and life.

"Morning"

On this canvas, Boris Mikhailovich depicted his beloved wife and their first son. With genuine love and tenderness, he captured his loved ones in the picture. To write this picture, the artist used only light and airy colors, he masterfully conveys the play of chiaroscuro in his work.

"Pancake week"

Boris Kustodiev wrote it after a long illness and an operation that led to a wheelchair. Despite the excruciating pain, he creates a picture completely permeated with light, fun and unbridled happiness. The main place on it is given to the rushing three, symbolizing the movement. In addition, in the picture you can also see people participating in fisticuffs, festivities and booths. All this is painted so colorfully, which further enhances the whirlwind of dizzying emotions.

Family happiness

His personal life can only be envied. At the age of 22, in the Kostroma province, where he comes in search of nature, Boris Kustodiev meets his future wife. Yulia Evstafyevna was only 20 years old when they got married. But for the rest of his life she became his support and reliable friend. It was his wife who helped him not to break down after the operation and continue to paint when it already seemed that he had completely lost hope.

In marriage, they had three children. The very first - Cyril - can be seen in one of the paintings of Boris Kustodiev. The second girl was born Irina, and then the boy Igor, but, unfortunately, he died in infancy. Yulia Evstafyevna outlived her husband by as much as fifteen years, remaining faithful to him until the end of her life.

Terrible disease

In 1909, Boris Kustodiev showed the first signs of a terrible disease - a tumor of the spinal cord. The artist underwent several operations, but, alas, all of them only temporarily relieved the pain. It soon becomes clear that the disease has penetrated much deeper, and during the operation it is impossible not to touch the nerve endings. This threatens with paralysis of the arms or legs. The choice confronts the wife, and she understands how important it is for her husband to have at least hope for the continuation of painting. And she chooses hands.

Now Boris Kustodiev is confined to a wheelchair, but his willpower could only be envied. Despite his illness, he continued to paint while lying down. It is impossible not to admire his courage and fortitude. After all, despite all the suffering and excruciating pain, all his works are permeated with bright colors and cheerfulness. It seems that even illness for some time receded before the great power of talent.

last years of life

Despite the illness and the wild pain that he constantly experienced, the artist painted pictures until the end of his life. Boris Kustodiev died at the age of 49. He did not change his style of writing, and even his latest works are permeated with light, goodness and happiness.

Works at Wikimedia Commons

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev(February 23 (March 7), Astrakhan - May 26, Leningrad) - Russian artist.

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev comes from a family of a gymnasium teacher, he began to study painting in Astrakhan with P. A. Vlasov in 1893-1896.

Biography

The father died when the future artist was not even two years old. Boris studied at the parochial school, then at the gymnasium. From the age of 15 he took drawing lessons from a graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts P. Vlasov.

• - taught at the New Art Workshop (St. Petersburg).
• - Member of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia.

Addresses in St. Petersburg - Petrograd - Leningrad

• 1914 - tenement house - Ekateringofsky prospect, 105;
• 1915 - 05/26/1927 - tenement house of E. P. Mikhailov - Vvedenskaya street, 7, apt. fifty.

Illustrations and book graphics

In 1905-1907 he worked in the satirical magazines "Zhupel" (the famous drawing "Introduction. Moscow"), "Infernal Post" and "Sparks".

Subtly feeling the line, Kustodiev performed a series of illustrations for classical works and for the creations of his contemporaries (illustrations for the works of Leskov "Darner", 1922, "Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District", 1923).

Possessing a solid stroke, he worked in the technique of lithography and engraving on linoleum.

Painting

Kustodiev started his career as a portrait painter. Already while working on sketches for Repin's "Ceremonial 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 similarity with Repin's creative style. But Kustodiev the portrait painter was closer to Serov. Picturesque plasticity, a free long brushstroke, a bright characteristic of appearance, an emphasis on the artistry of the model - these were mostly portraits of fellow students and teachers of the Academy - but without Serov's psychologism. Kustodiev is incredibly fast for a young artist, but deservedly won the fame of a portrait painter from the press and customers. However, according to A. Benois:

“... the real Kustodiev is a Russian fair, motley, “big-eyed” calicos, a barbaric “fight of colors”, a Russian settlement and a Russian village, with their harmonicas, gingerbread, overdressed girls and dashing guys ... I affirm that this is his real sphere, his a real joy ... When he writes fashionable ladies and respectable citizens, it is completely different - boring, sluggish, often even tasteless. And it seems to me that it’s not about the plot, but about the approach to it.”

Already from the beginning of the 1900s, Boris Mikhailovich developed a kind of portrait genre, or rather, a portrait-picture, a portrait-type, in which the model is connected together with the landscape or interior surrounding it. At the same time, this is a generalized image of a person and his unique individuality, its disclosure through the world surrounding the model. In their form, these portraits are associated with the genre images-types of Kustodiev (“Self-portrait” (1912), portraits of A. I. Anisimov (1915), F. I. Chaliapin (1922)).

But Kustodiev's interests went beyond the portrait: it was no coincidence that he chose a genre painting for his thesis (“At the Bazaar” (1903), has not been preserved). In the early 1900s, for several years in a row, he went to field work in the Kostroma province. In 1906, Kustodiev came up with works that were new in their concept - a series of canvases on the themes of brightly festive peasant and provincial philistine-merchant life (“Balagany”, “Pancake Week”), in which features of Art Nouveau are visible. Spectacular, decorative works reveal the Russian character through the everyday genre. On a deeply realistic basis, Kustodiev created a poetic dream, a fairy tale about provincial Russian life. Great importance in these works is attached to the line, drawing, color spot, the forms are generalized and simplified - the artist turns to gouache, tempera. The artist's works are characterized by stylization - he studies the Russian parsuna of the 16th-18th centuries, popular prints, signs of provincial shops and taverns, and folk crafts.

In the future, Kustodiev gradually shifts more and more towards the ironic stylization of the folk and, especially, the life of the Russian merchants with a riot of colors and flesh (“Beauty”, “Merchant for Tea”).

Theatrical work

Like many artists of the turn of the century, Kustodiev also worked in the theater, transferring his vision of the work to the stage. The scenery performed by Kustodiev was colorful, close to his genre painting, but this was not always perceived as a merit: 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 reading of the play ("The Death of Pazukhin" by Saltykov- Shchedrin, 1914, Moscow Art Theater; Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm, which never saw the light of day, 1918). In his later works for the theater, he moves away from the chamber interpretation to a more generalized one, looking for greater simplicity, building a stage space, giving freedom to the director when building mise-en-scenes. The success of Kustodiev was his design work in 1918-20. opera performances (1920, The Tsar's Bride, Bolshoi Opera House of the People's House; 1918, The Snow Maiden, Bolshoi Theater (no production)).

The performances of Zamyatin's Fleas (1925, Moscow Art Theater 2nd; 1926, Leningrad Bolshoi Drama Theater) were successful. According to the memoirs of the director of the play A. D. Wild:

“It was so vivid, so precise, that my role as a director accepting sketches was reduced to zero - I had nothing to correct or reject. It was as if he, Kustodiev, had been in my heart, overheard my thoughts, read Leskovsky's story with the same eyes as me, and saw him in stage form in the same way. ... Never have I had such complete, such inspiring unanimity with the artist, as when working on the play "Flea". I knew the whole meaning of this community, when Kustodiev's farcical, bright scenery appeared on the stage, props and props made according to his sketches appeared. The artist led the whole performance, took, as it were, the first part in the orchestra, which obediently and sensitively sounded in unison.

After 1917, the artist participated in the design of Petrograd for the 1st anniversary of the October Revolution, painted posters, popular prints and paintings on revolutionary themes (“Bolshevik”, 1919-20, Tretyakov Gallery; “Celebration in honor of the 2nd Congress of the Comintern on Uritsky Square” , 1921, Russian Museum).

Literary activity

B. M. Kustodiev. Letters. Articles, notes, interviews…, [L., 1967].

Gallery

• "Introduction. Moscow» drawing
• "Morning", (1904, Russian Museum)
• "Balagany"
• "Trade fairs"
• "Shrovetide"
• self-portrait ( , Uffizi Gallery, Florence)
• "Merchant's women in Kineshma" (tempera, Museum of Russian Art in Kyiv)
• portrait of A. I. Anisimov (, Russian Museum)
• "Beauty" (1915, Tretyakov Gallery)
• "Merchant for tea" (1918, Russian Museum)
• "Bolshevik" (1919-20, Tretyakov Gallery)
• "F. I. Chaliapin at the fair "(, RM)
• "Moscow tavern" ()
• "Portrait of A.N. Protasova" ()
• "Nun" ()
• "Portrait of Ivan Bilibin" ()
• "Portrait of S.A. Nikolsky" ()
• "Portrait of Vasily Vasilyevich Mate" ()
• "Self-portrait" ()
• "Portrait of a woman in blue" ()
• "Portrait of the writer A.V. Schwartz" ()
• "Fair" ()
• "Zemskaya school in Moscow Russia" ()
• "Portrait of Irina Kustodieva with the dog Shumka" ()
• "Nun" ()
• "Portrait of N.I. Zelenskaya" ()
• "Freezing day" ()
• “Portrait of N.K. von Mecca "()
• "Portrait of Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich" ()
• "Harvest" ()
• “Illustration for the story by N.S. Leskov “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” ()
• "Village holiday. Fragment" ()
• "At the icon of the Savior" ()
• “Square on the outskirts of the city. Sketch of the scenery for the play by A.N. Ostrovsky "Hot Heart" "()
• "Red Tower of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra" ()

see also

• Astrakhan Art Gallery named after P. M. Dogadin (formerly named after B. M. Kustodiev)

Notes

Bibliography

• Warriors V. B. M. Kustodiev. - L., 1925.
• Knyazeva V.P. Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev: (1878-1927), exhibition catalog / State Russian Museum; [ed. foreword]. - L .: State. Russian Museum, 1959. - 117, p., l. ill., port.
• Etkind M. B. M. Kustodiev. - L. - M., 1960.
• Lebedeva V. E. Kustodiev: Painting. Picture. Theatre. Book. Print. - M .: Nauka, 1966. - 244 p. - 10,000 copies.(in lane, superregional)
• Savitskaya T. A. B. M. Kustodiev. - M .: Art, 1966. - 148, p. - 25,000 copies.(region, superregion)
• Etkind M. G. Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev. - L.: Artist of the RSFSR, 1968. - 64 p. - (People's Art Library). - 20,000 copies.(reg.)
• Alekseeva A. I. The sun on a frosty day: (Kustodiev) / Drawings in the text and on the tab by B. Kustodiev; Cover and titles by the artist B. Ardov .. - M .: Young Guard, 1978. - 176, p. - (Pioneer means first. Issue 60). - 100,000 copies.(in trans.)
• Lebedeva V. E. Kustodiev: Time. Life. Creation. - L .: Children's literature, 1984. - 160 p. - 75,000 copies.(in trans.)
• Turkov A. M. Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev. - M .: Art, 1986. - 160, p. - (Life in art). - 100,000 copies.
• Bogdanov-Berezovsky V. M. Kustodiev // Meetings. - M .: Art, 1967. - S. 159-190. - 280 s. - 25,000 copies.

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• Born in 1878
• Born in Astrakhan
• Deceased May 26
• Deceased in 1927
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• Artists of Russia in the public domain
• Artists of Russia
• Repin Institute graduates
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• who died of tuberculosis
• Buried at the Tikhvin Cemetery
• Pensioners of the Imperial Academy of Arts
• Graduates of the Imperial Academy of Arts

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See what "Kustodiev, Boris Mikhailovich" is in other dictionaries:

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev Self-portrait (1912) Date of birth: February 23 (March 7), 1878 Place of birth ... Wikipedia

Kustodiev, Boris Mikhailovich- Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev. KUSTODIEV Boris Mikhailovich (1878-1927), Russian painter. Colorful scenes of peasant and provincial bourgeois and merchant life (Fair series), portraits (Chaliapin, 1922), illustrations, theatrical ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (1878 1927), owls. painter. In 1905 he completed a number of illustrations. to “Song about ... the merchant Kalashnikov” (ed. On va literacy, St. Petersburg, 1906): ink 4 page illustrations. "Alena Dmitrievna and Kiribeevich", "Fistfight", "Execution of Kalashnikov", "Ivan the Terrible in Moscow ... ... Lermontov Encyclopedia

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev (February 23 (March 7), 1878, Astrakhan - May 26, 1927, Leningrad) - Russian Soviet artist. Academician of painting (1909). Member of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (since 1923). Portrait painter, theater artist, decorator.

Boris Kustodiev was born in Astrakhan. His father, Mikhail Lukich Kustodiev (1841-1879), was a professor of philosophy, history of literature and taught logic at the local theological seminary.

The father died when the future artist was not even two years old. Boris studied at the parochial school, then at the gymnasium. From the age of 15 he took drawing lessons from a graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts P. Vlasov.

In 1896 he entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. He studied first in the workshop of V. E. Savinsky, from the second year - with I. E. Repin. He took part in the work on Repin's painting "The Ceremonial Meeting of the State Council on May 7, 1901" (1901-1903, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). Despite the fact that the young artist gained wide fame as a portrait painter, Kustodiev chose a genre theme (“At the Bazaar”) for his competitive work and in the fall of 1900 he left in search of nature in the Kostroma province. Here Kustodiev met his future wife, 20-year-old Yulia Evstafyevna Proshinskaya. Subsequently, the artist made several picturesque portraits of his beloved wife.

On October 31, 1903, he completed the training course with a gold medal and the right to an annual pensioner's trip abroad and in Russia. Even before the end of the course, he took part in international exhibitions in St. Petersburg and Munich (big gold medal of the International Association).

In December 1903, together with his wife and son, he arrived in Paris. During his trip, Kustodiev visited Germany, Italy, Spain, studied and copied the works of old masters. Entered the studio of Rene Menard.

Six months later, Kustodiev returned to Russia and worked in the Kostroma province on a series of paintings "Fairs" and "Village Holidays".
In 1904 he became a founding member of the New Society of Artists. In 1905-1907 he worked as a cartoonist in the satirical magazine "Zhupel" (the famous drawing "Introduction. Moscow"), after its closure - in the magazines "Infernal Post" and "Iskra". Since 1907 - a member of the Union of Russian Artists. In 1909, on the proposal of Repin and other professors, he was elected a member of the Academy of Arts. At the same time, Kustodiev was asked to replace Serov as a teacher of the portrait and genre class at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, but fearing that this activity would take a lot of time from personal work and not wanting to move to Moscow, Kustodiev refused the position. Since 1910 - a member of the renewed "World of Art".

In 1909, Kustodiev developed the first signs of a spinal cord tumor. Several operations brought only temporary relief; For the last 15 years of his life, the artist was confined to a wheelchair. Due to illness, he was forced to write while lying down. However, it was during this difficult period of his life that his most vivid, temperamental, cheerful works appeared.

Post-revolutionary years he lived in Petrograd-Leningrad. He was buried at the Nikolsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. In 1948, the ashes and the monument were transferred to the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Wife - Yulia Evstafyevna Kustodieva, nee Proshinskaya was born in 1880. In 1900, she met her future husband in the Kostroma province, where Boris Kustodiev went to sketch in the summer. She reciprocated the feelings of the young artist and became his wife, taking her husband's surname. In marriage, the Kustodievs had a son, Cyril, and a daughter, Irina. The third child, Igor, died in infancy. Yulia Kustodieva survived her husband and died in 1942.

In 1905-1907 he worked in the satirical magazines "Zhupel" (the famous drawing "Introduction. Moscow"), "Infernal Post" and "Sparks".

This is part of a Wikipedia article used under the CC-BY-SA license. Full text of the article here →

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 wildlife in as much detail as possible on his artistic canvases.

Like most of the author's works, Kustodiev's landscape canvases are distinguished by their special brightness, expressiveness and saturation of color plans. In Kustodiev's paintings, nature is always much more than just a landscape image. Kustodiev creates his own artistic description of nature, makes it extremely individual, authorial, 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. At the moment, the canvas belongs to the collection of fine arts of the twentieth century of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. The central image and motif of the canvas is already 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 seminary teacher.

Having visited the exhibition of the Wanderers in 1887 and for the first time seeing the paintings of real painters, the young Kustodiev was shocked. He firmly decided to become an artist. After graduating from the seminary in 1896, Kustodiev went to St. Petersburg and entered the Academy of Arts. Being engaged in the workshop of I. E. Repin, Kustodiev writes a lot from nature, strives to master the skill of conveying the colorful diversity of the world.

Walking on the Volga, 1909

Repin attracted the young artist to co-author the painting "Meeting of the State Council" (1901-1903, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). Already in these years, the virtuoso talent of Kustodiev, a portrait painter, manifested itself (I. Ya. Bilibin, 1901). Living in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Kustodiev often traveled to the picturesque corners of the Russian provinces, primarily to the cities and villages of the Upper Volga, where the famous images of Russian traditional life (a series of “fairs”, “maslenitsa”, “village holidays”) and colorful folk types (“merchants”, “merchants”, beauties in the bath - “Russian Venuses”). These series and paintings close to them (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 art forms, continuing his popular "Volga" series.

B.M. Kustodiev in his workshop. 1925

After the revolution, Kustodiev created his best things in the field of book illustration (“Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” by N. S. Leskov; “Rus” by E. I. Zamyatin; both works - 1923; and other drawings) and set design (“Flea” by Zamyatin in Second Moscow Art Theater, 1925; and other decorations). Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev died in Leningrad on May 26, 1927.

Merchant for tea, 1918 Russian Museum

One of the favorite characters in the works of Kustodiev was a portly, full of health merchant's wife. The artist painted merchants many times - in the interior and against the backdrop of the landscape, naked and in elegant dresses.

The painting "The Merchant at Tea" is unique in its impressive strength and harmonic integrity. In the plump Russian beauty of immense thickness, sitting on the balcony at a table laden with dishes, the image of the merchant's wife acquires a truly symbolic sound. Details in the canvas carry a great semantic load: a fat lazy cat rubbing against the hostess’s shoulder, a merchant couple drinking tea on a neighboring 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 pits, a fat cake, buns, fruits, porcelain, a large samovar - all this is written in an unusually real 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, full-blooded bright life, 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 smile.

Merchant with a mirror, 1920, Russian Museum

Youth always attracts with its brightness, beauty, freshness. The artist presents us with an ordinary scene from a merchant's life. A young girl tries on a new silk shawl. The picture is full of details that reveal the character of the heroine. Decorations are laid out on the table, a servant girl is sorting out furs, a green chest by the stove clearly hides the “wealth” of the heroine. A smiling merchant in a rich fur coat stands at the door. He admires his daughter, who is fascinated by her new wardrobe.

Beauty, 1915, Tretyakov Gallery

Kustodiev always drew his inspiration from Russian lubok painting. Here is his famous "Beauty" as if written off from a popular print or from a Dymkovo toy. However, it is known that the artist painted from nature, and it is also known that a well-known actress of the Art Theater became a model.

The artist approaches the magnificent forms of his model delicately, 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 posture is chaste. White magnificent body, blue eyes, golden hair, blush, scarlet lips - we have a really beautiful woman in front of us.

Provinces. 1919
View from Sparrow Hills. 1919
In old Suzdal, 1914

The exuberant luxury of colors flourishes in luxuriant color in Kustodiev's paintings, as soon as he turns to his favorite topic: depicting the foundations of life in the hinterland, its foundations, its roots. The colorfully shown tea party in the yard cannot but please the eye with all the love of life that reigns in the picture.

Stately backs, proud posture, obvious slowness of every movement, a conscious sense of self-worth, which is felt in all female figures - this is the old Suzdal, the way the artist sees it, feels it, feels it. And he is all in front of us at a glance - alive and bright, real. Warm. Just invites to the table!

Morning, 1904, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

Depicted are Yulia Evstafyevna 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 Kustodievsky, a sunny day in the picture is overflowing with saturated colors. The blue sky, the green slope, the mirror-like shine of the water, the sunny-yellow swimming pool - all together make up a warm summer.

The bathers are depicted by the artist schematically, very delicately. Kustodiev, as if he himself takes the viewer's gaze away from the bathhouse and draws attention to the surrounding nature, filling it with unnatural bright colors.

Life on the coast goes on. Boatmen offer the public a ride along the river; a laden cart can hardly climb uphill. On the hill is a red church.

Twice the artist depicted the Russian tricolor. A white-blue-red cloth adorns the bathhouse and the side of a large boat. Most likely, before us a holiday. Summer is a holiday for everyone who is able to appreciate it.

The bathers are having a leisurely conversation, enjoying the warmth, the sun, the river. Slow, measured, happy life.

Merchant and brownie, 1922

A very piquant scene was depicted by the artist. The brownie, bypassing his possessions, froze in amazement before 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 gives light. The pose is carefully thought out. There is a feeling that the dream of the hostess is theatrical. The beauty seems to be luring the brownie herself to look at him. Fairy tale, Christmas story, miracle.

A graceful, white-bodied, dazzlingly beautiful merchant's wife - on the one hand, an eerie, furry, 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 manner barely shows through. It just hasn't matured 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 smart, a lover of women, entertainment. The look is ironic, even funny. 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 with purchases. 1920
Moscow tavern, 1916, Tretyakov Gallery

The Moscow tavern is a special, difficult place. The main thing in it is communication, relaxation. This is how the tavern appears in the picture. Graceful and graceful sex, serving visitors. 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.