“I studied under the old masters.” What does this phrase once said by one of the most famous Soviet artists - Vasily Nikolayevich Yakovlev? In search of an answer to this question, it is found that this artist, unlike many of his comrades, did not find inspiration in the paintings of recognized masters - Serov, Vrubel, Levitan and other no less famous personalities. At the heart of his art is something much more personal, intimate. What? We find out in the next article.
The young years of the artist
January 2, 1893 on one of the outskirts of Moscow in the family of a successful family doctor a boy was born, who in the future was destined to become an artist known throughout the Soviet Union, winner of two Stalin Prizes. His name is Vasily Nikolaevich Yakovlev.
The family in which the boy grew up, in the pre-revolutionary period, retained those invariable, centuries-old traditions inherent in the old way, so characteristic reflected in the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky. Little Vasily was not the only child in the family - the second oldest, he grew up a healthy, strong and full of creative potential boy, serving as a worthy example to two younger brothers.
Beginning of the creative path
Vasily Yakovlev first picked up a brush and began to paint back in his school years. His first artistic experiments were connected with enthusiastic impressions of visiting the Tretyakov Gallery. He especially remembered the “Cossacks” of Repin. And this is not surprising. The sensitive soul of the child was able to feel the great changes and the difficult reality of the "little" man, which Ilya Efimovich masterfully reflected in his paintings.
It can be argued that already in the early years an unusual sensitivity and attention of Vasily Yakovlev to details began to manifest itself. At first, landscape sketches and still lifes became a favorite plot. In nature, he saw all-consuming love, beauty and sophistication. This sought to reflect in his work.
Look, for example, at the painting Vegetables, painted in 1928. The picture is striking in its grandeur, deliberate pomposity, painstaking thoroughness and detail in the image of each figure. You can even talk about some surrealistic shade of the presented still life. Subsequently, the artist will hone and perfect this technique, with the help of which he will create more than one picture imbued with a similar spirit.
The main paintings that made up the artist’s artistic heritage include the following: “Soviet Faith” (presented in the photo below), “The dispute about art”, “Bacchanalia”, “Prospectors write to the creator of the Great Constitution”, “Marshal G. K. Zhukov” .
The last work - a portrait of the illustrious military leader - was painted after the victory of the Soviet Union over the Nazi army. Looking at the portrait, it is impossible not to feel the surge of patriotism with which the artist endowed every trait of Zhukov. Actually, this is what distinguished every work of Vasily Yakovlev, for which he repeatedly received government awards.
Or maybe go to math?
Having successfully graduated from high school, Vasily Yakovlev entered Moscow State University, choosing a direction that is completely atypical for a person with such an obvious artistic talent - physical and mathematical. In fact, despite the creative impulses, the artist always had a sober view of the world. This, however, did not prevent him from remaining a thinly sensitive person.
In parallel with his studies at the university, he attended the V. N. Meshkov School of Painting and Drawing. Later he entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he continued to improve his artistic skills under the guidance of Abram Arkhipov, Konstantin Korovin, Sergey Malyutin and other prominent artists.
Patriot artist
They say that a talented person is talented in everything. In relation to the artist, this phrase is especially true.
Vasily Nikolayevich Yakovlev was a comprehensively developed person, with a wide range of interests and significant intellectual capabilities. He had deep knowledge in various fields, including versed in Russian literature. He especially loved the works of A. S. Pushkin, which glorified the merits of the Fatherland.
In general, the artist was inherent in a heightened sense of national pride. He distrusted, and sometimes even hated, the various innovations and trends of the West. He did not share the admiration of the new bourgeois strata of pre-revolutionary Russian society before the so-called foreignism. To understand what is at stake, we turn to two revealing episodes of his biography.
The case in the Tretyakov Gallery
From childhood we all know the picture of I. Repin “Ivan the Terrible kills his son” presented below. The plot of the picture is debatable, but now it will not be about him at all.
In January 1913, an impressionable fanatic entered the Tretyakov Gallery and began to examine the painting of Repin with suspicious attentiveness. Suddenly, a visitor rushed to “Ivan the Terrible ...” and, screaming “Enough blood!”, Several times stabbed the painting with a knife. This act of incomparable vandalism left deep wounds on the faces of the characters, and these are the most important parts of the picture! An impressive visitor was called Abram Balashov.
This event outraged the public and even led to the organization of a public debate, in which the author of the canvas could not help but take part. After listening to the excited performance of his idol, the artist Vasily Yakovlev was so impressed that he kissed Repin's hand in sympathy.
Protest against European formalism
Vasily Yakovlev’s extremely negative attitude reflects another interesting case. As you know, in the first half of the 20th century, the revolutionary style inherent in the paintings of Picasso and Matisse became especially popular among art lovers. Exhibitions of these artists were often held in the most famous art galleries of the capital. Their visit was sometimes forced.
So, at one of these exhibitions in the gallery S.I. Schukina once turned out to be Vasily Yakovlev. Being almost the only visitor to the gallery who disliked everything Western, he did not hesitate to openly criticize the “new” formalism. At that time, such an act required a lot of courage, because formalism was at the peak of fame.
Pictures of Vasily Yakovlev
Returning to the question posed at the very beginning of the article — who nevertheless were the “teachers” of the artist — one cannot fail to note the enormous influence of Renaissance art on the formation of his artistic views. Studying the paintings of old masters presented in the halls of the Hermitage, Vasily comprehended all their secrets, becoming an increasingly sophisticated connoisseur of painting and a skillful restorer.
The first exhibition, where drawings by Vasily Yakovlev, his landscape paintings and portraits were presented, was organized in the early 1920s. There was exhibited the famous double portrait of the artist, where he portrayed himself along with his younger brother. Already in this portrait you can feel the influence of the technique of the old masters. Some critics reproached the artist for openly copying the techniques of specific painters. But this was only at first glance.
Prizes and awards
The work of the artist was appreciated by the Soviet government. In addition to the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR, Vasily Yakovlev was awarded such important state awards as the Order of Lenin, the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, and the medal “In Memory of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow”. In addition, as already mentioned, the artist twice became the winner of the Stalin Prizes, in 1943 and 1949.
Vasily Yakovlev passed away on June 29, 1953. At that time he was 60 years old. During his life, he managed to create many paintings that reflect his internal aspirations and views on the reality and future of his native country.
For Vasily Yakovlev, always the paramount task was to penetrate into the very essence of the depicted phenomenon. Of particular value to him was the image of a man surrounded by the material world. Of course, there are certain parallels between his artistic technique and the technique of old masters. But this, however, does not deprive Vasily Yakovlev of their soulful sensitivity and self-sufficiency. For him, the most "beautiful" that is reflected in the painting is the national treasure of his native country. The very “beautiful” he sought and always found in reality.