Andrey Andreevich Mylnikov - artist and teacher of large scale

He wrote epic canvases and lyrics. He survived all the sorrows that fell to the lot of the Russian people in the 20th century: the Civil War, the blockade of Leningrad and perestroika. Mylnikov had so much creative talent that he generously shared it with others, becoming a teacher for hundreds of young artists.

Life before the war

Andrey Andreyevich Mylnikov was born on February 22, 1919 in the city of Pokrovsk, Saratov Region. The future artist grew up in the difficult years for the whole country: Revolution, Civil War, collectivization. He did not know his father - an engineer and the head of the car-building workshops, he was shot by the Bolsheviks in 1918. Andrei was raised by her mother alone, in the province, but in 1930 was forced to move to the capital, and then to Leningrad in search of work. Thanks to the move, the boy, who early showed a talent for drawing, got the opportunity to personally get acquainted with the great masters: in the art studio where he was engaged, for example, there was Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin.

At the age of 18, Mylnikov entered the architectural department of the Leningrad Academy of Arts, then transferred to the training of painting. His mentors were famous Soviet artists: Igor Emanuelovich Grabar, Victor Mikhailovich Oreshnikov, Boris Alexandrovich Vogel and others.

Early success

Successful studies were interrupted by the war and the blockade of Leningrad. The young artist is involved in the defense of the city on the Neva. In 1942 he was taken away from the northern capital in a state of severe dystrophy. After 2 years, the artist returns to Leningrad to study and work. The diploma painting by Andrei Andreevich Mylnikov “The Oath of the Baltics” was a great success and is considered one of the most famous and best works of the painter. The work devoted to the exploit of sailors during the war was highly appreciated by critics, comparing it with the canvases of Repin himself.

Postwar art

In peacetime, the works of Andrei Andreevich Mylnikov are widely recognized both among the people and the leadership of the country, although the painter never joined the party. His works are epic in size and theme and are in keeping with the spirit of the times.

The State Prize was awarded to Mylnikov’s painting “On Peaceful Fields” (1950). The artist’s works appear not only on canvas, he is engaged in decorative painting. The most famous works of that time are a mosaic for the station of the Leningrad metro station "Abundance" (1957), as well as a curtain with a portrait of Lenin for the Palace of Congresses in Moscow (1961). This is the image of Vladimir Ilyich known in our country and around the world.

Mylnikov's favorite genre is portrait. He portrays his famous contemporaries and friends. The portrait of the sculptor T. S. Konenkov (1970) is remarkable - this is a lively and dynamic image.

The best portraits

The most favorite models are women and children, first of all, a daughter. The cycle of paintings “Verochka” (1955, 1963, 1966) earned special public recognition. The artist charmedly watches her daughter grow up and lovingly reflects her on the canvas.

Later Mylnikov will also write a portrait of his granddaughter: “Dasha (Princess)” (1979). The artist inspired his wife, the famous ballerina Arina Pestova, in the paintings “At Breakfast” (1958), “Arisha” (1951), “White Night” (1961).

He loved to write and nude female images, not erotic, but lyrical. According to the author himself, so he showed the ideal of beauty, tried to find and combine the beauty of body and spirit.

Mylnikov pays special attention to the image of his mother. The paintings "Motherhood" (1966), "Sisters" (1967) are epic in their own way, glorify the beauty of a woman with a child in her arms. The later, “Farewell” (1975), is tragic: the eyes of the mother, who escorts her son to the war, touch the viewer to the core.

Nature in creativity

The artist Mylnikov Andrey Andreevich is a recognized master of the landscape, in which he combines the traditions of Russian realism and symbolism. His nature is simple, but very lyrical and close to any Russian person.

One of the best paintings by the author is the landscape “Silence” (1987): the young man and the girl depicted on it are blissfully dissolved in nature, they are connected with her into a single whole and are therefore happy.

Among other landscapes: “Spring” (1972), “Island” (1975), “Thunderstorm” (1980), “Trees in the Snow” (1984).

Late philosophical topics

The painter travels a lot around the world. His Spanish culture was particularly striking. Upon returning to the Soviet Union, Mylnikov creates a series of paintings dedicated to Garcia Lorca. The Spanish Triptych (1979) includes the canvases Corrida, The Death of Garcia Lorca, and The Crucifixion. These works are considered the strongest in the artist’s work, they emotionally and symbolically talk about eternal topics: life and death, suffering and a strong human spirit.

Mylnikov continues to write in old age. The paintings of the 90s - “Crucifixion” (1995), “Pieta” (2000) touch upon the same philosophical theme.

Distinguished teacher and professor

For many years (from 1947 to 2012, it can be said from the moment of graduation until his death) Andrei Andreyevich Mylnikov teaches in the same institution where he studied at the I.E. Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in St. Petersburg. A professor and a gifted teacher, he brought up an incredible number of artists - about 500. In addition, he was vice-president of the Russian Academy of Arts.

Andrei Andreevich Mylnikov died on May 16, 2012. His grave is located at the Volkovsky cemetery in St. Petersburg.

The works of one of the most gifted and recognized Russian painters of the 20th century continue to be in demand today both at home and abroad.