Almost every resident of our country knows the paintings “Hunters on a halt”, “Three” and “Tea drinking in Mytishchi”, but probably much less than those who know that they belong to the brush of the traveling artist Vasily Perov. His original natural talent left us unforgettable testimonies of public life of the XIX century.
Early childhood
On New Year's Eve in 1833 in the small Siberian town of Tobolsk, in the family of the local prosecutor G.K. von Kridenter, a son Vasily was born from extramarital affairs with the bourgeois Akulina Ivanova. The exact date of birth of the future artist Perov in the biography was not determined: either 21, or December 23 (according to the old style, according to the new - January 2, 1834). Soon, the parents got married, but it did not matter. At baptism, he received the name Vasilyev by the name of the godfather, he could not get the name of his real father. Almost immediately after the birth of his son, von Creedener had to quit the state service.
Surname history
All his childhood, as written in the biography of the artist Perov, his family spent in relocations, they lived in different parts of the empire: from Arkhangelsk and St. Petersburg in the north to Arzamas and Derpt in the south. My father was an educated and free-thinking man, he did not stay long in the regular service. The financial situation of the family was very unenviable. And the father eventually got a low-paid place as the manager of the estate.
In this estate in the vicinity of Arzamas, the childhood of the future artist passed. Quite early, from the age of five, Vasily began to learn to read and write, first his mother studied with him, and then he was transferred to a local clerk for training. A nondescript, but smart and cheerful teacher taught him writing, arithmetic, the law of God, in general, all the sciences in which he excelled. Vasily was especially good at calligraphy; already at the age of seven, he wrote beautifully in print and in words. The teacher eventually gave him a nickname, which was then officially fixed. So the last name appeared in the then brief biography of artist Perov, by which all of Russia recognized him.
The first acquaintance with painting
When Vasya was nine years old, a painter came to his father from Arzamas to renew a large portrait in which he was depicted with a dog. In the picture, it was necessary to replace the old dog with a new one. Vasya enthusiastically watched the work of the artist: how he laid out the easel, washed off the old image, mixed paints and began to paint. So for the first time in the biography of the artist Perov there was an acquaintance with painting.
After the departure of the painter, Vasily began to try to draw his father, brother and comrades himself, and wept bitterly, because it turned out completely different. He painted with charcoal, pencil, and chalk wherever he found a flat surface: on walls, tables, and window sills. Father never got angry at this, he loved art and played the violin and piano himself, wrote poetry, often told his son about musicians, artists, showed pictures.
At ten years old, the boy was sent to study at the Arzamas district school, settled him in the house of a school teacher. All his free time, Vasily drew, he had no one to study with, there was no drawing teacher at the school. When his father visited him and looked at the drawings, he increasingly thought that Vasya should further develop in this direction. At thirteen, he completed his initial studies, and he had to decide where to continue his education. And in the biography of the artist Perov appeared Arzam Art School, where his father decided to give Vasya for further studies.
Craft training
The founder of the art school was the artist Alexander Stupin, who graduated from the Academy of Arts. He came to his hometown to start a new and unprecedented business in Russia. There was no such school in the country, both free and serf schools studied in it. Here Vasya for the first time thought about the inequality of people and the plight of the poor, these thoughts were later reflected in many of his paintings. In Perov’s soul, compassion for the peasants and hostility of the swagger of the rich remained forever.
Continuing the story about the biography of the artist Perov, it is worth noting that the teachers of the school paid much attention to the fact that the students studied nature, drew a lot, and acquired “mastery in pencil”. Stupin for a long time did not allow to paint. Vasily studied for almost a year, when one of the senior students invited him to secretly start writing a copy of Bryullov's sketch “The Old Man”. Once he forgot to hide his sketches, and Stupin, who at lunchtime always examined the work of his students, saw a copy of the sketch. Instead of catching up on arbitrariness, he praised Vasily and allowed him to study writing with older students. In parallel with special classes in drawing and painting at the school, lessons were also held in general subjects. Teachers tried to instill a love of literature, staged theatrical performances.
Two years in the village
The Vasily family continued to roam the duty stations of the head of the family. In Arzamas, they did not live long, rented housing directly opposite the art school. However, when the father got a manager's place in one of the estates, the parents left, leaving his son to finish his studies. After some time, Vasily himself came to them, who walked thirty-five miles on foot. He quarreled with a friend, dropped out of school, telling Stupin that he did not intend to endure insults.
In the biography of the artist Perov, these were calm years spent in painting classes. Vasya was almost seventeen years old, he lived in the village for two years, made friends with local guys, went hunting, got acquainted with rural life, and spent a lot of time outdoors.
Vasily did not part with a pencil and paints, he painted a lot and painted portraits of village boys, scenes of rural life. Then the first self-portrait appeared in the biography of artist Perov. The father was very unhappy that the son abandoned his education, to which he said that he wanted to continue to study in Moscow. Then Vasily painted the picture "Crucifixion", after which the family believed in his talent.
Continuing education
In 1853, Perov entered the Moscow School of Sculpture and Painting, he was settled with Maria Lyubimovna, the overseer of a girls' shelter. In the first year, they drew a lot of individual parts of the body, and then whole figures. Vasily studied conscientiously, carefully sketching ears, eyes, and noses. He brilliantly finished the first grade, in the second grade, students practiced different types of painting. They copied paintings made in a historical, everyday, landscape, portrait manner. This was done so that each of the students could determine in which genre in the future he wants to paint. These were the happiest years in the biography of artist Perov.
However, the carefree period did not last long, his father fell ill, and Perov was left without a livelihood. Most importantly, he had nothing to pay for his studies. He already thought that he would have to drop out of college and go to the province to work as a drawing teacher. However, he was lucky, the teacher Vasiliev E. Ya. Invited him to live with him, moreover, he did not have to pay for his studies. Egor Yakovlevich managed to enroll Perov for free education.
First confession
The idea of ​​the first painting, “The arrival of the investigator,” received a large silver medal in 1858, appeared during trips to the village to his mother. In short, in the biography of the artist Perov, it was a recognition of his talent by society and professionals. He himself saw how they came to judge a peasant guy for cutting down the noble forest. He was very good at portraying the bribe-taker of the camp and sneaks of the foreman and clerk. The image of the peasant whom he painted from his friend and fellow student Pryashnikov turned out to be somewhat popular.
Remaining unsatisfied with his first job, he again went to study drawing in primary school. Two years later, Perov exhibited his new painting: “The first rank. The son of a deacon, made a college registrar. " In 1860 he received a small gold medal for this work and moved to St. Petersburg. The victory of the artist Perov’s painting caused a great resonance in society, he was called the heir to Fedotov - the author of “Matchmaking of the Major” and other works that denounced the mores prevailing in society.
Big win
His next work received a large gold medal at the Imperial Academy of Arts. The painting by artist Perov “Sermon in the Village” was ambiguously accepted by the public, he managed to “deceive” the jury by giving an academic plot, but the audience saw in it criticism of the existing structure. He draws several more paintings showing the unsightly side of church life. As the winner of the academic competition, Perov receives a pension and the right to travel for three years at a government expense on a business trip.
After getting married in 1862 to Helen Edmond Shane, he and his young wife went abroad. Together they examined the galleries of Berlin and Dresden, after which they went to Paris, where they were going to stay for a long time. He takes off the studio and begins to write multi-figure compositions, but soon realizes that he can not cope with such a difficult job. These paintings by artist Perov were never completed. He gets acquainted with the life of the people, makes many sketches and writes several good paintings.
Moscow period
In 1864, the "link" ended (as the artist Vasily Perov in his biography called a business trip abroad), he returns to Russia and remains in Moscow, in the capital he will live his whole future life. The artist’s first picture after returning, “Seeing the Dead Man”, demonstrates his improved mastery and consolidates his leadership in the movement of ideological realism. He draws a lot. Patron Tretyakov buys a number of his paintings and orders a series of portraits of prominent people of Russia. In 1867, his wife dies, and then two eldest sons, he falls ill with consumption.
Intransigence to swagger and injustice runs through the entire biography of artist Perov. His paintings, such as, for example, “The Governess's Arrival at the Merchant's House,” expose social vices. Along with satire, simple everyday themes are also reflected in the paintings. Examples of work: "Amateur", "Teacher of drawing."
Last years
In 1869, he became a member of the Society of Wanderers, in which he worked for seven years. The paintings of Perov were unchanged success, he was awarded the title of academician.
Vasily Grigoryevich conducted an active pedagogical activity at the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture. In 1870 he received the title of professor at the Academy of Arts.
In 1882, after a severe painful illness, Vasily Perov died in the village of Kuzminki near Moscow.