Pavel Fedorovich Chelishchev is a famous Russian artist who has earned fame throughout the world. This article presents his biography and work, as well as photos of some of his works.
Writing about this person is not easy. Biographers disagree on certain events in the life of Pavel Fedorovich and their interpretations, there is no single point of view about facts, dates, and the assessment of his work and surroundings, philosophical and religious views, as well as the interpretation of his paintings is different. Of course, art historians have yet to understand the work and biography of the great Russian artist.
Origin and childhood Chelishchev
Chelishchev Pavel Fedorovich was born on September 21, 1898 in the Kaluga province (Dubrovka village). His father was Fedor Sergeyevich Chelishchev - a landowner.
The future artist, apparently, grew up as an impressionable, keen child. He became interested in art quite early: the pencil portraits of his three sisters made by Chelishchev, made in his teens, were preserved. Fedor Sergeyevich supported artistic talent and interest in the art of his son. He invited private teachers for him, who gave him painting lessons. Fedor Sergeyevich wrote out the magazine "World of Art". It is also known that in 1907 the Children's Art School in Moscow had the honor of teaching Pavel Chelishchev.
As a result of all this, the future artist was seriously carried away by various ways of creative expression. At some point, as biographical sources indicate, he became very interested in ballet. However, painting became his main passion. Not only the Children's Art School in Moscow opened its doors for him. In 1907 Chelishchev also attended art classes operating at Moscow University.
There is a legend that says that the work of Paul, performed by him in his teens, once showed Konstantin Korovin with a request to accept Chelishchev as a student. However, he said that Paul is already an artist, and he has nothing to teach him.
The revolution in the fate of Chelishchev
The biography of Pavel Fedorovich would probably continue, like many talented art lovers, with information about admission to the Moscow Art School or the Academy of Arts, would be replete with creative trips, participation in various art associations. However, a revolution has come. In the years 1916-1918. Pavel Chelishchev still studied in Moscow, but in 1918 his family, according to legend, was evicted from Dubrovka by personal order of Lenin. She moved to Kiev, fleeing persecution by the authorities.
Life in Kiev
Pavel Fedorovich continued his art education in Kiev. In the period from 1918 to 1920, Chelishchev studied at the icon-painting workshop, took painting lessons from Adolf Milman and Alexandra Exter, attended the Academy of Arts. In Kiev, the artist painted lyrical landscapes, and also created paintings in the Cubist style. In addition, Chelishchev worked for the theater of K.A. Mardzhanashvili. In 1919, he made sketches of sets and costumes for the operetta "Geisha" by S. Jones in the treatment of I. Karil. Unfortunately, the staging of this performance did not take place. In the same year, the artist joined the Volunteer Army, where he served as a cartographer.
Relocation to Constantinople
Further, according to some sources, he moved to Odessa in 1920 (here Pavel Fedorovich allegedly worked as an artist in a theater). Other sources indicate his move to Novorossiysk in the same year, from where he allegedly emigrated to Constantinople with the army of Denikin. Only the last fact finds confirmation: Chelishchev arrived in Constantinople in 1920.
In this city, he created sets for a number of ballet productions of Viktor Zimin and Boris Knyazev. In the works of this period, the influence of Exter is still quite strong. Together with Knyazev in the spring of 1921, Chelishchev moved to Sofia. Here he designed a book entitled "Exodus to the East. Premonitions and accomplishments. Affirmation of the Eurasians", and also painted several portraits.
Period of life in Berlin
In the company of Knyazev in the fall of 1921, Chelishchev settled in Berlin. Here, in the early 1920s, there were many Russian artists: K. L. Boguslavskaya, A. P. Arkhipenko, M. Z. Chagall, I. A. Puni, S. I. Sharshun and others. In this city Chelishchev began to paint portraits to order, still lifes and landscapes. In addition, as a theater artist, he collaborated with the Russian Romantic Theater (worked on its scenery), the Koeniggratzerstrasse theater, and the Blue Bird cabaret. Chelishchev even created the scenery for the Berlin Opera, which staged the opera The Golden Cockerel by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov.
Paris years
Together with the troupe of Boris Romanov, who directed the Russian Romantic Theater, in 1923 Chelishchev left Berlin and went to Paris. Here he finally began to seriously engage in painting (before that, the artist worked almost exclusively in graphics - book, theater, etc.). Chelischev's still life "Strawberry Basket" was appreciated by Gertrude Stein herself, who acquired it. In those years, this writer had great authority in the artistic circles of Paris. Friendship struck up between her and Chelishchev. Gertrude patronized Pavel Fedorovich, helped him financially, and also introduced him to her salon, which was visited only by the most talented and famous representatives of new art.
Chelishchev earned recognition and became a fairly popular master. Since 1925, he began to take part in the salons of artists, held annually. In particular, Chelishchev participated in the Autumn Salon. The gallery "Druet" in 1926 hosted the first exhibition of neo-humanists, which also featured the work of Pavel Fedorovich.
Decoration of the ballet "Ode"
Chelishchev in Paris became known as a theater artist. In 1928, Pavel Fedorovich designed the ballet "Ode" for the troupe of S. Diaghilev. The performance was staged according to Lomonosovās ode. Sergei Lifar, the leading actor, recalled that Diaghilev first commissioned the production to one of his proteges, but he did not meet the deadlines, so he had to personally manage it in conditions of general confusion and severe time pressure. The performance as a result turned out to be too innovative even for the Parisian public, which was distinguished by special sophistication.
Birth of Chelischev's own style
At this time, in the processing and merging of cubic and realistic trends, Chelishchev's own style was born. The middle of the 20s in his work was marked by neo-romanticism (neo-humanism). He created many portraits of his acquaintances and friends. The artist began to become more and more interested in depicting the essence of man, and not his appearance. However, the portraits of Chelishchev of the 1920s were still executed in a realistic manner. Over time, the idea of āāthe primacy of the inner content, its prevalence over the exterior, was transformed into the so-called "anatomical" or "neon" heads. They show literally the internal structure of man.
Friendship with Edith Sitwell and C. G. Ford
In the Gertrude salon , Stein Pavel Chelishchev met two people who played an important role in his life - Edith Sitwell (English poetess) and Charles Henry Ford (American writer and poet).
He met Edith Chelishchev in 1928. She became his close friend for many years. In addition, Sitwell became the new patroness of Chelishchev in the world of art. She organized exhibitions, morally and financially supported Pavel Fedorovich. In the early 1930s, he met C.G. Ford. In 1934, friends left Paris and went to New York. After some time, they moved to Italy. Only with the death of Pavel Chelishchev (in 1957) did their relationship end. Evidence of friendship with Edith Sitwell and Charles Ford were numerous sketches and portraits. By the way, after some time in the portraits of the artist another character began to appear often - actress Ruth Ford, Charles's sister.
New York period
Chelishchevās art in New York blossomed in full force. The artist began working in new areas of graphics - created covers for Vouge and View magazines, as well as designed wine labels. Chelishchev began to work freely in painting, without driving himself into the framework of a particular style. At this time, psychological portraits created in a realistic manner coexist with "metamorphic landscapes" - fraud paintings made in a surrealistic spirit. The artist in his works-tricks experimenting with images of animals, people, trees, leaves, grass, as well as other forms of nature. A photo of one of the works of this period - āChildren-leavesā (1939) - is presented above. By the way, the first such paintings, filled with surreal figures and forms, Pavel Fedorovich painted back in the 1920s, that is, almost 10 years earlier than Breton, Dali, Magritte and other surrealists recognized today.
"Metaphysical heads"
In 1940, Chelishchev created a series of "metaphysical goals" (one of them is presented above). The analytical painting of P. Filonov left its mark on the style of these works . Human figures in Chelischevās paintings are illuminated so that nodes, vessels, and skeleton are visible.
It is generally accepted that in these works the artist tried to portray the essence of man. By "essence" the artist understood energy. At first, he concentrated on depicting nerves and blood vessels, which, according to Chelishchev, are ways of transmitting energy. Subsequently, Pavel Chelishchev ceased to depict the "paths." He began to write the energy itself, presented in the form of a structure of luminous spirals, ovals and circles (one of these portraits is presented below).
First solo exhibition
In 1942, Pavel Chelishchev became officially recognized in New York and around the world, whose paintings by that time were already very famous. It was then, in 1942, at MOMA that his first personal exhibition was held, which was a huge success. At the same time, Chelischev's work of Hide and Seek (pictured below) became one of the most popular paintings in the museum's exposition, along with Picasso's work Guernica.
"New rayism"
Chelischev in his life often faced with misunderstanding. The fame that fell upon the artist further exposed his loneliness in a crowd of fans who could not share his views and ideas. Chelischev at the end of 1940 practically abandoned society. Perhaps because of this, his painting finally lost its figurativeness. The artist moved on to abstraction. He began to create complex geometric shapes. Chelishchev wanted to show the refraction of light rays in a limited space. This style will subsequently be called the new rayonism. One example of such paintings is the Apotheosis of 1954. A photo of this work is presented below.
Last years of life. Grave Chelishchev
Missing Europe, in 1951 the artist went to Italy, to a villa located near Rome in Frascati. Pavel Chelishchev lived in Italy for several years. The artist during this time gained great fame in Europe. Two solo exhibitions held in Paris were a huge success. Pavel Chelishchev died in 1957 in Frascati. He died of a heart attack, which was mistaken for pneumonia.
First, Pavel Fedorovich was buried in Frascati, on the porch of the local Orthodox monastery. Then Alexandra Zausailova, his sister, reburied the ashes of the artist in the Pere Lachaise cemetery, in France. However, the first burial place of Pavel Chelishchev is also preserved. Currently, the remains of the artist rest in the cemetery of Pere Lachaise.
Popularization of creativity
After the death of Pavel Fedorovich, C. Ford and his sister Ruth, the people closest to the artist, did everything possible to not only maintain interest in his work, but also to popularize Chelishchev's works in every possible way. They organized exhibitions several times, as well as put paintings by Pavel Fedorovich at an open auction. In 2010, in New York, an auction of the artistās works took place, at which "Portrait of Ruth Ford" was sold almost 5 times more expensive than the original cost. This painting became Chelishchev's most expensive work sold on the market. In the last 10 years, the poet
K. Kedrov, his grand-nephew, has been popularizing the work of Pavel Fedorovich in our country.