The brightest, original artist of the 20th century Mashkov Ilya Ivanovich lived an interesting, eventful life. He went through the influences of various artists, revolutionary searches and finding his place in art. His legacy today is several hundred works that are in many collections of the world.
Childhood and family
Ilya Ivanovich Mashkov was born in the village of Mikhailovskoye Oblast, Don Troops (today the Volgograd Oblast) in a poor peasant family. Ilya was the eldest of nine children, and parents who were engaged in small-scale trade did not have money to study children. The boy, who from a young age showed great cravings and drawing abilities, was sent to a parish school, but at the age of 11 he was taken away from there and sent to work so that he could help his family. He had to stand on his feet for 14 hours at the fruit merchant's shop, serving customers, he hated the job, but there was no choice.
Vocation and study
Later, Ilya Mashkov went to work in the merchant’s shop, the work was not easier, but here he was sometimes assigned to draw posters and signs. This occupation gave him great pleasure. In his free time, he redrawn pictures from magazines, made sketches of surrounding objects, birds. The boy was very fond of drawing. Despite his extremely constrained financial situation, he wrote to himself by mail a box of paints. Once a teacher at the Borisoglebsk gymnasium noticed a drawing boy and asked him if he wanted to study. Ilya was very surprised, because he did not even suspect that drawing can be learned. So he began to receive the first skills and advice from a teacher from the gymnasium. This allowed him to understand his calling and set himself the goal of becoming an artist.
In 1900 he entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Here he learns from prominent teachers: K. Korovin, L. Pasternak, V. Serov, A. Vasnetsov. From the first years of training, Mashkov showed an extraordinary talent and eccentric character. He was very fond of hyperbole, an excess of color, while he devoted a lot of time to mastering the technique of drawing, and was very efficient. As a poor student at the school he was offered a part-time job, and already in 1904, Mashkov began to give lessons, earning a living.
Revolutionary youth
Pretty quickly, Ilya Mashkov gets to his feet. In 1906, he built himself a workshop in the building of the Polytechnic Society. She will become his creative home until the end of days. In 1907, he met with Peter Konchalovsky, this meeting had a great impact on the artist. In 1908, the artist travels to Europe, visits France, England, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, where he gets acquainted with new trends in painting.
In 1910, Mashkov was expelled from the school, but by this time he had already found his way. The artist still works a lot, takes lessons in the studio of K. Korovin, writes custom portraits and still lifes. He is exhibited, including at the Salon in Paris, where his work is bought by Russian philanthropist S. Morozov. Even then, Mashkov’s paintings were distinguished by an unusual view of the world and surrounding objects. He was inspired by revolutionary ideas in Europe and longs to change Russian art.
"Jack of Diamonds"
In 1911, Ilya Mashkov, together with Pyotr Konchalovsky found the art society “Jack of Diamonds”. First, in 1910, an exhibition with the same name was held, after which like-minded artists create the community of the same name. The name itself shocked the public, alluding to political prisoners. Moscow painters set as their goal the revolution in art, and they fully succeeded. They opposed the traditions of academism and realism, proclaimed the dominance of impressionist, fauvist and cubist ideas.
Mashkov has become one of the ideologists of the community. Thanks to him, "jacks" so often painted still lifes resembling signs of a grocery store. Artists experimented with form and color. Unlike many avant-garde artists, Mashkov and comrades claimed objectivity in art. In 1911-14, the artist is the secretary of society, participates in all of his exhibitions. In 1914, he leaves the Jack of Diamonds and goes abroad.
Mashkov and the "World of Art"
Upon his return, Mashkov enters the "World of Art" - an association that has existed since the end of the 19th century and united the most prominent Russian artists. Just at this time, the group proclaims the possibility of creating a new classic, the main idea is the “New Academy” A. Benoit. The second half of the 10s of the twentieth century was difficult for artists in this community. Despite the fact that the “World of Art" is an association that has made a tremendous contribution to Russian painting, in the time of Mashkov it was, rather, a formal unity. But the artist participates in exhibitions and supports comrades. During this period, Mashkov still works hard, but gradually comes to a new realism.
Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia
In 1925, Ilya Mashkov entered the new society of the AHRR, which preaches new, revolutionary ideals. In fact, he becomes one of the first ideologists of socialist realism. The artist is in the Association until its collapse in 1929. During this period, he paints a happy new life, portraits of production leaders, still lifes with an abundance of products. Moscow painters, former associates of Mashkov, do not understand his new ideals, many of them live in exile. Ilya Ivanovich, however, remains in the USSR and fully supports new ideas. In the 1930s, Mashkov painted ideologically true paintings: “Greetings to the 17th Congress of the CPSU (B.),” “Soviet Bread”.
During the war, Mashkov lives in Abramtsevo, paints portraits of soldiers and wounded, rear workers. Late Mashkov presents to the audience his optimistic attitude. The famous art critic Yakov Tugendhold said that in his works “healthy love for bright flesh and blood” is visible. He retained his passion for exaggeration until the last days.
Exhibition Activities
Ilya Mashkov was very productive all his life, he also actively exhibited his works. He participated in many significant exhibitions of the early twentieth century. These are the events of the Jack of Diamonds, and the World of Art. In 1916, at the "Exhibition of Contemporary Russian Painting" he shows 70 works, it was the largest lifetime exhibition of Ilya Mashkov. Since the 20s, the artist has exhibited a lot abroad: Venice, London, New York. In the 30s, the Soviet government was pleased to carry Mashkov's paintings to all the largest cities in the world.
Educational activities
Throughout almost all his life, Ilya Mashkov, an artist, painter, taught. Even in his youth, he developed his own methodology for teaching drawing and painting. His school, which he opened at the beginning of the twentieth century, will subsequently become the central studio of AHRR. Among his students were Falk, Tatlin, Osmerkin, V. Mukhina.
After the revolution, the artist teaches a lot, working at various courses, at the Military Academy and at VKhUTEIN.
Private life
Ilya Mashkov showed his love of life in ordinary life. He was a great lover of ladies and married three times. The first wife was Italian Sofia Arenzvari, Mashkov married her in 1905, a year later the only son of the artist, Valentin, was born. He became a design engineer, in 1937 he was repressed. The second wife in 1915 was the artist Fedorova Elena Fedorovna. The third wife was also an artist: in 1922, Mashkov married Danilova Maria Ivanovna.
Legacy and memory
Ilya Mashkov, whose paintings are extremely appreciated by art lovers, died on March 20, 1944 at his cottage in Abramtsevo. He left behind a great legacy. His paintings today are in the collections of 78 cities in the world. The artist’s widow gave the largest collection to the Volgograd Art Museum. His paintings rarely appear at auctions and are sold for huge amounts. So, the canvas "Flowers" was sold for 3.5 million dollars, and "Still Life with Fruits" - for 7.2 million dollars.
Mashkov’s work is studied by art critics, books are dedicated to him. The museum in Volgograd bears his name. The memory of the artist does not disappear, exhibitions of his works are periodically held in major museums. So, in 2014 in Moscow, the late works of the artist were shown, the exhibition was a great success.