Volkov: paintings of the Russian painter

Artist Volkov Efim Efimovich, whose paintings are full of natural charm and subtle spiritual harmony, is a renowned painter, a bright representative of artists of Russian nature, whose work is rich in several hundred landscapes, sketches and a huge number of landscape drawings.

Contemporaries considered this author, whose works are presented in art museums of large cities, “a poet of the Russian autumn and fogs,” because he mainly painted landscapes of Russian latitudes. In his works, Yefim showed not bright and catchy terrain, but modest, unobtrusive nooks and crannies of nature, trying to convey the charm and unique poetry inherent in these places as finely and accurately as possible.

Biography of Efim Volkov

A native of the family of an ordinary medical assistant in St. Petersburg, Efim Volkov, whose paintings colorfully convey the charm of Russian nature, was born in April 1844 in 1844. He received his education in a private boarding school, and then at the Vvedenchesky Gymnasium of the city of Petersburg. The artistic path of Volkov, whose paintings adorn many art galleries, did not immediately choose: for some time he was engaged in bureaucratic clerical work. Being a creative person, Yefim got a job in a drawing school in 1866 and mastered a four-year program in a year. Then Volkov got a job as a volunteer at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Excerpts from attending classes were only enough for a year, after which the artist left the walls of the educational institution and was closely engaged in painting activities.

His painting “Swamp in the Fall” (1871), depicting a dull picture of the approaching autumn days and the eve of the onset of cold weather, won two exhibitions: the London World with a bronze medal and the Society for the Promotion of Artists with a second prize. In this work, the author first used the effect of a barely perceptible haze, which will often be used in autumn-spring landscapes.

Paintings of Volkov

In addition to the marshy area, a favorite way in the art of Efim Volkov is the forest, its picturesque edges, clearings surrounded by trees, small lakes and banks of winding rivers. They deservedly received prizes by Volkov's paintings “At the Bazaar” (1874) and “In the Forest. In the spring ”(1876). Volkov’s creativity is characterized by high inspiration, subtlety of experiences, the image of a calmly poetic state of nature, the absence of a violent manifestation of the elements.

“Moonlit night in the forest” with a full captivating bliss on a warm night or “Winter landscape” with the truthfully shown state of silence of a snowy forest - the canvases of Yefim Volkov are immersed in a state of peace and harmony with nature.

In 1879, a significant event took place in the life of the Russian painter: he was elected a member of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, a little earlier, thanks to the efforts of D.V. Grigorovich, secretary of the Society for the Promotion of Artists, a talented painter was awarded a scholarship. The work of the artist, who became famous since the 1870s, was interested in many print publications (The World Illustration, Bee, Niva, The Art Chronicle, and others), which often printed reproductions of his works with attached descriptions and comments.

Family misfortune of the artist

Creative success, recognition of the audience, happiness in family life - it seemed that the artist had everything that could be dreamed of. Efim Volkov was broken by the sudden death of his adorable young daughter in 1884. The artist was so shocked by this misfortune that he barely managed to survive. During this period, his work is characterized by a sad mood, drawing of monks and elders who buried themselves from worldly fuss behind the monastery walls. A vivid example is the painting “Skit”, when you look at it, deserts involuntarily appear, where the moans of the outside world cannot be heard, and nature is solemnly calm.

In landscape Russian painting, Yefim Volkov, whose paintings evoke a sense of peace and tranquility among the viewer, was considered an excellent songwriter of the Russian summer - the time of year that is most difficult to write due to clogging of landscape elements with green trees and grasses. An example of this is his work “Flower Field”, “Landscape with a Pond”, “River”.

Native landscapes of St. Petersburg

Having visited Palestine and the Black Sea coast with friends by brush as an illustrator, Yefim Volkov always remained faithful to his favorite landscapes of the swampy areas of St. Petersburg and the middle Russian strip. In 1895, Efim Volkov, whose paintings convey the beauty of Russian open spaces, was elected a full member of the Academy of Arts, and in 1899 he was awarded the title of academician. As time went. Fashion for the art of the Wanderers has sunk into the past, replaced by modernism and impressionism. Disappointed in the audience, which had sharply lost interest in the work of the Wanderers, the artist Volkov lost a lot of weight, became haggard, but did not change himself and painted swampy landscapes of the environs of his beloved Petersburg until the end of his days, finding silence, charm and peace in them.

The Russian artist died on February 17, 1920.