NIKOLAI FECHIN, 1914 - Portrait of Varya Adoratskaya / oil on canvas, 135.0 x 145 cm
НИКОЛАЙ ФЕШИН - Портрет Вари Адоратской
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Location: State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, Russia.
Source: goskatalog.ru/portal/#/collections?id=8586634
Based on publication by Galina Tuluzakova. Nikolai Fechin. Kazan – Taos. Celebration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan // The Tretyakov Gallery magazine: Special issue N1. USA–Russia: On The Crossroads Of Cultures
One of Fechin's undisputed masterpieces is his portrait of Varya Adoratskaya. Created in 1914, at its very first exhibitions "Varenka” drew comparisons with Serov's famous "Girl with Peaches”. The two canvases do have much in common - similar subjects, similar technique, and, above all, the same mood of peace, tranquillity and happiness.
Portrait is one of the most harmonious creations of the artist in the Russian period of creativity, clear in thought and in construction. At this time (1914 - 1918), choosing the form of the interior portrait-picture, Fechin tried to create a generalized, multifaceted image that would synthesize the psychological characteristics of the model and her momentary mood or condition depicted in the picture. “Portrait of Varya Adoratskaya” by the Doctor of Arts Galina Tuluzakova calls “the most complete and perfect form of the image of childhood in the work of Feshin.”
Today, the name of Nikolai (Nicolai) Fechin is still little known to the Russian public - yet this talented and appealing artist was equally gifted in painting, draughtsmanship, wood carving, sculpture and the teaching of art. His work reflects a number of contemporary trends, although art nouveau, with its love of beauty, romantic quest for national roots and lack of a rigid stylistic models was to prove the most appropriate form for this master.
Born in 1881 in Kazan, capital of Tatarstan, Fechin trained as an artist at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Returning to Kazan after his studies, he took part in numerous European and American exhibitions. The majority of works from this time were either sold at these events, or sent abroad to foreign coll-ectors. With the beginning of World War I, such international connections were severed: paintings created during and immediately after the war remained in Russia. In 1923, the artist was forced to emigrate: Fechin left for America, taking some of his canvases with him. For this reason, the years prior to 1910 and the period between 1914 and 1923 are the stages in Fechin's career best represented in Russian museums.
For Fechin, beauty lay in individuality. The artist never attempted to correct or improve that which was created by nature. His portraits force the viewer to consider the arbitrary nature of our ideas on beauty. He likes to totter on the brink. For him, there is no set model: discordant, incongruous images can also be beautiful.
NIKOLAI FECHIN, 1914 - Portrait of Varya Adoratskaya / oil on canvas, 135.0 x 145 cm
НИКОЛАЙ ФЕШИН - Портрет Вари Адоратской
☆
Location: State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, Russia.
Source: goskatalog.ru/portal/#/collections?id=8586634
Based on publication by Galina Tuluzakova. Nikolai Fechin. Kazan – Taos. Celebration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan // The Tretyakov Gallery magazine: Special issue N1. USA–Russia: On The Crossroads Of Cultures
One of Fechin's undisputed masterpieces is his portrait of Varya Adoratskaya. Created in 1914, at its very first exhibitions "Varenka” drew comparisons with Serov's famous "Girl with Peaches”. The two canvases do have much in common - similar subjects, similar technique, and, above all, the same mood of peace, tranquillity and happiness.
Portrait is one of the most harmonious creations of the artist in the Russian period of creativity, clear in thought and in construction. At this time (1914 - 1918), choosing the form of the interior portrait-picture, Fechin tried to create a generalized, multifaceted image that would synthesize the psychological characteristics of the model and her momentary mood or condition depicted in the picture. “Portrait of Varya Adoratskaya” by the Doctor of Arts Galina Tuluzakova calls “the most complete and perfect form of the image of childhood in the work of Feshin.”
Today, the name of Nikolai (Nicolai) Fechin is still little known to the Russian public - yet this talented and appealing artist was equally gifted in painting, draughtsmanship, wood carving, sculpture and the teaching of art. His work reflects a number of contemporary trends, although art nouveau, with its love of beauty, romantic quest for national roots and lack of a rigid stylistic models was to prove the most appropriate form for this master.
Born in 1881 in Kazan, capital of Tatarstan, Fechin trained as an artist at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Returning to Kazan after his studies, he took part in numerous European and American exhibitions. The majority of works from this time were either sold at these events, or sent abroad to foreign coll-ectors. With the beginning of World War I, such international connections were severed: paintings created during and immediately after the war remained in Russia. In 1923, the artist was forced to emigrate: Fechin left for America, taking some of his canvases with him. For this reason, the years prior to 1910 and the period between 1914 and 1923 are the stages in Fechin's career best represented in Russian museums.
For Fechin, beauty lay in individuality. The artist never attempted to correct or improve that which was created by nature. His portraits force the viewer to consider the arbitrary nature of our ideas on beauty. He likes to totter on the brink. For him, there is no set model: discordant, incongruous images can also be beautiful.