Malyavin, Filipp (1869-1940) - 1927 Self-Portrait (Private Collection)
Oil on canvas; 91.8 x 72.5 cm.
Filipp Andreevich Malyavin was a Russian painter and draftsman. Trained in icon-painting as well as having studied under the great Russian realist painter Ilya Repin, Malyavin is unusual among the Russian artists of the time for having a peasant background. He was born in the village of Kazanki into a poor peasant family with many children. Even as a child, he was drawn towards art, drawing and creating clay figurines from the age of five. The village was visited by monks, who would bring with them icons from Greece. Fascinated by the icons, Malyavin convinced his parents to allow him to go to Athos to study icon-painting. He traveled to Greece, his journey financed by the villagers. Although the monasteries at Athos were famed for their vast collections of Greek manuscripts and books, icon painting was not actually practiced. Malyavin was disappointed to learn that they only made copies of icons. Having used up his money and unable to return to Russia, he entered the monastery as a novice, and was charged with painting icons and murals. This continued until 1891, when Malyavin met Vladimir Beklemishev, a Russian sculptor and professor at the Petersburg Academy of Arts who was on a visit to Athos. Beklemishev was greatly impressed by Malyavin's work and invited him to Petersburg.
In 1892, Malyavin arrived in St. Petersburg and was enrolled in the Academy of Arts. Malyavin applied for, and was accepted into, the studio of Russian realist Ilya Repin. It was here, in Repin's studio, that Malyavin began creating some of his most famous early works, including Peasant Girl Knitting a Stocking (1895), which is the first of his paintings in which he introduces his favorite color, red. Three of these early works, all depicting peasant women, were exhibited at the Moscow Art Lovers' Society Salon. Two of these were bought by Pavel Tretyakov for the Tretyakov Gallery.
Malyavin also began to perfect his style of portraiture, creating another series of paintings depicting his fellow-artists from Repin's studio. Among the best of these is that of Konstantin Somov, who would later found the World of Art group. Malyavin's fame spread quickly, and it was not long before society grandees such as Baroness Wolf and Mme. Popova began coming to him to have their portraits painted. From 1895 to 1899, Malyavin painted frenetically. In 1897, he was awarded the status of Artist, but only after much debate, and for his series of portraits rather than his competition painting, Laughter, which depicted Russian women in red dresses in a green meadow. His work was too different, too bright, and it had no plot - it did not fit the contemporary art scene at the time.
In 1900, Malyavin traveled to Paris, and took France by storm. French newspapers hailed him as "a credit to Russian painting," and Laughter was awarded a gold medal and bought by the Museo d'arte moderno in Venice. His work was suddenly in demand, with the Luxembourg Museum in Paris buying Three Women. On returning to Russia, Malyavin married Natalia Novaak-Sarich, the daughter of a rich industrialist and Malyavin devoted himself entirely to his art. His work began appearing in the salons of the World of Art group, and the Union of Russian Artists.
Malyavin reached his peak between 1905 and 1907, during Russia's revolutionary crisis. Unlike other painters, at this time he focused on his "peasant" canvases. These paintings are unusual in terms of their use of bright colors and their large scales, which mark them more than their usually generic titles. In 1906, Malyavin painted Whirlwind, his greatest painting, and the Assembly of the Academy of Arts awarded him the rank of "Academician". Between 1908 and 1910, Malyavin did not display any work, and the official art critics began attacking him more and more frequently. He traveled to Paris, and on his return, painted a large family portrait, which he exhibited in 1911, at the salon of the Union of Russian Artists. The painting was a failure, and between 1911 and 1915, Malyavin exhibited only the works of the earlier period.
In 1918, Malyavin moved to Ryazan, where he participated in the Ryazan Commissariat for Education's propaganda of art and taught. In 1920, he went to Moscow, where he was admitted to the Kremlin and made drawings for Lenin's portrait. His works were displayed in Moscow exhibitions. In fall of 1922, Malyavin traveled abroad , to organize a traveling exhibition of his works. The family settled in Paris, where he painted portraits on commission and where his work was exhibited.
Malyavin, Filipp (1869-1940) - 1927 Self-Portrait (Private Collection)
Oil on canvas; 91.8 x 72.5 cm.
Filipp Andreevich Malyavin was a Russian painter and draftsman. Trained in icon-painting as well as having studied under the great Russian realist painter Ilya Repin, Malyavin is unusual among the Russian artists of the time for having a peasant background. He was born in the village of Kazanki into a poor peasant family with many children. Even as a child, he was drawn towards art, drawing and creating clay figurines from the age of five. The village was visited by monks, who would bring with them icons from Greece. Fascinated by the icons, Malyavin convinced his parents to allow him to go to Athos to study icon-painting. He traveled to Greece, his journey financed by the villagers. Although the monasteries at Athos were famed for their vast collections of Greek manuscripts and books, icon painting was not actually practiced. Malyavin was disappointed to learn that they only made copies of icons. Having used up his money and unable to return to Russia, he entered the monastery as a novice, and was charged with painting icons and murals. This continued until 1891, when Malyavin met Vladimir Beklemishev, a Russian sculptor and professor at the Petersburg Academy of Arts who was on a visit to Athos. Beklemishev was greatly impressed by Malyavin's work and invited him to Petersburg.
In 1892, Malyavin arrived in St. Petersburg and was enrolled in the Academy of Arts. Malyavin applied for, and was accepted into, the studio of Russian realist Ilya Repin. It was here, in Repin's studio, that Malyavin began creating some of his most famous early works, including Peasant Girl Knitting a Stocking (1895), which is the first of his paintings in which he introduces his favorite color, red. Three of these early works, all depicting peasant women, were exhibited at the Moscow Art Lovers' Society Salon. Two of these were bought by Pavel Tretyakov for the Tretyakov Gallery.
Malyavin also began to perfect his style of portraiture, creating another series of paintings depicting his fellow-artists from Repin's studio. Among the best of these is that of Konstantin Somov, who would later found the World of Art group. Malyavin's fame spread quickly, and it was not long before society grandees such as Baroness Wolf and Mme. Popova began coming to him to have their portraits painted. From 1895 to 1899, Malyavin painted frenetically. In 1897, he was awarded the status of Artist, but only after much debate, and for his series of portraits rather than his competition painting, Laughter, which depicted Russian women in red dresses in a green meadow. His work was too different, too bright, and it had no plot - it did not fit the contemporary art scene at the time.
In 1900, Malyavin traveled to Paris, and took France by storm. French newspapers hailed him as "a credit to Russian painting," and Laughter was awarded a gold medal and bought by the Museo d'arte moderno in Venice. His work was suddenly in demand, with the Luxembourg Museum in Paris buying Three Women. On returning to Russia, Malyavin married Natalia Novaak-Sarich, the daughter of a rich industrialist and Malyavin devoted himself entirely to his art. His work began appearing in the salons of the World of Art group, and the Union of Russian Artists.
Malyavin reached his peak between 1905 and 1907, during Russia's revolutionary crisis. Unlike other painters, at this time he focused on his "peasant" canvases. These paintings are unusual in terms of their use of bright colors and their large scales, which mark them more than their usually generic titles. In 1906, Malyavin painted Whirlwind, his greatest painting, and the Assembly of the Academy of Arts awarded him the rank of "Academician". Between 1908 and 1910, Malyavin did not display any work, and the official art critics began attacking him more and more frequently. He traveled to Paris, and on his return, painted a large family portrait, which he exhibited in 1911, at the salon of the Union of Russian Artists. The painting was a failure, and between 1911 and 1915, Malyavin exhibited only the works of the earlier period.
In 1918, Malyavin moved to Ryazan, where he participated in the Ryazan Commissariat for Education's propaganda of art and taught. In 1920, he went to Moscow, where he was admitted to the Kremlin and made drawings for Lenin's portrait. His works were displayed in Moscow exhibitions. In fall of 1922, Malyavin traveled abroad , to organize a traveling exhibition of his works. The family settled in Paris, where he painted portraits on commission and where his work was exhibited.