Alexander Nikolayevich Samokhvalov (; 21 August 1894 – 20 August 1971) was a Soviet Russian painter, watercolorist, graphic artist, illustrator, art teacher and Honored Arts Worker of the RSFSR, who lived and worked in
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. He was a member of the
Leningrad branch of Union of Artists of Russian Federation, and was regarded as one of the founders and brightest representatives of the
Leningrad school of painting
The Leningrad School of Painting () is a phenomenon that refers to a large group of painters who developed in Saint Petersburg, Leningrad around the reformed Imperial Academy of Arts, Academy of Arts in 1930–1950 and was united by the Saint Pet ...
, most famous for his genre and portrait painting.
Biography
Alexander Nikolayevich Samokhvalov was born on 21 August 1894 in the town of
Bezhetsk
Bezhetsk () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Bezhetsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Mologa River at its confluence with the Ostrechina. Population: 20,618 (2024). It was pr ...
, located in the
Tver Governorate
Tver Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its seat was in Tver. The governorate was lo ...
of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
.
In 1914, Samokhvalov enrolled in the Higher Art School of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. He studied under Vasily Beliaev, Gugo Zaleman,
Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin
Kuzma Sergeyevich Petrov-Vodkin, (; November 5, Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/> O. S. 24 October1878 – February 15, 1939) was a Russian and USSR">Soviet painter. His early iconographic work used special creative effects ...
, and Vasily Shukhayev; among his teachers, the most important was Petrov-Vodkin, with his dimensional system of painting design and correlation of colour and form.
Samokhvalov traveled with Petrov-Vodkin to
Samarkand
Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...
in 1921 as a member of the Expedition of Institute for History of Material Culture, and it was a critical moment in his life and outlook. Another powerful influence on his style was his participation in the restoration process of Georgy's Cathrdral in
Staraya Ladoga
Staraya Ladoga ( rus, Ста́рая Ла́дога, p=ˈstarəjə ˈladəɡə, r=Stáraya Ládoga, t=Old Ladoga), known as Ladoga until 1704, is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the ...
in 1926, where he discovered an ancient Russian painting.
He graduated from Petrograd ''VKHUTEIN'' (known as the
Ilya Repin Institute since 1944) in 1923. His diploma was ''"Dressing-down"'' (
State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...
), where he tried to use "spherical perspective" in the spirit of Petrov-Vodkin, and came close to
surrealism
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
.
Samokhvalov had participated in art exhibitions since 1914, and in 1917 he took part in the exhibition of the
Mir iskusstva
''Mir iskusstva'' ( rus, «Мир искусства», p=ˈmʲir ɪˈskustvə, ''World of Art'') was both a Russian magazine and the artistic movement it fostered, playing a significant role in shaping the Russian avant-garde. The movement was d ...
. He painted portraits, genre and historical paintings, as well as monumental and easel painting, black-and-white art, sculpture, decorative and applied art, and illustrations for fiction and poetry. He produced book graphics from the middle of the 1920s, and began working with scenography in the 1930s at the Bolshoi Drama Theater and Russian State Pushkin Academy Drama Theater in Leningrad and Novosibirsk.
He was very successful in images of heroes of labour and sport (''Conductressa'' (1928); ''Girl with the kernel'' (1933), famous watercoloured series ''Builder of Metro'' (1933—1934), all at
State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...
), all of which had peculiar surrealistic charm. He was the creator of a significant work of the Soviet Epoch of the 1930s with his painting ''Girl in T-shirt'' (1932). In 1937, it was awarded the gold medal at the International Art Fair in Paris, France. At the same time, Samokhvalov took two Grand-Prix awards for his panel ''Soviet Athletics'' and illustrations for ''
The History of a Town
''The History of a Town'' (; ), also translated as ''Foolsburg: The History of a Town'', is a 1870 novel by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin. The plot presents the history of the town of Glupov, which may be translated as the " town of fools", a grotesq ...
'' by
Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin
Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin ( rus, Михаи́л Евгра́фович Салтыко́в-Щедри́н, p=mʲɪxɐˈil jɪvˈɡrafəvʲɪtɕ səltɨˈkof ɕːɪˈdrʲin; – ), born Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov and known during ...
.
Samokhvalov was a member of the "Krug" (1926–1929) and "October" (1930–1932) artists' associations, and was a member of the
Leningrad Union of Artists
Union of Artists of Saint Petersburg () was established on August 2, 1932, as a creative union of the Leningrad artists and arts critics. Prior to 1959, it was called ":ru:Ленинградский Союз художников, Leningrad Union of ...
beginning in 1932. His leading theme was Soviet youth. He was awarded an honorary title from the Honored Art Worker of Russian Federation in 1967.
Samokhvalov created many genre and historical paintings by commission; among them were ''Sergey Kirov Greeting Parad of Athletes'' (1935,
State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...
), ''Appearance of Vladimir Lenin in All-Russian Congress of Soviets'' (1939,
State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...
), ''Parade of Victory'' (1947, sketch for
Palace of the Soviets
The Palace of the Soviets () was a project to construct a political convention center in Moscow on the site of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The main function of the palace was to house sessions of the Supreme Soviet in its ...
, private collection), ''Sergey Kirov and Iosif Stalin at the Building of Volkhov Power Station'' (1950, private collection, London), and others. Among his works also easel paintings: ''Vladimir Lenin and Iosif Stalin at the 2nd Congress of RSDLP'' (1939,
State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...
), ''Front Friends'' (1946), ''Stalingrad Resident'', ''Thinking of Battle Days'' (both 1948), ''Portrait of Yevgeny Mravinsky'' (1950),
''In the Sun'' (1953),
''Cafe "Gurzuf"'' (1956), ''Portrait of Maria Kleshar'' (1958).
From 1948 to 1951, Samokhvalov taught in the monumental painting department at the
''Leningrad Higher School of Art and Industry named Vera Mukhina'', and he authored a memoir titled ''My Way of Creation'' (1977), ''At the Time of Restless Sun'' (1996).
His personal exhibitions were in Leningrad (1963, 1968, 1975,
State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...
and "House of Writes"), Moscow (1964), Saint Petersburg (1994, 2014
State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...
), Tver (1994).
[''Александр Николаевич Самохвалов. Каталог выставки''. Тверь, Издательство «Приз», 1994.]
In 1967, Samokhvalov was awarded the
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...
for outstanding contribution to development of Soviet art.
Alexander Nikolayevich Samokhvalov died in Leningrad on 20 August 1971. His paintings and graphics reside in the
State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (), formerly known as the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (), on Arts Square in Saint Petersburg, is the world's largest depository of Russian fine art. It is also one of the largest art museums in ...
,
State Tretyakov Gallery
The State Tretyakov Gallery (; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world.
The gallery's history starts in 1856 when the Muscovite merchant Pavel ...
, other art museums, and private collections in Russia, Italy, France, the US, Japan, Germany, England and throughout the world.
Awards
* ''Gold Medal'' of
, Paris, 1925 (for poster).
* ''Grand Prix'' of
, Paris, 1937 (for the Monumental painting "The Physical Culture of USSR").
* ''Grand Prix'' of
, Paris, 1937 (for the Illustration of the story of
Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin
Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin ( rus, Михаи́л Евгра́фович Салтыко́в-Щедри́н, p=mʲɪxɐˈil jɪvˈɡrafəvʲɪtɕ səltɨˈkof ɕːɪˈdrʲin; – ), born Mikhail Yevgrafovich Saltykov and known during ...
"
The History of a Town
''The History of a Town'' (; ), also translated as ''Foolsburg: The History of a Town'', is a 1870 novel by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin. The plot presents the history of the town of Glupov, which may be translated as the " town of fools", a grotesq ...
").
* ''Gold Medal'' of
, Paris, 1937 (for the painting ''Girl in a T-shirt'').
* ''
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...
'', Moscow, 1967 (for outstanding contribution to development of the Soviet art).
See also
*
Cafe Gurzuf (painting by Alexander Samokhvalov)
*
In the Sun (painting by Alexander Samokhvalov)
*
Fine Art of Leningrad
*
Leningrad School of Painting
The Leningrad School of Painting () is a phenomenon that refers to a large group of painters who developed in Saint Petersburg, Leningrad around the reformed Imperial Academy of Arts, Academy of Arts in 1930–1950 and was united by the Saint Pet ...
*
List of painters of Saint Petersburg Union of Artists
This is a list of painters of Saint Petersburg Union of Artists (founded 2 August 1932 as the :ru:Ленинградский Союз художников, Leningrad Union of Soviet Artists, since 1959 named as the Leningrad branch of Union of Ar ...
*
Saint Petersburg Union of Artists
Union of Artists of Saint Petersburg () was established on August 2, 1932, as a creative union of the Leningrad artists and arts critics. Prior to 1959, it was called " Leningrad Union of Soviet Artists". From 1959 (when it joined the Union of Art ...
References
Sources
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*
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*
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*
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* ''Alexander Samokhvalov. 1894—1971.'' Saint Petersburg, Palace Editions, 2014.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samokhvalov, Alexander
1894 births
1971 deaths
People from Bezhetsk
People from Tver Governorate
20th-century Russian painters
Russian male painters
Soviet painters
Russian watercolorists
Leningrad School artists
Members of the Leningrad Union of Artists
Socialist realist artists
Repin Institute of Arts alumni
Imperial Academy of Arts alumni
20th-century Russian male artists
Mir iskusstva artists