A. M. Maksimov "Girl with a Sheaf"

From February 4, the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts (104 Lenin St.) will host an exhibition of one painting by A. M. Maksimov, “Girl with a Sheaf,” dedicated to the 215th anniversary of the artist’s birth.

Alexey Maksimovich Maksimov (1810–1865) is one of the interesting but little-known masters of Russian painting. The reason for this is not so much the relatively short duration of his life, but rather the fact that he was primarily engaged in the execution of icons and church paintings, which were lost during the Soviet period of history.

Only an icon of the seated Virgin Mary with the Child has survived, secular in nature, like most of the paintings of academic artists, distinguished by a high level of painting skills. Also known is a portrait of the artist’s brother and two canvases with historical and everyday themes. However, it is possible that other works by him will be found as a result of searches: there are enough works in museum collections whose authors remain unidentified.

The painting "Girl with a Sheaf" (68 x 55 cm), which entered the collection of the Kaluga Regional Art Museum from the State Purchasing Commission in 1951, may turn out to be a "standard" one, since the image of the sickle has a date (1844 Oct.) and a signature: A. M. Maksimov. The composition is distinguished by a complex turn of the half-figure image, as if posing in front of the viewer, a pretty girl with a sheaf on her left shoulder, supported by her right hand with a sickle.

The drawing and coloring are typical of academic painting, the writing is meticulous. It is noteworthy that the girl is in festive clothes, with an expensive necklace on her neck. This is clearly not a peasant, and she is not presented in the same way as, say, A. G. Venetsianov, who managed to express the essence of life in a Russian village.

A. M. Maksimov was one of the many students of K. P. Bryullov, adopted his style and showed great promise. He came to the Academy of Arts at the age of twenty as an auditor, successfully mastered its programs, as evidenced by the medals he received.

He ended his career by being "appointed" as an academician. But he was forced to choose church painting, and the iconostases he created decorated various churches of the Russian Empire, from the Caucasus to Siberia. This allowed his family to escape poverty, but his works attracted almost no attention from researchers, although there were some that clearly deserved attention. Judging by the fortunately surviving example, the artist shared the fate of many masters, whose creative legacy is presented only partially.