EXHIBITION OF ONE PICTURE "AFANASY EFREMOVICH KULIKOV. YOUNG MOTHER"

To the 130th BIRTHDAY

“The artist’s soul is like a vessel that exists to contain a divine drink, which gives oblivion from the sorrows of life”, these words are from the literary heritage of A.E. Kulikov surprisingly accurately express the main idea, which animates all the works of the artist.

A.E. Kulikov (1884-1949), painter, graphic artist, artist of decorative art, master of Soviet popular print. Member of the Kaluga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts (1926) and the art association Firebird (1926). Member of the Union of Soviet Artists since 1930. Born - January 14, 1884 in the village of Isakovo, Maloyaroslavetsky district, Kaluga province. A.E. Kulikov died on March 15, 1949. He was buried in Maloyaroslavets. From 1915-1949 he lived almost constantly in Maloyaroslavets. 1896-1901 - studied at the Moscow School of Icon Painting, 1903-1905 - at the art studio of A.P. Bolshakova, 1906-1912 - at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture at A. Korin, N. Kasatkin, A. Arkhipov, V. Serov, K. Korovin.

A.E. Kulikov in 1912 - participated in the painting of the Elokhov Cathedral in Moscow. He performed a number of monumental works for the design of the pavilion "Moscow" at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (1939), sketches for the diorama "Storm Perekop" and "Fight at Chongarsky Bridge" (1940). The artist worked in the field of scenography (sketches of theatrical scenery and costumes). In the period from 1921 to 1923. - created luboks for the State Publishing House and painted caskets, trays, coasters and other handicrafts for the Museum of Handicraft Industry in Moscow. In 1943 he developed the coat of arms of the city of Maloyaroslavets.

Works A.E. Kulikov was exhibited at domestic and foreign exhibitions (Cologne, Monza Milano, Paris). Solo exhibitions of A.E. Kulikov were held in 1951 (Moscow, Maloyaroslavets, Kaluga), 1978 (Moscow), 1980 (Leningrad), 1981 (Kaluga, Kaluga Regional Art Museum), 1984 (Maloyaroslavets, Obninsk), 1987 (Obninsk), 1994 (Maloyaroslavets).

The artist worked in all painting genres, including the portrait genre. The iconography of portraits of A. E. Kulikov is quite diverse: a historical portrait, a merchant portrait, a family portrait. Such polystylism of the genre also required its formative system.

The painting “Young Mother” (1941. Oil on canvas) personifies the social type of asceticism, it is a portrait-type with stylistic characteristics characteristic of it. The work entered the museum from the Art Fund of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR in 1981. The work is done on canvas, oil. The authenticity is confirmed by the signature of the artist. The bottom right of the canvas is the signature and date: “A. Kulikov 1941. " Depicts a young woman sitting on a sofa with a high back with needlework in hand. In front of her, in a wicker cradle-basket on a high pillow, lies a baby, covered with a quilt. Interior elements are complemented by a stack of books placed on the back of the sofa. The gray color of the dressing gown, white - blouses and purple - scarves create a fairly expressive flavor. The work is picturesque, the artist “sculpts” the texture with a moving brushstroke, harmoniously balancing the colors.

High pictorial culture, a wealth of emotional coloring and deep psychologism in the characterization of the image are characteristic of AE Kulikov’s work “Young Mother” (1941).

Creativity of Athanasius Kulikov makes him a bright representative of the domestic culture of the first half of the XIX century.