Vasily Maksimov (1844-1911)

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Vasily Maximov Maksimovic, creative biography

Among the artists who have written on the subject of peasant life, Vassily Maximov occupies a special place. Maximov talent began to emerge as early as childhood, when the native of a poor family became an apprentice icon painter in the local monastery. Through hard work, perseverance and a great desire to do what matter, Basil Maksimovic was able to achieve what the age of 18 was admitted to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. After completing the course a talented young artist the opportunity to go abroad, but he chose to stay at home, because the image of Russian folk life was the main purpose of his life.

Striving to be the first among the best

The first figure, which passed Maksimov teachers in the first year, identify the artist on the 69th place in terms of skill. Any other person might be broken in failure, but Basil Maksimovic - he showed maximum effort and diligence to the end of study to be considered one of the best graduates, along with Polenov, Repin, Savitsky. The young man was lucky to learn from such geniuses as TA Neff, FA Bruni, PM Shamshin, AT Markov. Each of the teachers had an impact on the work of Maximova, try to take the best of what the teacher gave him.

The first work, allowed to declare Maximova as a serious painter - "Self Portrait" (1863). Colorful canvas gives the opportunity to know the author's closer to see the hidden notes of his character - vulnerability, vulnerability and simultaneous confidence and desire for independence.

A huge role in the work of Basil Maksimovic played his part in a free Artel artists, headed by PA Krestonostsevym. The revolutionary mood of vigorous youth manifested in the fact that they refused to participate in the traditional competition for the gold medal, preferring independent activity. Its main task they and Maksimov, including, seen playing real Russian life, as well as search for beauty in the ordinary, everyday events. Less than a year later society has disintegrated, but its basic idea Basil Maksimovic retained in his heart, continuing to work in this direction.

The most striking examples of works held "echo" stay free in the farm are "Santa judge", "Family tea", "Following the example of the older", "dream of the future" and others. Maksimov focuses the viewer's attention on the important features - details of interior modest dwellings, facial expressions of ordinary people, combining all the elements into a single, holistic sense of naturalness and genuineness.

Expert peasant everyday life

The painting "Sick Child", written in 1863, became a kind of "starting point" from which is counting serious, "mature" work Maximov. Like many of his canvases, "Sick Child" was written from life: in his native village, almost in front of the artist died of his 10-year-old niece. Death girls so excited masters, he decided to capture that crashed into his heart.

On the national way of life and tell other works: "Grandma's Tales" (1867), "The fees for a walk" (1869), "The girl at the barn" (1874), "Poor dinner" (1879), "The patient's husband (1881). The most famous paintings Maximova - "The arrival of the sorcerer to a Peasant Wedding" (1875) and "Family section in peasant life" (1876), exhibited at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, along with some other pictures of the master.

At the end of the 19th century Maksimov experiencing creative and personal crisis: a new time dictates the rules, but the wizard can not "rebuild" their inner world to the image of the new realities. The last years of his life Vasily Maksimovic engaged mainly wood carvings, only occasionally returning to the hobby - painting.

Maksimov, died in 1911 in his native village Lopina.