Fyodor Zakharovich Zakharov (; ; September 5, 1919 – September 29, 1994) was a Soviet and Ukrainian painter. He was awarded the title People's Painter of Ukrainian SSR in 1978, and the
Shevchenko National Prize
Shevchenko National Prize ( uk, Націона́льна пре́мія Украї́ни і́мені Тараса́ Шевче́нка; also ''Shevchenko Award'') is the highest state prize of Ukraine for works of culture and arts awarded since ...
in 1987, the highest Ukrainian award for art and literature.
Life
Zakharov was born on September 5, 1919 in Aleksandrovskoye rural settlement, a little village in the
Smolensk Governorate
Smolensk Governorate (russian: Смоленская губерния, Smolenskaja gubernija), or the Government of Smolensk, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR. It ex ...
of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
(today part of
Monastyrshchinsky District
Monastyrshchinsky District (russian: Монасты́рщинский райо́н) is an administrativeResolution #261 and municipalLaw #89-z district (raion), one of the twenty-five in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the west of the ob ...
,
Smolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast (russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, ''Smolenskaya oblast''; informal name — ''Smolenschina'' (russian: Смоле́нщина)) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the city o ...
). He descended from a farming family. In 1935 he received a grant to study at the
Kalinin Academy of Art in Moscow, where he finished his studies with distinction in 1941. Health problems kept Zakharov from being drafted for military service. He continued his art studies at the Surikov Academy of Art in Moscow. Zakharov was taught as an elite student by Aristarkh V. Lentulov, one of the best known representatives of the Russian ''avant garde''.
Zakharov started his career as an independent artist in 1950. This was the era of the totalitarian Soviet art, during which artistic expression was subordinated entirely to the interests of the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
. Zakharov never created the so-called ''thematic paintings,'' which typically idealized the supposedly blissful existence of the Soviet citizenry. The young painter did not choose this path, which would have conformed to the ruling ideological system and would have guaranteed fast recognition and material advantages. Zakharov's art was inspired by the magnificent achievements of the Russian and Ukrainian landscape paintings of the late 19th and early 20th century, which are characterised by the poetisation of nature.
Zakharov's landscapes and still lifes were highly admired. The paintings were exhibited in numerous art galleries and reputable museums in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
and
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. Zakharov's paintings are greatly valued by collectors in Russia, Ukraine and Western Europe.
Zakharov was particularly attracted to two landscapes:
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, where he lived, and the village of Sedniv, close to
Chernihiv
Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...
, where he often traveled to paint.
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukrainian poet, wr ...
, the great Ukrainian painter and poet, stayed often at the
Lyzohub manor in
Sedniv
Sedniv ( Ukrainian: Седнів) is a small urban-type settlement in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. It is located in Chernihiv Raion, hosting the administration of Sedniv settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine.
Sedniv is famous for b ...
during the 1840s.
Fyodor Zakharovich Zakharov died after a long illness in
Yalta
Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...
on September 29, 1994, and is buried there.
In 2016 the personal exhibition of Fedor Zakharov was opened in the Hall of Yalta's Union of Artists, Crimea. The Large catalogue of his paintings was also presented during the grand opening.
Work
Prof. Olga Zhbankova, head of the department of contemporary Ukrainian art of the
National Art Museum describes the work of Zakharov: "Zakharov's art was inspired by the magnificent achievements of the Russian and Ukrainian landscape paintings of the late 19th and early 20th century, which are characterised by the noble poetisation of nature. His paintings are based on the harmonic combination of impressionistic sentiment and illustrative painting. The freedom and naturalness of the composition combines organically with the expressiveness of the generalized forms and the strength of the harmony of light. The painter images the form of an item easily with the wide pastous stroke of his brush, reproducing the peculiarity of his fracture and the harmony of air and light."
Exhibitions
File:Sacharow Stiller Mittag bei Alupka.JPG, ''Silent Noon at Alupka'', 1958, oil on carton
File:Sacharow Im Hafen von Jalta.JPG, ''Yalta Port'', 1959, oil on carton
File:Sacharow Sonnentag in Gursuf.JPG, ''Sunny Day in Gurzuf'', 1959, oil on canvas
File:Sacharow Stürmischer Wind bei Livadia.JPG, ''Stormy Wind at Livadiia'', 1964, oil on canvas
File:Sacharow Sonnentag bei Sednew.JPG, ''Sunny Day in Sedniv'', 1968, oil on canvas
File:Sacharow Gewitterabend bei Kasantippe.JPG, ''Thunderstorm at Kazantyp'', 1975, oil on carton
File:Sacharow Erstes Fruehlingsgruen bei Alexanderskoje.JPG, ''First Spring Green at Aleksanderskoye'', 1980, oil on canvas
File:Sacharow In der Werkstatt des Meisters.JPG, ''In the Master's Studio'', 1960, oil on canvas
Literature
*''Contemporary art in Russia'', Index, Russian National Library.
References
External links
Zakharov at the Tretyakov Gallery of Art, Moscow (Russian)Russian Art Gallery Auction prices Classic ImpressionistsVale Fine Art Gallery Museum of Fine ArtThe paintings of Fedor Zakharov (Russian)The Memorial exhibition of art by Fedor Zakharov (Crimean Art Gallery)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zakharov, Fyodor
1919 births
1994 deaths
20th-century Ukrainian male artists
20th-century Russian painters
People from Dorogobuzhsky Uyezd
Recipients of the title of People's Painter of Ukraine
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Recipients of the Shevchenko National Prize
Soviet painters
Ukrainian Impressionist painters
Ukrainian male painters