Pavel Varfolomevich Kuznetsov (1878–1968) was a Russian painter and graphic artist.
Life and career
He studied at
Saratov
Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901,36 ...
at
Bogolyubov Bogolyubov or Boholyubov (; ) is a surname in Russia and Ukraine, meaning "he who loves God" or, possibly "he who is loved by God". Spellings Bogoljubov and Bogoliubov are also used. The feminine form is Bogolyubova (russian: Боголюбова). ...
Art School (1891–1896), then
(1897–1904) and for a year in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
(1905). His early paintings were exhibited by the
Mir Iskusstva
''Mir iskusstva'' ( rus, «Мир искусства», p=ˈmʲir ɪˈskustvə, ''World of Art'') was a Russian magazine and the artistic movement it inspired and embodied, which was a major influence on the Russians who helped revolutionize Eur ...
group, and he was closely associated with the Russian
Symbolists. He helped to organize the
Crimson Rose exhibition (1904) and was a founder and leader of the
Blue Rose
A blue rose is a flower of the genus ''Rosa'' (family Rosaceae) that presents blue-to-violet pigmentation instead of the more common red, white, or yellow. Blue roses are often used to symbolize mystery or attaining the impossible. However, beca ...
in 1907. He taught at the
Stroganov Institute
Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Industrial and Applied Arts (russian: Московская Государственная Художественно-Промышленная Академия им. С.Г. Строганова) informally named S ...
(1917–18; 1945-8) and at the
Moscow Institute of Fine Arts
Moscow ( , American English, US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia. The city stands on t ...
(1918–37). He headed the painting section of
Narkompros The People's Commissariat for Education (or Narkompros; russian: Народный комиссариат просвещения, Наркомпрос, directly translated as the "People's Commissariat for Enlightenment") was the Soviet agency charge ...
until 1921, but fell out of official favour with the advent of
Socialist Realism
Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...
.
Kuznetsov's early paintings are typical of the Blue Rose group's poetic explorations of an interior, imaginative world through archetypal symbols. After 1910 he drew increasingly on folk culture, continuing to draw on the rich colours and harmonious rhythms of the Symbolists but simplifying his compositions to depict the everyday life of village communities of
Kirghizstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
in
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
.
Works
File:Kuznetsov GoluboyFontan.jpg, ''Blue Fountain'', 1905
File:Kuznetsov vstepi.jpg, ''In the steppes. Mirage'', 1911
File:KuznetsovNatyurmortsGravyuroy.jpg, ''Still life with a Japanese Engraving'', 1912
File:Kuznetsov EasternMotive.jpg, ''Eastern Motive'', 1913-1914
File:KuznetsovSborPlodov.jpg, Harvesting of Fruits, 1913-1914
References
* Stupples, P., ''Pavel Kuznetsov: His Life and Art'', Cambridge, 1989
References
House Museum of Pavel V. Kuznetsovat the Artist's Studio Museum Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuznetsov, Pavel
1878 births
1968 deaths
19th-century painters from the Russian Empire
20th-century Russian painters
Orientalist painters
Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni