Sergey Markin is a Moscow professional painter, artist of the TRAM theater (modern Lenkom). He was a true master of urban landscape and plot compositions that convey the spirit of the pre-war era.
Childhood, adolescence
Sergei Ivanovich Markin was born in Moscow on August 5, 1903. His father was an employee of Mosselprom. The family grew up five children. Sergei spent all his childhood in the Blagusha district near Moscow. These years were very happy for him. The family of the future artist was prosperous and the parents paid much attention to education.
In 1911, Markin began his education at the Imperial Stroganov School of Industrial Art. He attended Sunday classes. Since 1916, he studied at the Stroganov Central School of Industrial Art, and then at the First State Free Art Studios. His teachers were famous artists at that time. Markin was trained by F. F. Fedorovsky and N. A. Udaltsova. It is surprising that later the artist did not adopt the style of painting from his teachers, as often happens. He managed to create his own and quite recognizable style.
Sergei Markin's father rejoiced at his son's success and encouraged him in every possible way to get a good profession. Since 1820, the talented young man became a student of the most prestigious capital higher educational institution, in the creation of which the best art workshops were united.
Already during his studies, Markin was noticed and his works were selected for prestigious exhibitions. The teachers predicted a great future for him. The employees of the exhibition bureau regularly invited Sergei Ivanovich to various creative meetings.
Career
Sergei Markin entered the galaxy of lyric-romantic artists who began to create in the early 20s of the last century. In 1929, a "great revolution", as it was then called, took place in Russian painting. The works of many artists of that time were not censored and were not admitted to exhibitions. A new ideology was developed and masters who worked in a style that did not fit this ideology were forgotten for many years. These changes also affected the work of Sergei Markin. But, unlike other artists, he managed to resist and not be out of work.
His earliest paintings were:
- "Landscape of the Moscow Suburbs" (1919);
- "In a Hammock" (1928);
- The Blooming Garden (1929);
- Tug of War (1930).
In 1928-1932, Markin worked as a decorator at the Theater of Working Youth (modern Lenkom). He also joined the Moscow Union of Artists. In this organization in 1932, on his initiative, an exhibition of works by artists who had not joined any professional community was presented. This exhibition became one of the last, because then the era of socialist realism came and the graduates of the capital's art school did not fit into this ideology. Their aesthetics and heightened sense of beauty were no longer needed.
Markin was extremely popular in the Union of Soviet Artists. He was respected and revered, and also a little feared. The artist was a truth-teller, possessed a violent disposition and always said to his interlocutor what he was thinking about. Some noted the similarity of his character with the character of Mayakovsky.
Sergei Ivanovich's contemporaries assured that he had an amazing flair for beauty. This artist mastered the art of feeling color and shape. All his works were distinguished by a well-defined rhythm and harmony.
Markin worked in different genres and could switch from creating picturesque natural landscapes to depicting modern cities. And in each style he created unique and very interesting works.
In 1941, Sergei Ivanovich Markin worked on the artistic disguise of the Kremlin and the design of some areas of the center of the capital. In the same year, he volunteered for the front. Markin was sent to Yoshkar-Ola for telegraph radio courses.
In January 1942, he arrived at the front near Moscow and wrote the last letter to his relatives, and in February of the same year he was gone. Markin was killed near the village of Sereda. The artist was buried near the place of death in a mass grave.
Over the years of creativity, Sergei Markin has repeatedly presented his works at the most prestigious exhibitions:
- "Exhibition of young young artists in Moscow" (1934);
- "Moscow in Painting and Graphics" (1936);
- "The first exhibition of watercolor paintings by Moscow artists" (1937);
- "Seventh Exhibition of the Union of Moscow Artists" (1940).
Favorite and most important organization for Markin was the "Union of Moscow Artists", but in addition to it, he also consisted of:
- creative association "Vsekohudozhnik";
- creative association "Moscow Association of Artists";
- Association "Society ROST".
Personal life
Despite belonging to the creative profession, Sergei Markin's personal life has never been stormy. His wife was Maria Semyonovna, the daughter of the famous engineer S. S. Ilyin. She recalled how she met the young artist when he painted on the staircase of the elite house in which she then lived. The janitor wanted to drive the young man out, a scandal erupted, and she had to say that this was her acquaintance.
Marriage with Sergei Markin Maria Semyonovna recalled with great warmth. In 1936, they had a daughter, Svetlana, who later became an epidemiologist.
