Vladimir Muravyov is a famous Russian artist with a unique gift of a colorist. The master of pictorial effects added poetry to hunting plots and glorified the beauty of Russian nature in his works.
Vladimir Leonidovich Muravyov was called a fashionable painter of the beginning of the last century. He drew the audience's attention to creativity by poeticizing hunting motives. In his works, the mastery of the brush reached astonishing virtuosity. An adherent of the traditions of Russian painting, he developed creativity along the author's path.
The beginning of the path to the vocation
The biography of the future artist began in St. Petersburg in 1861. The child was born to the family of Count Leonid Muravyov and his wife Sofia Nikolaevna. Vladimir was assigned to the Corps of Pages. However, in 1881 he left his studies and enrolled in the Academy of Arts as a free student. The student attended a landscape class.
Mikhail Klodt, who taught there, was seriously ill at that time. He was only formally listed as a leader. Muravyov had to look for mentors himself. The artist Clover became his idol. According to the count, the walls of the Academy were pressing on him, so the young man preferred to attend classes freely.
The future painter became a member of the St. Petersburg Societies of Russian watercolors and artists. Vladimir Leonidovich took an active part in academic exhibitions. In 1893, the painter's first personal exhibition was held. The artist's works have regularly appeared on the pages of the most popular art publications.
Clover turned into a mentor and good friend for Muravyov. In everything, the student tried to imitate the teacher. Muravyov was happy to get acquainted with all the subtleties and secrets of the picturesque manner of Clover's writing. His sunsets and the magnificent technique of their execution delighted Vladimir Leonidovich. On the canvases of Muravyov himself, you can subsequently see the same glowing shades.
Features of creativity
The plots of the Count's works are striking in their variety. The Russian forest became its main theme. The main place in it is given to the winter landscape. Among the snow-covered firs, lonely huts, birches and pines, there is always hidden unknown, mystery and special picturesqueness. Each painter has his own snow, his own manner of depicting the softness and looseness of the cover. Professionalism and sincerity attract attention in Muravyov's works. You can stay near the works of the genius for hours, admiring the fabulous beauty of the forest, looking at its inhabitants.
It was with the winter landscape that the master was able to most clearly highlight the color contrast, the intensity of color consonances. Partridges, bears, foxes, capercaillies, elks, and hares became the main inhabitants of these fairytale canvases. They provided imagery, attractiveness and inner harmony of the compositions.
The painter himself adored hunting. He perfectly knew all the subtleties of this lesson, perfectly studied all animal and bird habits. In the works of the master, a unique hint of theatricality appears. This is most noticeable in compositions, always with amazing precision and accuracy of pictures. The role of the wings is assigned to tree trunks. The main characters are always in the center, on the stage.
One of the artist's favorite motives are landscapes with moose against the backdrop of a sunset, river bank or forest. The painter emphasized the dignity of the majestic animal, admired its strength and grace. The works are filled with emotional uplift, triumph, transmitted from the author to the public.
Favorite themes
Muravyov never painted hunting scenes with trophies. He hunted down prey with a hunting passion, but never fired shots.
Speaking wood grouses are very rare. The master managed to convey this amazing sight to the audience by patiently observing the birds. This motive was repeated by the master.
The bears became the favorite characters of the painter. He wrote them at any time of the year. The artist's visual memory was astounding. She helped to successfully continue working in the workshop. The master created images vivid, accurate and reliable.
The author was not too interested in interaction with transient states and with nature. He did not consider himself an impressionist. The painter has always painted in the author's technique. He borrowed only innovations that did not destroy the artistic theater he created.
Gradually, Vladimir Leonidovich left the clover style. He started looking for his own means of expression. He did not stray far from classical traditions. Most of all, he was attracted by the picturesque texture, the breadth of the stroke.
In this vein, he worked fruitfully. Often, the master achieved volume with layers of paint, and then scratched out the trunks and branches with a pen.
Usually the master worked in the oil painting technique. Only at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries did he switch to mixed, using gouache, watercolor, whitewash.
Summarizing
The count's personal life attracted close attention. A spiritually vulnerable and delicate man in 1883 became the husband of the famous actress Vera Komissarzhevskaya. The family did not last long.
Three years later, the sister of his ex-wife Nadezhda became the painter's wife. The new family has an only child. However, this family also broke up in 1890.
After October 1917 Muravyov lived abroad. He continued to paint. However, there were fewer and fewer admirers of his talent. The master plunged into the imaginative world he created himself. Finally, it was decided to return home.
The master lived in Rostov-on-Don. His popularity was waning. New themes were in demand, and romantic scenes became irrelevant. Yes, and former customers and admirers left the country. The painter left this life in 1940.
Muravyov's work occupies one of the most fascinating pages in the history of Russian art. His work is popular today. His works are highly valued by collectors and are kept in private collections and museums.
