Pavel Zhukov is a photographer whose name few people remember today. Meanwhile, the most famous photograph of the leader of the proletariat, Vladimir Lenin, was made by this master. Many of his works are still printed in school textbooks.
Biography
Pavel Zhukov was born in 1870 in Simbirsk into a family with 19 children. His father, Semyon Zhukov, was a "cold shoemaker" - this was the name of the craftsmen who made light shoes that were not insulated. Educated at the male gymnasium in the city of Simbirsk. In 1882 he was awarded the Certificate of Merit, signed by Ilya Nikolaevich Ulyanov.
Paul's parents had only one daughter, all the others were sons. At that time, children began their working career early, since it was difficult to feed themselves. Therefore, Paul "went into the people" early, at the age of 12. For this purpose, he was sent to a relative in St. Petersburg.
His aunt lived well at that time. Her husband Konstantin Shapiro had his own workshop on Nevsky Prospekt and was quite famous in the city. Pavel Zhukov became his disciple. The master's training did not last long, since Shapiro soon separated from his wife, and they began to live separately. In addition, Shapiro's character was not pleasant, which also played a role in the separation of the master and the student.
Further, information about Zhukov's education diverges. According to some sources, he decided to change his occupation and mastered playing the flute. At the same time, P. Zhukov met the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova, with whom he would then maintain friendly relations for a long time. After graduating from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, he tried to get into the troupe of the Mariinsky Theater, but failed in the competition. Then he tried his luck at the Italian Opera - he joined the troupe and performed for some time with musicians in different cities.
According to other sources, he studied at the St. Petersburg School for the Encouragement of Arts, and then at the Roman Academy of Arts.
Zhukov returned to photography in 1903. For this he rents a room on Stremyannaya Street. His first teacher in this craft, K. Shapiro, died in 1900, leaving his institution as a legacy to his son Vladimir. The photo workshop at that time was going through hard times, so Vladimir Shapiro offered Zhukov cooperation and for some time they worked together.
In 1906 Zhukov bought the workshop completely, but left Shapiro's name on the mat for photographs and a signboard. Already in these years Zhukov made portraits of Tolstoy, Chekhov, Kuprin, Tchaikovsky and members of the royal family. In modern textbooks of literature, photographs of famous writers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries are most likely precisely his works.
In 1906 Zhukov became a photographer of the Imperial Academy of Arts. Organizes lessons for amateurs and professionals. In 1912 he opened a second studio. These workshops remained in Zhukov's ownership until 1918.
Soviet time
When the regime changed, Pavel Zhukov did not oppose the new order and immediately decided to cooperate. In the Petrograd military district, a photo-film bureau was organized, in which a photographer now worked. In 1920, he was appointed chief photographer from the political administration in the district, and patrols along the fronts began. Zhukov removes military leaders, ordinary soldiers, significant events.
In 1926, Pavel Semenovich was wounded, and the doctors decided to dismiss him. He returns to the city and now gives preference to social and teaching activities. Leads the circle and reads lectures "Fundamentals of artistic photography." The era of the Soviet five-year plans began, and Zhukov makes photo reports about production endeavors - his lens captures the construction of ships, production processes at metallurgical plants, the construction of the Volkhov hydroelectric power station.
Most famous work
In his work, Pavel Zhukov preferred to use the pictorial technique. The term "pictorial" is translated from English as "picturesque". The photography process involves the use of techniques that bring photography closer to painting and graphics. This is most clearly manifested in the portraits of his authorship.
The famous portrait of V. Lenin, known to every Soviet citizen, also belongs to the master Pavel Zhukov. According to some reports, Pavel Semenovich was familiar with Vladimir Ulyanov from the time of his life in Simbirsk. The portrait is still considered the best creation of the Leninian era and a model in this art form. As connoisseurs of photography say, in Zhukov's works, leaders and famous people look intelligent, smart, and sometimes even romantic.
With the beginning of the war of 1941-45, Zhukov transferred almost all of his developments to the State Archives in Leningrad. These are about 1400 negatives that were made in the 1890-1936s. The personal archive of the master, who lived on Nevsky Prospekt, has not survived - it was destroyed by a German shell during the blockade of Leningrad.
The lens of the camera, which the master used when shooting V. Lenin on the Field of Mars (1920), is kept in the Central Lenin Museum (Leningrad branch).
Zhukov died during the blockade of Leningrad, in February 1942. No marks on the place of his burial have been preserved.
