Boris Kustodiev is a famous Russian artist. His works are imbued with optimism, they feel love for Russia, its people, traditions. For the last ten years of his life, the artist was confined to a wheelchair. Despite this, he continued to write.
early years
Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev was born on March 7, 1878 in the noisy, multinational Astrakhan. His father taught at the school. He died when Boris was about two years old. The mother raised four children alone on a tiny pension. To provide for her family, she gave music lessons and embroidered to order. The atmosphere of love that reigned in the house, Kustodiev then transferred to his family. And the ability not to lose heart in the most difficult situations later came in handy for him.
Boris began to get involved in drawing as a teenager. At the age of 15, he began to take painting lessons from the artist Pavel Vlasov. Two years later, Boris successfully entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.
In the northern capital, Kustodiev lived on a grand scale, on a student scale. He often went to concerts, exhibitions, attended discussions about art. At the same time, Boris began to look for his theme in painting. It was not easy for him.
In his second year, Kustodiev came to the workshop of Ilya Repin. The famous artist immediately invited him to paint together a large-scale commissioned painting "Meeting of the State Council." In the process of work, it turned out that Boris is by nature a wonderful portrait painter. This genre subsequently took a special place in his work.
Creation
Even after graduating from the Academy of Arts, Kustodiev did not stop studying. He wrote a lot and traveled around the world. The artist visited Italy, Germany, France. Still, travels to Russian cities and villages were dearer to him. These trips will not be in vain and will be reflected in his work.
In 1906, Kustodiev painted a series of paintings called "The Fair". Since then, people's Russia has settled on his canvases, with its merchants, accordionists, merchants, snowy winters and blooming summers. To paint his paintings, the artist used a rich palette, transforming everyday moments of life into something bright, sunny. Critics compared his "folk" works with Russian fairy tales.
In 1909, the first signs of a spinal cord tumor were found in Kustodiev. Seven years later, his legs were amputated. Because of this, he spent a lot of time within four walls. Kustodiev continued to paint, but he did it from memory. It was these works that became the brightest and most famous. Then were written "The merchant's wife for tea" and "Beauty".
The last years of his life, the artist actively collaborated with theaters as a decorator. He liked this job very much. He even left his favorite painting for a while.
Personal life
Kustodiev was married to the artist Yulia Proshinskaya. In 1905, they purchased a plot of land near Kostroma, where they built a house-workshop. It was there that he painted his most famous paintings.
A son and a daughter are born in marriage. The artist died in March 1927.
