21.07.1910 – 19.01.1968

Vladimir Alexandrovich Serov – a famous master of the Soviet realistic school was a clearly expressed representative of the official state ideology. His most famous paintings are devoted to the events of the October Revolution and the first years of Soviet power, the historical and revolutionary theme became the main one in the work of Vladimir Serov.

In his works he not only shows the feat of the people, emphasizing the pathos of what is happening, but also creates images of people, dynamic and sharply characteristic. The artist’s humanitarian approach is vividly expressed in one of the most famous paintings – “Walkers from Lenin” in 1950. Lenin is not portrayed as a leader, not an orator or statesman, but, above all, a person who is interested and attentive to the hardships of the peasants who came to see him. The heroes of the painting are written out by the artist carefully, we can say, lovingly. A small canvas is not overloaded with details, however, Serov managed to convey the human, touching story of peasant walkers who unexpectedly came to the leader, created deeply typical national images. The talent of Serov the painter is undeniable, his works are characterized by an expressive design and a restrained, harmonious color.

Vladimir Serov worked in the genre of landscape, still life, painted portraits, illustrated literary works – “To Whom in Russia Live Well?” Nekrasov, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, created a series of color illustrations for The Lay of Igor’s Host.

During the Great Patriotic War, being chairman of the Leningrad branch of the Union of Soviet Artists, he worked in besieged Leningrad, participated in the work of the Combat Pencil. The leaves and posters created by the artists raised the spirit of the Leningraders, mixed and at the same time inspired the feat of Soviet soldiers.