14.04 1870 – 08.11 1905

Victor Borisov-Musatov – an artist who organically combined in his work impressionism and symbolism, the master of “aerial” images.

He was born in Saratov on April 14, 1870 in the family of a railway employee. In early childhood, he suffered an injury to the spine, from which, over time, the hump began to grow on his back. The seal of this trauma, the illness reflected on the entire life of the artist. Despite this, Victor Borisov-Musatov was a lively, sociable person, a born leader. The artist saw how his creative method, the combination of impressionism and symbolism, is supported and developed by the young painters.

Since 1890 Borisov-Musatov has been studying in Moscow and St. Petersburg for four years, returning to Saratov for the summer. It was the native land that greatly influenced the artist’s perception, was reflected in his works in a peculiar way. Student works by Borisov-Musatov became the object of criticism among educators, but they delighted young artists.

In 1895, Borisov-Musatov went to Paris, where he spent several winters, getting acquainted with modern art. Especially attracted the attention of the artist’s “pure” impressionism, but at the same time he seeks to fill his paintings with a spiritual impulse, philosophy.

In 1898, Borisov-Musatov returned to Russia, lives in his native Saratov, gets acquainted with the old landed estates. By the way, the artist is often called the “master of the image of noble nests.” In his work not only shows the old family estates, it reflects the change of epochs, the feeling of breaking old life.

The creative flowering of the artist begins in 1901. After an attempt to address the topic of antiquity, Borisov-Musatov decides to dedicate his work to depicting a woman, nature, Russian antiquity. Paintings Borisov-Musatov – is the embodied light and spirituality.

In the last months of his life, the artist managed to create paintings that are considered the apogee of his work, works that can be called “decorative plener”.