24.01.1848 – 19.03.1916

Surikov Vasily Ivanovich – an outstanding master of Russian fine art of the XIX and early XX century. His work is closely connected with the vivid periods of the history of Russia, in his large-scale works the artist truthfully conveyed the characteristic signs of the Russian people, his originality and vital essence.

Vasily Surikov was born in the city of Krasnoyarsk in a poor Cossack family and was very close to his people. From early childhood, the artist showed the beginnings of a talent for drawing. He studied art in his native city in a parish school. Later moved to St. Petersburg to study at the Academy of Arts, where his mentor was P.P. Chistyakov.

In his paintings, the artist portrayed critical, critical moments in Russian history, real historical figures and generalized-typified (but at the same time endowed with bright, individual characters) images of Russian people of different estates. Special emotional sharpness gives to Surikov’s paintings a social or personal conflict, embedded in the thematic basis of the works. In the process of working on large paintings, jealously picking the nature, Vasily Surikov wrote wonderful portraits, landscapes, still-life and interior compositions that have a completely self-esteemed aesthetic meaning. The artist’s paintings are very remarkable for their magnificent coloristic interpretation of the letter, where there is an obvious innovation of the artist in the creation of colorful paintings, the colorful composition of which is studied today by contemporary artists.

He created a number of independent portraits, simple in composition, but strong and holistic in the colorful modeling.

Image: Surikov V.I. Boyarynya Morozova. (State Tretyakov Gallery).