French impressionist from Chernorechye

In Paris, Alexandra went to study at the Julien Academy, and Konstantin went to the famous artist-teacher Felix Cormon. I had to write a lot - from antique gypsum and body plastics to canvases with diverse tonal shades of the same color. An example in the search for creative style was the work of Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro - "artists of the sun", as these painters were often called. The main thing that Kuznetsov took from the Impressionists and embodied in the works of the first year of his life in Paris is momentary impressions caused by constantly changing nature. The skillful combination of light and color tones in the canvases allowed Kuznetsov to achieve the liveliness and poetry of “a piece of quivering life”.

At the same time, in most works, unlike the Impressionists, he lacks bright colors. The lyricism of the landscapes is achieved by a restrained tone with the use of peculiar colors. This "handwriting" of the painter was developed by constant work in the vicinity and on the streets of Paris. But the canvases painted in his atelier in Montmatre or Montparnasse also retained the breath of nature, whether it was the sun, a raging sea, running clouds or fishing schooners.

During the first years of his life in France, the artist incessantly yearned for Russia, but he could no longer leave the boulevards and cathedrals of Paris, the bridges of the Seine, and the coast of Brittany. Fascinated by the play of light combined with the magical colors of the sea of ​​the northern part of Brittany, he painted a series of "wildlife" landscapes. In the pauses between these works, Kuznetsov painted portraits of people characteristic of that area, certainly in the open air - this became another distinguishing feature of the artist's work. Such, for example, is the compositional work The Fisherman of Concarnot (1902), exhibited at the Paris Salon of the National Society of Fine Arts. This picture, which did not go unnoticed by Parisians and critics, brought Konstantin Pavlovich fame. He was a member of the popular "Autumn Salon" in Paris, which brought together artists of various ages and styles. The Impressionists were most fully represented in the Autumn Salon. In a review of the "Autumn Salon" in 1908, the critic Rene Arcos, along with Henri Matisse and Deltombe, noted several Russian painters, including Konstantin Kuznetsov. As early as 1904 there were critics in Paris who put three Russian names on a par: Kandinsky, Kuznetsov and Trubetskoy. The artist and art historian A.N. spoke positively about the work of Konstantin Kuznetsov. Benois and the recognized master of painting Alexander Yakovlev. The French poet-critic G. Apollinaire did not deprive the attention of the Russian impressionist.

Konstantin Kuznetsov was multi-talented. Classical music and plays by Russian classics have always inspired him. He played the piano well and loved opera. His scenery is known, for example, for C. Debussy's opera Pelléas et Melisande for the Opera Comic theater. Konstantin Kuznetsov could not remain indifferent not only to the beauties of nature, but also to the masterpieces of Russian literature. In the late 1920s, he began to engage in book illustration. And when Elena, Kuznetsov's daughter, translated into French Gogol's "Viya", Konstantin Pavlovich made magnificent illustrations for this book. The publication immediately after its appearance in 1930 became a rarity. Remarkable illustrations by Kuznetsov of such works as "Mermaid", "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" by A.S. Pushkin and other books, fortunately, have survived to this day. Konstantin Kuznetsov never forgot Russia. He was very fond of her folk songs, did not miss the Paris concerts of F.I. Chaliapin, wrote a sketch for the painting "Stepan Razin".

Evidence of the recognition of the work of Konstantin Kuznetsov was not only his lifetime exhibitions, but also expositions of later years. In 1937, an exhibition was held at the Paris Invalides. Retrospective exhibitions were held at the Autumn Salon (1967, 1972), at the Salon of Independents (1968–1970, 1973), at the K. Granoff Gallery (1965, 1968). In 1966, the France-USSR Society organized an exhibition at the mayor's office of the IX arrondissement of Paris. In 1984, a large demonstration of Parisian landscapes by Konstantin Kuznetsov was held at the Carnavalet Museum, three years later an exhibition of views of Brittany was held. The 1986 exhibition on Avenue Henri-Martin was reviewed positively in the Parisian magazine Russkaya Mysl. There were later exhibitions, for example, in 1992 in the VI arrondissement of Paris.

Today, the artist's works are presented in many museums around the world: in the State Russian Museum and the State Tretyakov Gallery, in the National Museum of Modern Art, the Carnavalet Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Paris, in the E. Boudin Museum in Honfleur, Musee des Beaux-Arts (Pont-Aven ), Musee de La Haye (Holland), Musee de Chilpancingo (Mexico).

The personal life of the artist was full of love and happiness. He married Alexandra Samodurova in 1900. They had four children. With great love, the father told them about Russia. And the children took this love to heart. The artist's daughter Olga, having become the heiress of some of her father's paintings, presented them to the Tretyakov Gallery in 1964. The second daughter Elena, who, like her father, became an artist, in 1964 - many years after the death of Konstantin Pavlovich in 1936 - organized an original exhibition of his Parisian landscapes on a riverboat. The ship cruised along the Seine along the embankments and under the bridges, which were once painted by Konstantin Kuznetsov.

The work of Konstantin Pavlovich Kuznetsov, his drawings of Paris deservedly entered the golden fund of the Impressionist paintings. Not without reason in France Konstantin Kuznetsov was considered as a follower of Claude Monet. Thanks to the gifted artist, our small village of Zhelnino has gained worldwide fame.

Kuznetsov Konstantin Konstantinovich born April 16, 1895 in St. Petersburg (according to other sources, Voronezh) - Graphic artist, painter.

From the family of a teacher and teacher of the gymnasium. Member of the First World War. In 1920, after the execution of his father by the Bolsheviks (according to some reports, the murder was of a criminal nature), he fled to the south of Russia, where he joined the Volunteer Army. At the end of 1920, he was evacuated along with her units from the Crimea to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

For some time he lived in the city of Pancevo near Belgrade; attended courses in painting and drawing. Created posters for Matic's department store in Belgrade. He was engaged in book graphics, created cartoons and posters.

Gained wide European fame as an author of comics: in 1937-1941 he made 26 comics for the Belgrade magazine "Mika Mish" ("Mickey Mouse") A. Ivkovic; among them are comics of the mystical-adventure genre: Countess Margo, Vampire Baron (both 1939), Three Lives (1940), Death Stamp (1941); based on Russian literature: "Hadji Murad" by L. N. Tolstoy (1937–1938), "The Night Before Christmas" by N. V. Gogol, "The Queen of Spades" by A. S. Pushkin (both - 1940) and other. In 1940–1941, he published in the Politikin Zabavnik magazine the comic book Peter the Great and comics based on the tales of A. S. Pushkin, The Tale of Tsar Saltan and The Tale of the Golden Cockerel, in which the influence of I. Ya. Bilibin. Author of the comics "Sinbad the Sailor", "The Descendant of Genghis Khan", "Orient Express", "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" and others, which were published not only in Serbia, but also in the French magazines "Gavroche", "Jumbo" , "Aventures", "Le journal de Toto", "Les grandes aventures". Used pseudonyms Steav Doop, K. Kulig, Kistochkin, Kuzya, K.

During the period of the fascist occupation of Belgrade (1941–1944), he created anti-Semitic and anti-communist posters for the Yugo-Vostok publishing house. Collaborated in the propaganda department "S"; illustrated propaganda pamphlets. Released the political comic "The Story of the Unfortunate King", the main actors which were the kings of Yugoslavia Alexander I Karageorgievich (Old King) and Peter II Karageorgievich (Young King), W. Churchill (Nobleman of the Evil Lord), I. Broz Tito (Robber), I. Stalin (Northern Bloody Lord). As a cartoonist, he collaborated in the humorous magazine "Bodljikavo prase" ("Porcupine"), "Mali the Funny".

In the autumn of 1944 he fled from Yugoslavia; ended up in a displaced persons camp in Austria. In 1946 he ended up in a camp on the outskirts of Munich, where he designed the cover for the Ogni magazine (1946, No. 1). He drew cartoons for the humorous magazine "Petrushka". Compiled and illustrated the publication ice hike”, dedicated to the 1st campaign of the Volunteer Army of General L. G. Kornilov to the Kuban (1949).

Around 1950 he left for the USA. He continued to work as an illustrator, painted easel paintings, icons. He painted watercolors on Russian themes for Christmas cards and calendars for the New York publisher Martyanov. In 1970, the Baptism of Rus' edition with his illustrations was published in Canada (reissue - M., 1988).

Creativity is presented in the Historical Archive of Belgrade, the Russian Cultural Center in San Francisco.

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Taking a Walk, 1930-1940s

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Kuznetsov Konstantin Vasilyevich (1886 -1943) - graphic artist. Attended classes at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts. In 1913 he made his debut as an illustrator in the New Satyricon magazine. Collaborated in the magazines Apollo and Russian Icon. He placed caricatures of artists in theatrical programs. In the same years he became interested in folk art; made sketches of handicraft toys (ladies, Cossacks, generals, horses), which, with the assistance of L. F. Ovsyannikov, showed at exhibitions of the Independents association in Paris (1910-1913). In 1913 he lived in Moscow and in the Crimea, then moved to Pyatigorsk. Served at the telegraph station. He became close to the artist P. A. Alyakrinsky. After October revolution headed the department of glass printing at the Windows of KavROST. In 1922 he moved to Moscow. In 1923 he participated in a polar expedition to the coast of the Arctic Ocean and Novaya Zemlya. In the first half of the 1930s, he headed the children's art circle in the Children's Book Propaganda Department of the Museum of Public Education of the RSFSR. He was engaged in easel, book, magazine graphics. He worked in the techniques of xylography, glass printing, lithography, linocut, monotype; developed a method of engraving with a drypoint on cardboard with a touch of watercolor or pastel. As an illustrator, he collaborated in the magazines Krasnaya Niva, Funny Pictures, Murzilka. Designed books for the publishing houses "GIZ", "Detgiz", "Young Guard", "Peasant Newspaper", "Pravda", " Soviet writer"and others. Completed illustrations for many books by Ya. P. Meksin: “Mosquito-mosquito” (1924), “Cat-voorot” (1925), “Construction”, “How Daddy Wore Tanya” (both - 1926), “Gray Duck” ( 1927), "Trouble", "Who dared, then ate", "Kartaus" (all - 1928), "Hold on, keep up" (1929), "Homemade", "Potatoes", "Zinkin's pictures" (all - 1930); A. L. Barto: Pioneers (1926), Toys, Stars in the Forest (both - 1936), Two Notebooks (1941), Flashlight (1944). ~ Designed books: Mokhnach V. Bianchi (1927), Leo Tolstoy's "Philippok" (1929), A. I. Vvedensky's "Volodya Ermakov" (1935), G.-Kh. Andersen (1936), "Taman" by M. Yu. Lermontov (1937), "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel" (1937), "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" (1939), "Ruslan and Lyudmila" (1943) by A. S. Pushkin , "The Scarlet Flower" by S. T. Aksakov (1938), "The Tale of the Stupid Mouse" by S. Ya. Marshak (1938), "Sasha" by N. A. Nekrasov (1938), "Stories" (1938), "Lisichkin bread" (1941) by M. M. Prishvin, "The Fate of the Drummer" by A. P. Gaidar (1938, 1939), "Summer Days" (1937), "Old House Tenants" (1941) by G. K. Paustovsky, " Malachite Box» P. P. Bazhov (1944) and others. In total, he designed more than 200 books; many of them underwent numerous reprints both during the life of the artist and after his death. ~ Author of a series of easel lithographs "Dolls", "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf", "Ivan the Cow's Son", "On Rejuvenating Apples and Living Water" , "Sivka-burka"; anti-fascist engravings and drawings on the theme civil war in Spain, a cycle of drawings " Ancient Rus'"(1933), humorous series of drawings "Brem inside out" (1939-1940), "The Adventures of Babai" (1942-1943). He was engaged in the design of the animated films "Aibolit" (1938), "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" (1939), "The Beater" (1940). ~ From 1910 - a participant in exhibitions. Exhibited at exhibitions: the 1st state free exhibition of works of art (1919), “Russian woodcut for 10 years. 1917-1927" (1927) in Petrograd - Leningrad; the United Art group (OBIS, 1925), the Association of Graphic Artists (1926), Soviet Color Printing (1937), the All-Union Exhibition of Children's Literature and Illustrations of Children's Books (1938) in Moscow; the international exhibition "The Art of the Book" in Leipzig (1927); Soviet graphics in Helsinki, Tallinn, Stockholm, Gothenburg (1934), London (1938), New York (1940) and others. experimental methods Kuznetsov’s work in engraving was dedicated to the exhibition “New Methods of Manual Printing in Printing Industry”, which was organized by the art historian A. V. Bakushinsky in the halls of the State Tretyakov Gallery (1933). ~ A memorial exhibition of works was held in Moscow (1949). The monograph by M. Z. Kholodovskaya: "Konstantin Vasilyevich Kuznetsov" (M.-L., 1950; in the series "Masters of Soviet Art") is dedicated to the artist's work. The works are in many museum collections, including the Pushkin Museum im. A. S. Pushkin.

Original taken from yzhka to Konstantin Kuznetso

Today is the birthday of the illustrator Konstantin Vasilyevich Kuznetsov (1886-1943). A talented graphic artist, engraver, draftsman, he did not receive a special art education. He studied engraving techniques on his own, took lessons from his cousin, graphic artist L.F. Ovsyannikov, and later worked mainly in the technique of engraving on cardboard invented by him. The first drawings were published in 1913 in the New Satyricon magazine. In the mid-1910s, he left Petrograd for the Caucasus, collaborated in the Caucasian ROSTA Windows. From 1922 he lived in Moscow. Worked at the Museum of Children's Books. He illustrated collections of fairy tales for Detgiz, based on illustrations he created easel lithographs published by the MTX printmaking workshop.
Konstantin Kuznetsov created his own unique and recognizable image of a children's book in Russia in the 20-40s. XX century. A special and main place in his work is occupied by illustrations for Russian folk tales. "Gingerbread Man", "Turnip", "Wolf and Seven Kids", "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf", "Teremok", "Ivan the Cow's Son", "On Rejuvenating Apples and Living Water", "Sivka-b urca" - this is just a small list from a huge list of Russian fairy tales. In total, the master illustrated about two hundred editions. Here is a bibliography of books with his illustrations. More than one generation of children in our country grew up on them ...
Unfortunately, I have almost no books with illustrations by Konstantin Kuznetsov. But surely someone will reprint it))

I have a bunch of his books...

Volga pier. Illustration for a book. 1920s

Biography

Konstantin Vasilievich Kuznetsov(1886-1943) - painter, engraver and illustrator.

Born into a peasant family. In his youth, he served as a clerk in the forest trades. Engaged in drawing and engraving independently, artistic special education did not receive. For some time he attended classes at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts. He studied in St. Petersburg at the Psychoneurological Institute.

In 1913, his first illustrations were published in the New Satyricon magazine. Collaborated with the magazines Apollo and Russian Icon. Kuznetsov was also fond of folk art, made sketches of handicraft toys. After the revolution, he became the head of the glass printing department at the Windows of KavROST.

In 1923 he took part in a polar expedition to the coast of the Arctic Ocean. In the 1930s, he was in charge of a children's fine art circle in the Children's Book Propaganda Department of the Museum of Public Education of the Russian Federation.

He was engaged in easel, book, magazine graphics. He worked in the techniques of xylography, glass printing, lithography, linocut, monotype; developed a method of engraving with a drypoint on cardboard with a touch of watercolor or pastel. He painted in watercolor, gouache, ink.

Collaborated with the magazines Krasnaya Niva, Funny Pictures, Murzilka; publishing houses "GIZ", "Detgiz", "Young Guard", "Peasant Newspaper", "Pravda", "Soviet Writer", etc. In total, he designed more than 200 books.

“A life-affirming sense of the world, a broad and beneficial appeal to reality, gave the children's book not only solid ground, but also great spirituality. Of course, it did not appear in all books, but we feel a joyful creative excitement in a very wide range of illustration cycles of that time, and it really was wide, covering the most diverse genres, up to a fairy tale. The renewal of the fabulous images of the illustration is the merit of Konstantin Vasilyevich Kuznetsov. It is striking that the exceptional talent of Kuznetsov the storyteller was revealed to everyone, and to some extent to himself, when the artist was already almost 50 years old. If the editor was very successful in guessing the hidden possibilities of young artists, the Moscow editorial staff showed amazing sensitivity to deep personal parties gifts of already established masters. So it was with Rodionov and Rylov, but the example of Kuznetsov is especially interesting. After all, for him, work in a children's book has long been the main profession. His profile, range of works, love for pioneering, geographical, historical subjects were very reminiscent. Among his illustrations are many of the most interesting books of the 20s and 30s: "Pioneers" by A. Barto (1926), "Berko-cantonist" by S. Grigoriev (1929), "Tales of my life" by A. Yakovlev (1927), "The Wandering School" by L. Kassil (1932). He illustrated Paustovsky, and Gaidar, and Prishvin, and an animalistic book, and books for children (“Toys” by Barto, 1936), even made homemade toys; he had such artistic successes as a story about the most powerful, courageous and dexterous pioneer (“Volodya Ermakov” by A. Vvedensky, 1935). But until 1935, he did not illustrate fairy tales. Meanwhile, it would seem that everything was preparing him for this.

Kuznetsov was born into a family of a peasant - a hereditary timber rafter - in a remote Trans-Volga village; In 1935 he illustrated a collection of Russian fairy tales edited by Bulatov, and then a collection of fairy tales collected and edited by A. N. Tolstoy. The writer followed the work of the artist with great interest and, apparently, helped him a lot. The style of Kuznetsov, the illustrator of the fairy tale, took shape almost immediately. He was already an experienced landscape and animal painter, knew well the age-old way of the Russian village, perfectly felt and understood Russian wooden architecture. It cost him nothing to reproduce in his fairy-tale paintings the poetry of a mysterious deaf forest or the harmony of wooden churches and towers merrily piled up next to each other with the surrounding landscape, to convey the habits of a fox or a wolf, to make them living participants in the action of a fairy tale without emphasized "humanization", without dressing in peasant clothes. suits. illustrated folklore for kids, and his interpretation of fairy tales, songs, nursery rhymes, proverbs in the spirit of fine folklore was natural in this case. Most of the fairy tales illustrated by Kuznetsov were intended for younger children. school age or on older preschoolers, hence a completely different thematic and figurative range of his drawings.

Practiced in the 30s, the combination in one book of drawings by Kuznetsov and Vasnetsov was, as many have already written about it, nonsense that harmed both artists. Meanwhile, they have a lot in common. Both had an organic understanding of the fairy tale as a special world, a fantastic reality with a special fairy-tale atmosphere. Kuznetsov is no less decorative in his quick, light and patterned stroke, in a combination of few, but very sonorous color spots. Its lines and color have no less emotional expression. And yet, both artists illustrate different fairy tales and different things in a fairy tale, appeal to different readers. Vasnetsov has very vivid life observations, from which he proceeds, fit into a conditional fantasy world, where everything lives according to conditional fantasy laws. Kuznetsov's fairy-tale world lives and is built according to the laws of life. The illustrations of both answer different levels child's thinking. The kid is more happy with a chock wrapped in bright shreds than with the most natural, fashionably dressed doll: a chock excites his imagination more. A child of 6-8 years old already enters into a different relationship with the world. Everything worries him, he wants to see and feel everything, he experiences everything together with the heroes of the fairy tale - he is ready to dance with Ivanushka, scream with Masha when the bear takes her away; he enjoys feeling like a resident of a fabulous city. And Kuznetsov does not deceive his reader. And the city, and the villages, and the forest live with him an extraordinary, exciting, and yet very understandable life; even the most fantastic detail looks natural, for example, the radiance emanating from a jumping hot horse bursting with heat.

Kuznetsov is just as national in spirit as Vasnetsov, but in a completely different way.

He illustrates the Russian fairy tale as a page of ancient national history, folk life. And in this sense, he continues the best traditions of Polenova and Malyutin. But as a man of the thirties, who did not know the historical limitations of artistic thought, he does not need stylization; he accepts the fairy-tale world as his own people's world without the slightest alienation and exoticism. For Kuznetsov folk tale- a part of his soul, he brings into the illustration to it the true poetry of feelings, the bold romance of nature, combined with the realistic authenticity of everyday details and human relationships. Kuznetsov thinks in terms of wide spatial compositions that accommodate a large natural and architectural background. In its fabulous cities, life is in full swing, the streets are filled with people, carts pulled by brisk horses carry hay, stoves are heated in the houses. Even the weathervanes on the hipped towers are spinning in the wind, and it seems that people have just moved away from the boats tied to the shore (illustration for the fairy tale "The Man and the Bear"). This lively and very dynamic feeling of a fairy tale as a page of the people's past was new in the art of children's illustration and was very close to the art of cinema. It is no coincidence that Kuznetsov subsequently made excellent drawings for the animated film The Tale of Tsar Saltan (published as illustrations in 1946). Here, the colors are especially sunny and joyful, the heroes are especially lifelike, the buildings are real and fantastically festive. Aspects and angles are chosen in such a way that the viewer's involvement in the fairy-tale world increases: we seem to be looking from the gallery at the throne room of Saltan and go up the steep stairs with Guidon to the white-stone palace sparkling in the sun.

(c) Ella Zinovievna Gankina "Russian artists of the children's book" (1963)