Where were the Perov born. Painter Perov: the history of his most famous paintings
Vasily Grigorievich Perov (1833-1882) - artist, one of the founding members of the Association of Traveling Exhibitions.
The artist's surname "Perov" comes from the nickname given to him by a grammar teacher for possessing a pen for writing letters. Vasily Perov was the illegally born son of Baron Georgy Karlovich Kridener. After his birth, his parents got married, but he was denied the rights to his father's surname and title.
The golden age of Vasily Perov
Perov's "Golden Age" began in 1860. In the late 1850s, the public got tired of mythological and "biblical" painting, and the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts was forced to start awarding medals for "sandals and sermyagi". In 1860 Vasily Perov received a small gold medal for the "First rank". Pavel Tretyakov wrote to him: "Take care of yourself for the service of art and for your friends." Later he received a large gold medal for "Preaching in a Countryside Church". Tretyakov bought many of Perov's paintings from this period.
In the early 1870s, the artist experienced a creative crisis. Perov's paintings no longer attracted everyone's attention. Delight from the artist's first works was replaced by bewilderment. Pavel Tretyakov wrote about Perov after visiting the 1875 exhibition: "What a pitiful thing Perov, what a wonderful transformation of talent into positive mediocrity." He was echoed by Kramskoy: "Four years ago Perov was ahead of everyone ... and after Repin's Burlakov, he is impossible."
The crisis was partly due to the death of his wife in 1869, and partly it was helped by fellow Itinerants.
Perov's biography
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Vasily Perov. |
 V.G. Perov. |
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- 1833.December 21 - at the provincial prosecutor's office, Baron Georgy Karlovich Kridener and a native of Tobolsk A.I. Ivanova, the illegitimate son Vasily was born. Soon the parents got married, but Vasily did not receive the rights to his father's surname and title.
- 1842. Father Perov received the post of manager of the Yazykov estate in Sablukov, Nizhny Novgorod province. Here Vasily fell ill with smallpox, after which poor eyesight remained for the rest of his life.
- 1843. Perov's studies at the Arzamas district school.
- 1846. Studying at the Arzamas art school of A.V. Stupin. Perov did not finish school because of a conflict with one of the students.
- 1852. Arrival of Vasily Perov to Moscow.
- 1853. Admission of MUZHVZ. The teacher of the school E.Ya. Vasiliev, who settled Perov at home and took care of him as a father. Vasily Perov graduated from college under the direction of S.K. Zaryanko.
- 1856. Small silver medal of the Academy of Arts for "Portrait of Nikolai Grigorievich Kridener", brother of Perov.
- 1857. Large silver medal for the painting "The arrival of the police officer for the investigation."
- 1860. Small gold medal for the painting "First rank".
- 1861. Moving to St. Petersburg. Big gold medal and the right to travel abroad as a boarder for the painting "Sermon in the Village". Scandal over the painting "Rural religious procession at Easter". The artist Khudyakov wrote to Tretyakov: “And other rumors are circulating that as if the Synod would soon make a request to you: on what basis do you buy such immoral paintings and exhibit them publicly? and was soon removed, but nevertheless she raised a big protest! And instead of Italy, Perov, as it were, did not get to Solovki. "
- 1862. Painting by Perov "Tea drinking in Mytishchi". Autumn - marriage to Elena Edmond Shains. December - Perov went abroad with his wife as a boarder at the Academy of Arts. Having visited Berlin, Dresden and Dusseldorf, I came to Paris.
- 1863-1864. For two years Perov lived and worked in Paris. Having received permission from the Academy for an early return with the continuation of boarding in Russia, he returned to Moscow and settled in the house of his uncle's wife - F.F. Rezanov.
- 1865 V.V. Stasov: "Perov created one of his best paintings:" The Funeral of a Peasant. "The painting was small in size, but great in content ... Perov gave complete abandonment and loneliness of a peasant family in its grief."
- 1867. For the paintings "Troika" and "The Arrival of the Governess at the Merchant House" written a year earlier by V.G. Perov was awarded the title of academician. The painting "Troika" was acquired by P.M. Tretyakov.
- 1868. The Academy of Arts extended the boarding school for Perov for two years. The birth of his son Vladimir.
- 1869. Together with Myasoedov, who came up with the idea of creating the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions (TPHV), Perov organized a Moscow group of Itinerants and for seven years was a member of the board. Death of his wife.
- 1870. Perov was awarded the title of professor by the Academy of Arts for the paintings "The Wanderer" and "The Birdman".
- 1871. At the 1st exhibition of the TPHV Perov showed the painting "Hunters at a Halt". Appointment V.G. Perov as a teacher at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in place of the deceased S.K. Zaryanko. Painting portraits for Tretyakov.
- 1872. Marriage to Elizaveta Yegorovna Druganova.
- 1873. A trip to Nizhny Novgorod, to the Volga, to the Orenburg province. Severe cold while hunting, beginning of the process in the lungs.
- 1874. Perov on the plot of the novel by I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons" painted the picture "Old parents at the grave of their son." Creative crisis.
- 1877. Withdrawal from the TPHV members. Collaboration in the journal "Nature and Hunting". Publication in the "Art Journal" of stories.
- 1881. End of the year - deterioration of health due to typhoid and pneumonia.
- 1882. Vasily Perov died.
Failed partnership
In 1871 the first exhibition of Itinerant artists took place. For almost a year she was disinterestedly accompanied by Vasily Perov and Grigory Myasoyedov. They did not even demanded a refund for the cost of the train tickets. It was assumed that the escorts would be members of the Partnership in turn. However, not everyone could afford it, and whoever could - preferred to paint. The St. Petersburg branch, bypassing the Moscow branch, hired an escort. There were other grievances and disagreements. V.G. Perov, being the treasurer of the Moscow branch, made a penny inaccuracy in the report. A scandal broke out. Perov acted as treasurer, again disinterestedly. To justify himself, he hired an accountant at his own expense.
In 1877 Vasily Grigorievich Perov left the Association. In a statement, he objected to the expansion of the Partnership, wrote: "... I am fully convinced and I think: where there are many gathered, there, of course, you can expect a lot of good, and even worse, which was, as I heard, with the artel artists that once existed in St. Petersburg ". Kramskoy's reaction was harsh: "God is judge Perov - we can do without him."
In 1871-1882. V.G. Perov taught at the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. According to the memoirs of his student M.V. Nesterov "in the Moscow school of painting ... everything lived with Perov, breathed him, bore the imprint of his thoughts, words, deeds."
Vasily Perov was especially friendly with Alexei Savrasov. Together they created the Association of the Itinerants and worked at the School of Painting. Both left the school in 1882.
Pictures and portraits of Perov
Perov's paintings, written in the genre of everyday painting, are a story about the daily life of the people who surrounded the artist. Sometimes this is an illustration for the holiday, sometimes for rest, but more often - for everyday difficulties and ordeals. Over the years, Perov's irony and humor gave way to satire directed against the clergy and merchants. The critic V.V. Stasov wrote: "A whole gallery of Russian people living peacefully in different corners of Russia."
Many pictures of Perov P.M. Tretyakov bought immediately after their creation. Others got into the Tretyakov Gallery after 1925 with the nationalization of private collections.
Painting "Rural procession" written by Perov in 1861. At the same time it was exhibited at the Academy of Arts, but the next day it was removed from the exposition at the request of the authorities. The press reported that the painting "disappeared from the exhibition for reasons beyond the control of the artist." The work was transported to the exhibition of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts in St. Petersburg. Here, too, a scandal erupted. The critic V.V. Stasov remarked: "Such satire bites painfully." The picture was removed, and a card with the inscription "Acquired by P.M. Tretyakov" appeared in its place at the exhibition. The philanthropist bought the canvas, despite the warning that the author, instead of a trip abroad, could end up in the Solovetsky prison for blasphemy.
Painting "Tea drinking in Mytishchi, near Moscow" written by V.G. Perov in 1862 by order of the city administration. And although the picture was commissioned, it was painted as accusatory and highly social and made a huge impression on the Moscow public. The painting "Tea drinking in Mytishchi" was acquired for the private collection of K.T. Soldatenkov. Later, after 1925, during the nationalization, she ended up in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Painting "Monastic meal" , written by Perov in 1865, took eleven years to complete. She remained a satire on the clergy. Although this is grotesque, but, according to the author, the typical characters and precisely drawn out details of the picture should have convinced the viewer of the authenticity of what was depicted.
Painting "Troika" ("The disciples of the artisans are carrying water") written by Perov in 1866. This is one of the most poignant, in terms of emotional impact, works about the terrible existence of the poor in Russia at the end of the 19th century. "A whole life is told in their rags, poses, tortured eyes" - wrote the critic Stasov about Perov's picture "Troika". She immediately received universal recognition among her contemporaries. The painting was one of two works for which Perov was awarded the title of academician. But the highest praise for the artist was the purchase of a painting by P.M. Tretyakov immediately after the exhibition.
Painting "Hunters at Rest" written by Perov in 1871 for an exhibition in Europe. From the exhibition it was immediately bought by P.M. Tretyakov. In 1877, the second author's version was written for Alexander II. Now this painting is in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. They say that there is also a third author's version, which was kept for a long time in the Nikolaev Regional Museum as a copy. Perov was a passionate hunter, so the topic of hunting is well known to him. The three men in the picture were doctors in Moscow life. The artist wrote the narrator in "Hunters at Rest" from the doctor of the Myasnitskaya police unit D.P. Kuvshinnikov. Later, in 1892, he and his wife, the mistress of the popular in Moscow in the 1880-1890s. literary salon, became the prototypes of Chekhov's story "Jumping".
The painting "Birds" Perov wrote in 1870 and received the title of professor for her. A very poetic work has emerged from a scene that the artist accidentally saw in the forest. The landscape for the painting "Birds" was painted by a friend and colleague Aleksey Savrasov
- "The True Singer of Sorrow"
- Portrait gallery
Asily Perov was called by one of his students "a true singer of sorrow." And for good reason: the constant characters of his genre paintings were exhausted peasants, hungry, frozen or mourning their dead relatives. However, Perov's brush belongs not only to social works, but also to a whole portrait gallery, as well as paintings on historical subjects.
Heir to artistic traditions
Vasily Perov was born in 1834 in the Siberian city of Tobolsk. He was the illegitimate son of the provincial prosecutor, Baron George Kridener - an enlightened, free-thinking man who received exiled Decembrists in his house. Although the boy's parents got married shortly after his birth, the child was still considered illegitimate, had no right to the title and surname of the father. In the documents, he was listed as Vasiliev - by the name of his godfather. And the pseudonym Perov was later born from the nickname given to him by the rural deacon for his success in calligraphy.
In 1843-1846, Vasily Perov studied at the Arzamas district school, and independently studied drawing. After graduating from college, he entered the art school of Alexander Stupin. The boy studied hard and even began to paint with oils - earlier than other students. In the late 1840s, he already painted several portraits and genre paintings: "A beggar begging for alms", "Village troika", "Festivities at seven".
Vasily Perov. Parisian festivities. Sketch. 1863. Tretyakov Gallery
Vasily Perov. Arrival of the stanovoi for the investigation. 1857. Tretyakov Gallery
Vasily Perov. Inveterate. 1873. State Historical Museum
In 1853, Perov decided to continue his education - at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. He found himself in an interesting and diverse creative environment: aspiring artists from all over Russia became his companions, a young landscape painter Ivan Shishkin was his close friend, and his teachers were Mikhail Scotti, Nikolai Ramazanov and Apollon Mokritsky, a student of Venetsianov.
The years of study were not easy for young Perov: at first he had nowhere to live, he was constantly experiencing financial difficulties. The aspiring artist even once almost dropped out of school, but one of the teachers, Yegor Vasiliev, sheltered him in his own apartment.
In 1856, Perov had his first success: for a sketch of the boy's head, he received a small silver medal at the competition of the Academy of Arts. The next year, for the painting "The arrival of the stanovoi for the investigation" - a large silver medal. Critics of that time considered him a direct heir to the artistic traditions of Pavel Fedotov, who wrote in the spirit of critical realism, when it is shown how the circumstances of a person's life and his character depend on the social environment.
"The True Singer of Sorrow"
In 1861, Perov graduated from the School of Painting and received the first grade gold medal for the painting "Sermon in the Village". A slumbering landowner and peasants dejected by their thoughts, a cooing couple and children who listen carefully to the priest ... The artist showed on the canvas a kind of social cut - gross ignorance and attitude towards a boring, in the opinion of the crowd, orator.
In the same year, Perov painted another picture with a similar plot - "Rural Procession of the Cross at Easter". It shows a Russian village of the 1860s with beggars, ignorant peasants and immoral priests. The painting provoked heated discussions in St. Petersburg: some praised the author for his courage and artistic skill, others were extremely outraged by this angle of view. After a while, the canvas was removed from the exhibition and was even banned from being shown in Russia. However, Pavel Tretyakov purchased the painting for his gallery. For the purchase of a "spiritless" canvas, he was threatened with disapproval of the Holy Synod, and Perov was exiled to the Solovetsky Monastery. However, the artist was not embarrassed by the opinion of the critics, and in 1862 he wrote the following social canvas "Tea Party in Mytishchi". It depicts a well-fed lazy priest at midday tea and two emaciated beggars who are chased away from the table by a servant.
In January 1862, Vasily Perov received a scholarship and boarding school from the Imperial Academy of Arts and, according to tradition, went abroad. He visited museums in Berlin, Dresden, Paris, made sketches in the poorest quarters of the city. From sketches were born canvases with street musicians and beggars, junk dealers and ordinary townspeople - "The Blind Musician", "Savoyard", "The Parisian Organ-grinder" and "Feast in the Environs of Paris".
Perov was burdened by life abroad and longed to return home. Even before the two years given to him expired, he wrote to the Council at the Academy of Arts: “I dare to ask the Council for permission to return to Russia. The reasons prompting me to ask for this, I will try to present here: living abroad for almost two years and despite all my desire, I could not fulfill a single picture that would be satisfactory - ignorance of the character and moral life of the people makes it impossible to bring to the end of none of my works ".
After returning to his homeland, the artist continued to create canvases on social subjects. In the paintings of the 1860s, oppressed peasants, emaciated city children, weak-willed employees of rich gentlemen appeared. Later, Mikhail Nesterov, a student of Vasily Perov, called the painter "a true singer of sorrow."
"Art acted in all the greatness of its real role: it painted life, it" explained "it, it" pronounced its judgment "over its phenomena."
Vladimir Stasov
Vasily Perov. Troika. Apprentices artisans carry water. 1866. Tretyakov Gallery
Vasily Perov. Arrival of the governess to the merchant's house. 1866. Tretyakov Gallery
Vasily Perov. Farewell to the deceased 1865. Tretyakov Gallery
Portraits and Historical Painting
In 1869 Perov teamed up with a group of artists, and together they founded the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions. At the first exhibition of the Itinerants in 1871, Perov's paintings "Hunters at Rest", "Fisherman" and several portraits appeared. In parallel with his participation in the partnership, Vasily Perov taught at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and tried his hand at literary creativity. He wrote stories about his artistic experience - "Aunt Marya", "On Nature (Fanny at No. 30)".
“So it was decided that Fanny would come to Yegor Yakovlevich's studio at the address left to her.
The next day, around noon, Fanny appeared. She entered modestly, even timidly, recalling only in part "a lost, but sweet creature." During the day she looked worse than in the evening, but she seemed taller in stature. Her personality was the most ordinary, only dark red hair, like Titian's Magdalene, was striking. She looked about twenty years old.
<...>
Fanny stood calmly. There was a sense of grace in the position of her body. It was built well.
Yegor Yakovlevich drew with enthusiasm, did not even smoke his pipe ”.Vasily Perov, an excerpt from the story "In Nature (Fanny at No. 30)"
In the 1870s, Vasily Perov's acute social work became less. During this period, he painted canvases with scenes from the life of the Russian province - "Birds", "Hunters at Rest", "Botanist" - and portraits. His works turned out to be simple and realistic, with a strict composition and restrained color. Vasily Perov portrayed Alexander Ostrovsky in a relaxed home atmosphere, Ivan Turgenev - thoughtful and immersed in his own thoughts. One of the most famous portraits was the canvas with Fyodor Dostoevsky. Slouching and clasping his knee with his hands, the writer looks absently into the corner of the room. The ascetic gray-brown scale adds drama to the portrait - the picture is enlivened only by red specks on the writer's black tie.
“This portrait is not only the best portrait of Perov, but also one of the best portraits of the Russian school in general. All the artist's strengths are evident in him: character, power of expression, huge relief. "
Ivan Kramskoy
Portrait gallery
In the last years of his life, Perov turned to a new genre - historical painting. He planned to write three canvases about the Pugachev uprising, but only managed to complete several sketches for the last part of the trilogy - "Pugachev's trial". The rest of the canvases remained at the sketching stage. These are "The Siege of Pskov", "Pimen and Grigory", "Mikhail Tverskoy in the Tatar Horde" and "The Torture of Boyarynya Morozova". The last work of the master was a large-scale canvas of 1881 with many characters - "Nikita Pustosvyat".
Vasily Perov died of consumption in 1882, at that time he was 48 years old. He was buried in the Danilov Monastery, and later reburied at the cemetery of the Donskoy Monastery. A monument by the sculptor Alexei Yeletsky is installed on the artist's grave.
Perov Vasily Grigorievich was born on December 21, 1833 in Tobolsk.
Since Vasily Perov was the illegitimate son of the petty bourgeoisie of the Tobolsk province Akulina Ivanova and the provincial prosecutor Baron Georgy Karlovich Kridener, his fate was not easy. And even the wedding of his parents did not allow Vasily to receive either his father's surname or his title. As a result, the talented Russian artist Vasily Grigorievich Perov received his surname by the nickname given to him by the sexton for his accurate pen handling.
Vasily Perov's father was an educated man, from the eminent Kridener family, but at the same time he had a sharp word and a quarrelsome character. Therefore, he often had to change his place of service, as a result of which the family constantly changed their place of residence. Vasily Perov spent a long time with various relatives in his childhood.
Once his father invited the artist to the house, and little Vasily was able to observe his work and showed great interest in painting. This, perhaps, determined his future fate. First, Vasily enters the Stupin private drawing school in Arzamas, and then at the age of twenty he enters the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
During his studies, he did not remain unnoticed and received his first award - a small silver medal for a talented sketch, and a little later, a small gold medal for the painting "First Rank".
After graduating from the educational institution, Vasily Grigorievich Perov, as was customary for talented graduates, goes abroad to improve his professional skills. This period Perov creates a cycle of works devoted to the life of the Parisians.
But living and working abroad does not attract the young artist too much. 
He is more motivated by the Motherland, the difficult life of ordinary people. Therefore, he soon returns and creates a number of works, such as Troika, Village funeral, The Drowned Woman and others, which caused a great resonance in society with their shrillness and denunciation of the bigotry and indifference of those in power to the fate of the people.
Perov Vasily Grigorievich was certainly not some kind of revolutionary, but he always remained a person who was not indifferent. During the period of his career, he created a number of remarkable works, which are currently adornments of the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, and the Art Museum of Belarus.
The most famous works of the artist
Self-portrait. 1870 
Rural procession at Easter. 1861 
Tea drinking in Mytishchi, near Moscow. 1862 
Organ grinder. 1863 
A boy preparing for a fight. 1866 
Arrival of the governess. 1866 
Troika. Apprentices artisans carry water. 1866 
Christ and the Mother of God by the Sea of Life. 1867 
Railway scene. 1868 
Wanderer. 1870 
Birder. 1870 
Meal. 1876 
Pugachev's trial. 1879 
Portrait of the writer Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl. 1872 
Portrait of the writer Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev. 1872 
Portrait of the writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. 1872 
Inveterate. 1873 
Botanist. 1874 
Wanderer's welcome. 1874 
A janitor giving an apartment to a lady. 1878 
Fishermen. (Priest, deacon, and seminarian). 1879 
Wanderer in the field. 1879 
Crying Yaroslavna. 1881 
Dispute about faith. 1881 
Fisherman. 1871 
Hunters at Rest 1871 Soon after the birth of Vasily, his father was dismissed from the service, so the boy had to move a lot from city to city.In 1842 he fell ill with smallpox, as a result of which he was left with poor eyesight.
From 1843 to 1846 he studied at the district school in the city of Arzamas. In 1846, he began to attend the Arzamas art school, but could not finish. In 1852 he entered the Moscow School of Painting.
In 1862, Vasily married Helen Shains. Immediately after the wedding, they left for Europe and settled in Paris for several years.
In 1869 he founded the Moscow group of the Itinerants, for a long time was a member of the board. In 1872, Perov married a second time - to Elizaveta Druganova.
The most important paintings: "Hunters at a Halt", "Seeing the Dead", "The Last Tavern at the Outpost", "Troika", "Birds", "Rural Procession at Easter", "Arrival of the Stanovoy", "Tea Party in Mytishchi", " Dumbfounded ”,“ Fisherman ”,“ Drowned Woman ”,“ Sleeping Children ”.
He died on May 29, 1882 from consumption. The artist was buried in the Danilov Monastery, but later the remains were transferred to the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow.
The great Russian artist, no less a great teacher who raised more than a dozen really great painters.
Art acted in all the greatness of its real role: it painted life, it "explained" it, it "pronounced its judgment" over its phenomena.
Vladimir Stasov
Biography of the artist Vasily Grigorievich Perov
Self-portrait
Artist Vasily Grigorievich Perov was born in December 1833. The artist's father, Baron Georgy (Grigory) Karlovich Kridener, at that time served as a prosecutor in the godforsaken Siberian province, and his mother, Akulina Ivanova, was a Tobolsk bourgeoisie. At the time of Vasily's birth, his parents were not married, and the shameful "illegitimate" stuck to the little man for many years.
Literally a few months after the birth of the child, the parents got married, but the baron could not transfer either the surname or title to his son. So Vasya became Perov - the boy received this nickname from his first teacher-sexton, who admired the graceful handwriting of the student. And the nickname later became the surname of the illegitimate child.
It is reliably known that Vasily Perov was assigned to the bourgeoisie of the city of Arzamas. Why Arzamas?
Baron Kreedener was a very unrestrained person in his language - he loved caustic and caustic jokes, and he did not go into his pocket for a word. He joked about the governor and lost his job as a prosecutor - the family moved to Arkhangelsk. In Arkhangelsk, papa wrote satirical rhymes about the Arkhangelsk provincial administration - I had to go to St. Petersburg, then to the Livonian provinces, Samara and Arzamas. In Arzamas, the family settled with relatives.
During the period of the Arzamsk life-life, Baron Kridener received the place of manager of a large estate of Yazykov, which implied the acquisition of a permanent residence at the estate. Vasily was assigned to Stupin's private school (in Arzamas) and the boy attended painting classes twice a week. Three months later, the training ended - the senior comrades invited 13-year-old Vassenka to a name day to a certain local charmer, and after the party the cabman brought home a completely drunk "painter". This was the end of Perov's training - mother was categorically against such studies.
And a few months later, the baron once again lost his place - he could not restrain himself and joked sharply. The family moved to relatives in Arzamas and this sad event allowed Vasily Perov to continue his painting studies - his mother agreed to let the "child" go to school, since now he was under constant supervision.
In 1852, Vasily Perov came to Moscow, and in 1853 he entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in the class of the famous artist and teacher Vasiliev, who immediately noted the great talent of the new student. This teacher settled in a student who had nowhere and nothing to live on, surrounded him with truly paternal care and gave his favorites additional painting lessons.
Already during his studies, in 1856, Vasily received his first silver medal for the "Portrait of Nikolai Grigorievich Kridener, the artist's brother" presented to the Academy of Arts. There will be many more medals, but the artist remembered that first medal with special warmth until the end of his life. Although this work was also closely connected with the traditions of painting of the outgoing 19th century, it was she who became the first significant milestone in the work of Perov.
In 1857, the painting "The arrival of the police officer for the investigation" was painted.
Arrival of the Stanovoy for the investigation
For this work, the artist was awarded the Great Silver Medal, and the critics passed a unanimous verdict - “Fedotov's direct heir and successor” appeared in Russia:
The young artist lifted the brush that had fallen from Fedotov's hands ... and continued the work he had begun, as if there had never been any false Turks, false knights, false Romans, false Italians and false Italians, false Russians, false gods and false people.
The next notable work of the artist was the painting "Scene on the Grave", which Perov wrote under the direct supervision of E. I Vasiliev.
Grave scene
The audience and critics liked the picture, but Perov himself was dissatisfied with this work and called it too artificial and rather far-fetched in composition.
The first paintings of the artist Vasily Grigorievich Perov
In 1860, for the painting “First rank. The son of a sexton promoted to collegiate registrars ", the artist Perov, the Academy of Painting, was awarded a small gold medal.
First rank. Sexton's son promoted to collegiate registrars
The artist got the right to participate in the competition for the Great Gold Medal and moved to St. Petersburg. In the capital, in 1861, the paintings "Sermon in the Village" and "Rural Procession of the Cross at Easter" were painted.
Rural procession at Easter
Sermon in the village
For his sermon, Perov received the Great Gold Medal with the right to travel abroad as a pensioner, and the second work was rejected by the Academy and ... acquired, for his gallery, by P.M. Tretyakov. Concerning this acquisition, V. Khudyakov wrote to the patron:
And other rumors are running about that as if you will soon be asked by the Holy Synod; on what basis do you buy such immoral paintings and exhibit them in public? The painting ("The Priests") was exhibited on Nevsky at a permanent exhibition, from where, although it was soon removed, it nevertheless raised a great protest! And Perov, instead of Italy, as if not to get to Solovki.
The controversy flared up hot and not at all comic: the famous critic V. Stasov praised the artist for the sincerity and everyday truth, precisely noticed types, and another critic, M. Mikeshin, said that such paintings kill high true art, humiliate real painting, because it shows unsightly side of life.
In 1862 Perov wrote "Tea drinking in Mytishchi".
Tea drinking in Mytishchi, near Moscow
This is a picture-contrast, a picture-opposition: an obese idle monk-gluttony on the one hand, and a disabled soldier, a real servant of the fatherland, who asks for alms. And also a guide boy, whom it is impossible to look at without tears.
There was a scandal again, which could have ended very badly for Vasily Perov ... The artist quickly marries Elena Sheins and almost immediately, being a pensioner of the academy, leaves for Europe.
Perov lived in Germany for some time, and then moved to Paris. And he desperately misses abroad - he lacks Russia for inspiration.
I dare to ask the Council for permission to return to Russia. The reasons prompting me to ask for this, I will try to present here: having lived abroad for almost two years and despite all my desire, I could not fulfill a single picture that would be satisfactory - ignorance of the character and moral life of the people makes it impossible to bring to the end of none of my works.
Nevertheless, Vasily Grigorievich works a lot, writes several very interesting paintings, and also regularly writes petitions asking to be allowed to return to his homeland.
In Europe, the paintings "Seller of statuettes", "Organ-grinder", "Savoyard", "Rag-pickers", "Musicians and onlookers", "Beggars on the boulevard" were painted.
Celebration in the vicinity of Paris
Songwriter Seller
Parisian rag-pickers
Organ grinder
Parisian organ grinder
In the end, the artist's requests to return to Russia were granted - permission for an early return was received. The Perov family returns to Moscow and the young people settle in the house of the artist's wife F.F. Rezanov.
For contests held by the Moscow Society of Art Lovers and the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Perov painted the paintings Farewell to the Dead and Another at the Pool. Both paintings were awarded first prizes. And with these paintings a new stage began in the artist's work, which was later defined by art critics as painting “about the humiliated and insulted.
Seeing the deceased
Another by the pool
Clean monday
The famous critic V.V. Stasov, seeing these works of the artist, wrote:
Perov created in 1865 one of his best paintings: "The Village Funeral". The painting was small in size, but great in content ... Art acted here in all the greatness of its real role: it painted life, it “explained” it, it “pronounced its judgment” over its phenomena. ... This funeral is even more bleak and sad than that of Nekrasov in the poem "Frost-Red Nose". There the coffin was seen off by his father, mother, neighbors and neighbors - Perov had no one. Perov gave complete abandonment and loneliness to the peasant family in its grief.
After the "Village funeral" the artist painted pictures about the hard life of ordinary people in Russia: "Troika", "Arrival of the governess in the merchant's house" and "Scene at the postal station." Vasily Grigorievich organized the image in such a way that the characters in his paintings seem to be looking at the viewer. They look with mute reproach, without condemnation, doomed and bitter. Art critics note that this appeal to the viewer will be characteristic of a number of Perov's works of that period.
Arrival of the governess to the merchant's house
For the paintings "The Arrival of the Governess in the Merchant House" and "Troika" Vasily Grigorievich was awarded the title of Academician, and the painting "Troika" was bought by P.M. Tretyakov for his gallery.
At the World Exhibition of 1867, the artist's paintings "Seeing the Dead", "Dilettante", "Troika", "First Rank" and "Guitarist-bobyl" were presented, which were already highly appreciated by foreign art lovers.
Amateur
Bob guitarist
T. Tore-Burger wrote:
He is Russian both in the choice of subjects and in the manner in which he understands and interprets them. " Perov sent four paintings to the academic exhibition in the same year: "Clean Monday", "The Drawing Teacher", "The Drowned Woman", "The Mother of God and Christ by the Sea of Life" and received the title of academician.
Drowned woman
Drawing teacher
Christ and the Mother of God by the sea of life
The Academy of Arts, in 1868, decided to extend the retirement allowance of Vasily Perov for two years "for outstanding service." In the same year, the artist received the first prize at the competition of the Moscow Society of Art Lovers for the painting Scene by the Railroad
Railway scene
Art critics noted the artist's incredible accuracy in conveying the expressions on the faces of men who first saw a steam locomotive.
The last tavern at the outpost
Self-taught janitor
The artist continues to paint genre paintings, but he devotes more and more time to painting portraits, in which he tries to outline new perspectives for the portrait art of that time; to show on an artistic canvas not only the material concreteness of a person, but also his inner world, his spirit. Perov argued:
Whatever the type, whatever the face, whatever the character, then the peculiarity of the expression of every feeling. A profound artist is recognized by what he studies, notices all these features, and therefore his work is immortal, truthful and vital.
By order of P.M. Tretyakov, “Portrait of the writer A.F. Pisemsky ". And for “Portrait of V.V. Bezsonov ”, the artist was awarded the first prize of the MOLH.
V.V. Bezsonov
F.F. Rezanov
In 1869 Perov took an active part in the creation of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, became a member of the board of this creative organization.
In 1870, Vasily Grigorievich was awarded the title of professor of the Academy of Arts for his paintings "The Birdman" and "The Wanderer".
Birder
Wanderer
In the seventies of the nineteenth century, in the work of Perov, along with the writing of portraits, a special place was occupied by simple everyday subjects. The artist presented the paintings "Hunters at Rest" and "Fisherman" at the first TPHV exhibition.
Hunters at rest
In 1871, the artist received a teaching position at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture instead of the deceased S.K. Zaryanko.
In 1871 - 1872 Perov, commissioned by Tretyakov, painted a number of portraits of Russian writers, scientists, statesmen and merchants.
Portrait of the writer V.I. Dahl
Portrait of F.M. Dostoevsky
Portrait of A.N. Ostrovsky
A.N. Maikov
I. S. Kamynin
M. Nesterov wrote:
And his portraits? This "merchant Kamynin", containing almost the entire circle of Ostrovsky's heroes, and Ostrovsky himself, Dostoevsky, Pogodin - isn't this a whole era? Expressed in such old-fashioned colors, rustic patterns, Perov's portraits will live a long time and will not go out of fashion in the same way as the portraits of Luke Cranach and antique sculptural portraits.
After a trip to the Volga and the Orenburg province, the artist conceived the painting "Pugachev's Court". In the same year, Perov caught a bad cold while hunting and "consumption began to develop."
Pugachev's trial
At the third exhibition TPHV were presented the works of Perov "Plastuny near Sevastopol", "Kirghiz-convict" and "Old men-parents" at the grave of their son. "
Cossacks-scouts near Sevastopol
Old parents at the grave of their son
Kyrgyz convict
Art critics note that this period in the artist's life can be called contradictory: in Perov's works, one can note both plots and images that have already arisen in the artist's work, as well as new religious, historical and everyday subjects.
On the eve of a bachelorette party
Sleeping children
The arrival of the schoolgirl to the blind father
To Trinity-Sergius
In 1877 V.G. Perov leaves the members of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, participates in the Paris World Exhibition, continues to work on the image of Pugachev - he writes several canvases on the theme of the Pugachev riot, which the artist himself does not satisfy.
During this period, the painting “Nikita Pustosvyat. Dispute about faith. "
Nikita Pustosvyat. Dispute about faith
Monastic meal
Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane
In the last years of his life, Vasily Grigorievich wrote stories for the magazines "Nature and Okhota" and "Khudozhestvennyj zhurnal", created several canvases on religious and everyday topics.
Fishermen. (Priest, deacon and seminarian)
Wanderer in the field
Crying Yaroslavna
At the end of 1881, the artist fell ill with typhus, then pneumonia. These diseases finally undermined Perov's health, and at the 49th year of his life, the great Russian painter died in a hospital on the territory of the Kuzminki estate in the near Moscow region, and was buried in the cemetery of the Danilov Monastery (later the ashes were reburied in the cemetery of the Donskoy Monastery).
