Art Kaleidoscope

Between art and craft

Russian painter Arkady Rylov

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Sunset 1917. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Sunset 1917. Russian painter Arkady Rylov (17 January 1870-

Russian painter Arkady Rylov
Born on the way, when his parents went to Vyatka, Arkady Rylov grew in the village of Vyatka province (now Kirov region). His father suffered severe emotional disorder, so the boy was brought up in a family of his stepfather, who served as a notary in Vyatka. The future artist grew up in the natural environment, to which he later devoted many paintings. His childhood and youth were spent in the north, on the bank of a wide river. A beautiful land of forests, lakes and rivers captured the artist. Rylov passionately loved nature all his life and spent days wandering through forests and meadows. He used to sit for hours by the water, watching the ducks or for a long time to follow the fluffy squirrel.

Autumn landscape. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Autumn landscape. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

In 1888, after graduating from high school in Vyatka he arrived in St. Petersburg, and on the advice of family members enrolled in the Central School of Technical Drawing of Baron AL Stieglitz, where he studied until 1891, he studied with renowned artist and teacher KY Kryzhitsky (1858-1911). Parallel to it Rylov engaged in the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts. In the midst of hard work Rylov unexpectedly was taken to the army. Having served his term, he returned to St. Petersburg.

Autumn on the river Tosna. 1920. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Autumn on the river Tosna. 1920. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

In 1893, Rylov entered the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Arts, and a year later he was invited to the studio of Kuindji, which has long been a cherished dream of the young artist. Rylov in the full sense of the word can be regarded as a disciple and follower of Kuinji. He experienced the strong influence not only by creativity, but also the personality of his mentor. Kuinji was a born teacher enthusiast selflessly loving his work. He always took care of his students, financially helped poor students, on his own expense took them to the Crimea for summer internships and even abroad. Kuinji paid much attention to the open air work, he taught to see, feel, understand the nature.

Birch forest. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Birch forest. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

In 1897, a training course at the Academy of Fine Arts was successfully finished and Rylov received the title of artist, toured Germany, France and Austria. Originally Rylov wrote not only landscapes, referring to the historical and genre painting (“The Raid Pecheneg Slavic Village”, 1897, private collection, St. Petersburg, “the fire is burning out”, 1898, Tretyakov Gallery).

Blue Expanse. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Blue Expanse. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Artistic life in the late XIX – early XX century was complex. Various Artists held their exhibitions, their members often differed in their views on the problem and the role of art for the purposes of creativity. But sincere, poetic, covered with tender love for nature in art by Rylov was appreciated everywhere: his paintings can be seen in the “Union of Russian Artists”, and exhibitions of the “World of Art”, and “Spring” exhibition, organized by his teacher A. I. Kuinji. Talented Russian landscape painter was recognized and Paris. Rylov was elected an honorary member of the jury of the Paris Salon (Exhibition). At international exhibitions his work have repeatedly been awarded gold medals. In 1915 he became an academician.

Busy Day. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Busy Day. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Wanting to be closer to nature, AA Rylov every summer from 1902 to 1914, came to Voronezh province, on the picturesque banks of the river Oskol, to the estate of his friend in the college AP Rogov, later the mosaic artist and teacher of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Rilov could spend hours watching the animals, birds, insects in the woods or on the river early in the morning, afternoon, evening and late at night. Nature on the banks of the Oskol brought new colors to the palette of the artist.

Field Rowan. 1922. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Field Rowan. 1922. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Majestic and severe northern nature meets the new day. White swans, like swimming in the crystal air, hovering over the water, going down, then rising to the curly purple cloud. In the picture there is as much air that the audience, it seems, feels a fresh breath of wind. White swans on the North Sea today evoke a sense of joy, a feeling of immense space and light. Realism in the depiction of nature combined with romanticizing the image, so his work has been interpreted symbolically: the theme of boundless expanse, rough sea and strong winds associated with the “winds of the revolution.”

Flowery meadow. 1916. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Flowery meadow. 1916. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Creating mostly landscapes, paintings, Rylov sought to give a generic, national-romantic mood of his native country. During the Soviet period of the artist in a number of cases showed a landscape transformative human activity (“Tractor works in forest”, 1934, Tretyakov Gallery) appealed directly to the historical and revolutionary themes (“Lenin in Razliv”, 1934, Russian Museum). But in his landscapes was also different mood – for example, “Wilderness” (1920). Swamp with black water fills the foreground, and behind it – a dark, disturbed forest. However, there are much more life-affirming works – “Sunset” (1917), “The Seagull. Quiet Evening” (1918), “The Swan” (1920), “Hot Day,” “Field pock”, “Island” (all 1922) “Birch Grove” (1923), “Old ate by the river” (1925), “Forest River” (1928), “House with red roof” (1933), “In the green banks” (1938) and others.

Forest river, 1929. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Forest river, 1929. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Rylov was also thin animal painter, generally liked the whole living world, and the world was paying him the same. He was loved by birds and animals, and the manifestation of that love and trust caused surprise others. It is known that the artist’s studio was a corner of the forest, where walked its inhabitants – the rabbits, squirrels, birds and other animals. He bought them food, nursed sick, fed, and in the spring let leave. Animals and birds were not afraid of Arkady Rylov. The artist wrote a book of essays about the nature “When this happens” (1936, published in 1946), which issued his own watercolors.

Fulminate river. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Fulminate river. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Arkady Rylov had another gift – teaching. Before the revolution, he taught “drawing class of animals” at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts (in 1902-1918), and then taught at the Academy of Fine Arts (in 1918-1929) and at the Leningrad School of Industrial Art (1923-1926).

Green banks, 1938. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Green banks, 1938. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

The artist did not only supported the October Revolution, but also became an active proponent of Soviet art. Later, in 1920-1930-th painting by Rylov became emphatically decorative. In the 1920s, AA Rylov was a member of the art association AKhRR (“Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia”), participated in exhibitions of AKhRR. He was a founding member (and chairman 1925-1930) of the Society named after AI Kuinji. In 1935 he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.

Green lace, 1928. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Green lace, 1928. Russian painter Arkady Rylov

Master of spectacular scenery, academician of painting AA Rylov died in Leningrad, June 22, 1939. Paintings by Rylov not only wanted to glorify the beauty and uniqueness of native wildlife, native land, but also to remind that the person is responsible for its safety and prosperity.

Russian painter Arkady Rylov