Family album of Konstantin Makovsky in picturesque portraits: paintings that Tretyakov himself could not buy because of the high cost. Personal life in the portraits of Konstantin Makovsky

Makovsky Konstantin Egorovich- a famous Russian artist, one of the Wanderers. Born in 1839, in Moscow - died in 1915 in St. Petersburg. A bright representative, he gave his descendants, that is, us, a look at the life of past centuries. His father was a famous person and became the founder of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. All the children of Yegor Ivanovich Makovsky naturally became artists. Konstantin Makovsky, one of the most famous painters of this family, later said that he owed his mastery not to teachers, not to the art school, but to his father. In 1870, Konstantin became one of the founders of the famous traveling exhibitions (Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions). In the mid-70s, he visited Egypt and Serbia, after which new oriental notes appeared in his work. Many of his paintings, which are dedicated to these countries, have become very popular and famous all over the world.

In 1889, participating in Paris at the World Exhibition of Artists, he received a large gold medal for his paintings The Death of Ivan the Terrible, The Death of Paris, Demon and Tamara. The attitude towards this artist among critics and connoisseurs of painting was rather ambiguous. Maybe this happened due to the fact that Konstantin Makovsky was one of the highest paid artists of that time. Some said that he was a traitor to the ideals of the Wanderers and created works that did not carry anything valuable and sincere, only a statement of facts. Others, on the contrary, praised his work in every possible way and argued that Konstantin is one of the brightest stars in the sky of Russian and world painting.

In 1915, in St. Petersburg, a tram crashed into the carriage in which the artist was traveling, as a result of which Konstantin Makovsky died and was buried at the Nikolsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

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The Project tracked down Konstantin Kilimnik, a mysterious Russian in the case of Russian interference in the American elections, in the Moscow region. It turned out that Kilimnik worked with Paul Manafort not only in Ukraine, but also in Kyrgyzstan. Both there and there they defended the foreign policy interests of Russia, and part of this work could be paid in the company of billionaire Oleg Deripaska.

“What if I really were a spy? I wouldn't be here. I would be in Russia,” said Konstantin Kilimnik, at that moment a 46-year-old Russian political strategist who had just found himself at the very center of the scandal surrounding Moscow’s alleged interference in the US presidential election, while sitting in a Kiev cafe in February 2017.

A year and a half later, in August 2018, the Project found Kilimnik in Russia, in an elite gated community in the north-west of the Moscow region, just outside the Moscow Ring Road. Homes there are worth about $2 million.

House of Konstantin Kilimnik in the Moscow region

He lives there with his wife and still avoids publicity. The former owner of the house told the Project that he had never seen Kilimnik and that he negotiated the sale with his wife. × When the correspondent of "Proekt" called him for the first time, Kilimnik, without delay, said that it was not him. True, he called back to a call from another number himself and did not deny it. When asked to talk about his work with Paul Manafort, Kilimnik replied, "I'm not interested in discussing it."

Could Kilimnik's move to Russia, as he himself once said, mean that he is a Russian spy? The Project found unique facts about the career of the main Russian in the Mueller investigation and realized that Kilimnik was much more connected to Russian state interests than it seemed.

Spy

“It was only after he was fired that everyone realized that he had obvious spy skills. He did not make it to any group photo, despite the fact that, as acting director, he opened many events - he delivered a very short opening speech and left the presidium. He didn’t even make it to informal photographs of parties,” says Kilimnik’s former colleague, who worked closely with him at the International Republican Institute (IRI, an American NGO that declares its goal to “develop democracy” in the world. Now IRI in Russia is on the list of undesirable organizations , his site is blocked).

There are two rare photographs in the Paul Manafort evidence base. This was an official photo shoot, including Kilimnik's meetings with Viktor Yanukovych, the ex-president of Ukraine. However, in both official photos, Kilimnik turns his back to the camera. He was identified by two interlocutors of the Project. × The publication of these photos in the case angered Manafort - through his lawyers, he demanded that they be removed from the case).

Today, the Project publishes for the first time a large photograph of the Russian defendant in the Manafort case.

He quietly went about his work and did not strive for publicity, he listened more than he spoke. . . Two of Kilimnik's acquaintances describe him almost identically. × The miniature growth of Kilimnik, for which he was even given the nickname Dwarf in Russia (the Americans called him "Hand Luggage"), also did not make him a memorable character.

Now Kilimnik is possibly the main lead in the Mueller investigation. The charges against Manafort, which are being considered in court these days, so far relate only to financial crimes, despite the fact that the investigation of the special counsel was initiated by alleged Russian interference in the American elections. Kilimnik's testimony, or new facts about him, could be a breakthrough in this case.

So far, Mueller's team has not provided evidence of Kilimnik's connection with the Russian authorities, although it stated at the end of last year that he "keeps in touch with the Russian intelligence service."

The only proven fact of this kind is Kilimnik's studies at the Military University of the Ministry of Defense, where they train, among other things, translators for military intelligence. There, Kilimnik had the nickname "Cat", another graduate of this university told the "Project", but later refused any conversations, citing "a conversation with the management."

Kilimnik joined MRI in 1995. “Basically, it was a briefing on the conduct of election campaigns,” former colleague Marina Malysheva describes his duties. He was quickly promoted, eventually rising to the position of acting director of the Russian branch. This happened at the turn of 2004 and 2005, when the previous director of the IRI, Sam Patten, left Russia. He left the post hastily and in frustration - he was crushed by the catastrophically low result in the elections of the SPS party, which was headed by his friend Boris Nemtsov. Due to the haste, a new director was not found, and Kilimnik was made acting. It was during these few months that events took place that say a lot about our hero.

Ukrainian connection

Kilimnik, according to him, was born in Krivoy Rog, Dnepropetrovsk region. Until very recently, his parents and brother remained in Ukraine, whom Konstantin helped with money because of his addiction to alcohol. . , says the interlocutor of the “Project”, who is well acquainted with Kilimnik ×

In 2004-2005, the IRI found itself deeply immersed in the tumultuous Ukrainian events that came to be known as the Orange Revolution.

IRI in Ukraine worked with representatives of the "democratic coalition", that is, with the leaders of the "orange" Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko . , says a senior IRI official. ×

The Moscow office was not on the sidelines. Kilimnik often traveled to Kyiv and sent hired political technologists there . , says a former MRI employee. × However, in the spring of 2005, it turned out that in Ukraine Kilimnik did not work for his employer at all.

“In March or April 2005, it turned out that Kilimnik was providing services to Viktor Yanukovych (then the leader of the pro-Russian Party of Regions - Project) and he was ordered to quit immediately, his last working day was April 30,” recalls Kilimnik’s former colleague. "Kilimnik was fired in April 2005 after I became aware of extremely credible information about his violation of our code of ethics," confirms Steve Nix, director of IRI programs in Eurasia.

Konstantin Kilimnik shakes hands with Viktor Yanukovych; with his back against Yanukovych - Nikolai Zlochevsky, at that time the Minister of Natural Resources; second right - Anna German, then deputy head of the presidential administration. Photo from the Paul Manafort evidence base.

After the inglorious dismissal of Kilimnik, much became clear. He wrote all instructions to the staff on separate stickers. . , says his former colleague. × He often gave assignments to employees, which he asked not to tell anyone else at the institute. At first, everyone thought that this was for security reasons: “But it turned out that we all worked on the instructions of Kilimnik not for one, but for two organizations” . , says Kilimnik's former subordinate. ×

Kilimnik left, leaving nothing behind in his office. The work computer he handed in was absolutely clean. Kilimnik led the organization's accounting, and this became a big problem: even the Quick Books program, an analogue of 1C for American accounting, was demolished. Lina Markova, financial director of MRI and the then wife of political scientist Sergei Markov, worked only with 1C, MRI tried to find Kilimnik, but he ignored former employees . , says his former subordinate. ×

“Yes, he was hiding from them,” Kilimnik's friend confirms. “But because he thought he was insulted there.”

Several acquaintances of Kilimnik and Ukrainian politicians confirm that he started working in Ukraine back in 2004. One of the political strategists sent by Kilimnik to the neighboring country said that he was invited to “hold elections in the Donbass” (the 2004 presidential election, when Yanukovych’s dubious second-round victory led to the “orange revolution”, and as a result, Viktor Yushchenko led the country) .

Perhaps Kilimnik ended up in Ukraine even before Manafort . , according to one of the interlocutors of the "Project". × In 2004, when Kilimnik began working in Ukraine, Manafort did not actively participate in the elections, recalls Vasily Stoyakin, who was then an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration and led the regional analytics group at the Yanukovych campaign headquarters.

Be that as it may, in the spring of 2005, Kilimnik and Manafort were already openly working together in Ukraine. “They looked funny together with Paul - Tarapunka and Shtepsel,” the former member of the Yanukovych team laughs, recalling the images of Soviet pop heroes, who were strikingly different in height and complexion.

Election poster of Viktor Yanukovych with a slogan created by Paul Manafort's team

As a result, Kilimnik and Manafort settled in Ukraine for a long time: under their supervision, Yanukovych was rehabilitated, the Party of Regions won the parliamentary elections, its chairman became prime minister, and then president. Even after the victory of the Euromaidan, Manafort did not stop working with the Yanukovych team.

However, the American political strategist was not Kilimnik's only partner in his work in Ukraine.

aluminum tie

Kilimnik's administrative work for Yanukovych in 2004–2005 could have been built through Basic Element, the Russian company of billionaire Oleg Deripaska . , said a Project source who worked at MRI at the time. × In April 2018, Deripaska came under personal US sanctions as an oligarch close to Vladimir Putin.

During the period of late 2004 and early 2005, Kilimnik sent MRI employees to the Bazel office on Rochdelskaya Street in Moscow at least 20 times, says one of the people who directly carried out such instructions from Kilimnik. There, Kilimnik's messengers were given envelopes with cash, air tickets for him and the political consultants he attracted. Kilimnik did not explain to the employees why the money for the Ukrainian assignments is obtained at Basel.

The IRI manager says that the institute never sent Kilimnik or his political consultants on business trips to other CIS countries, all work there was done through local offices.

Deripaska's representative told the Project that neither he nor Bazel had ever funded Kilimnik, and "the private investment relationship between Deripaska and Manafort, whose existence is not disputed, was never aimed at achieving political goals."

Oleg Deripaska

Deripaska's connections with Manafort were indeed no secret. According to political consultant Philip Griffin, at the end of 2004, Manafort's partner, Rick Davis, sent him to Ukraine "to help Deripaska."

Cooperation between Manafort and Deripaska could continue at least until 2016. In the summer of 2016, according to the Washington Post, Manafort and Kilimnik repeatedly discussed the possibility of meeting, allegedly with Deripaska, in their correspondence; On August 3, 2016, Deripaska's plane landed at Newark Airport, according to the ADS-B Exchange website. . . This was first noticed by freelance journalist Scott Steadman. Deripaska's representative, when asked by The Project about whether that meeting really took place, replied that "the relationship between Manafort and Deripaska was terminated many years ago." × Three days later, as is known from Anti-Corruption Foundation investigations, Deripaska had a meeting with the then Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko - on a yacht off the Scandinavian coast and in the company of escort girls. Prikhodko then oversaw international relations in the government. According to the memoirs of the escort girl Nastya Rybka, Prikhodko and Deripaska discussed Russian-American relations on the yacht.

As The Project found out, Kilimnik and Manafort worked not only in Ukraine, but also in Central Asia. And Kilimnik again received money for this at Rochdelskaya, 30, according to the interlocutor of the "Project".

Kyrgyz messenger

The work of Manafort in Kyrgyzstan, since at least 2005, has not been previously reported. That year, mass protests began in the former Soviet republic - they were attended by supporters of the oppositionists who lost the parliamentary elections. The "Tulip Revolution" led to a change of power. The pro-Russian president Askar Akaev fled the country, and his place was soon taken by the no less pro-Russian oppositionist Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

"Tulip revolution" in Kyrgyzstan, 2005.

Like most of today's young actors, Konstantin Khabensky was made famous by the series. In 2003, after the "Deadly Force", the saga of the life of cops, swept across the country, the artist of the St. Petersburg Theater named after Lensoviet, a student of the excellent theater teacher Veniamin Filshtinsky, moved to Moscow, to the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater. There, to Oleg Tabakov, accepting into the troupe of his theater, it seems, everyone who was noted by people's love, Khabensky's comrades in the performances of director Yuri Butusov, Mikhail Porechenkov, and then Mikhail Trukhin, also rushed. There is an opinion that this move did not have the best effect on their acting fate - in St. Petersburg they played deeper, thinner, more concentrated. Probably so. However, theatrical companies, especially formed in the student years, are unstable communities, tending to disintegrate. Be that as it may, it is not easy to write about Konstantin Khabensky today: of the theatrical roles he played after moving to Moscow, one turned out to be interesting (Claudius in Yuri Butusov's Hamlet), and there is enough garbage among the screen ones. However, Khabensky is an artist with individuality, which means that his personal, special note can be heard even in passing works.

This note is a reflection, but specific. In terms of role, Khabensky is closest to the neurasthenic hero (he himself jokes in an interview that his role is “a comic old woman”). In the old St. Petersburg play “Waiting for Godot” by Yuri Butusov, the subtle spiritual organization of his Estragon was charmingly combined with endless travesty, mockery of everything and everything that reigned on the stage. He often plays real neurasthenics: either in a grotesque vein (the unlucky courier Eduard from Dmitry Meskhiev’s comedy “Mechanical Suite” or the suicidal trembling like tsutsik in Renata Litvinova’s “Goddess”), then, claiming seriousness, say, in the role of Zilov from “ Duck hunting." Anton Gorodetsky from the "Dozors", journalist Guryev from Philip Yankovsky's film "On the Move" is also no stranger to reflection.

However, one does not always sympathize with the throwing of Khabensky's characters. The neurasthenics of previous years were sometimes frankly unpleasant people, but on the whole certain: the emptiness in the souls of the heroes - say, Oleg Dal (when he played the same Zilov or Sergey in Anatoly Efros's film "On Thursday and Never Again") - could not help but terrify, but it was clear why they were suffering and with whom they were angry. A softened, smoothed version of Zilov - the hero of Oleg Yankovsky in Roman Balayan's "Flights in a Dream and Reality" - seemed to be a person, at least not empty. Khabensky's characters are often people without an internal structure. It is difficult to say anything about them for sure: neither what is good in them, nor what is bad, nor why they are experiencing, nor how deep these experiences are. These people are muddy, obscure, unmanifested: something seems to be dawning in them, but what is unknown. And does it creep?

In the center of the plot, these neurasthenics of troubled times, as a rule, turned out to be by accident: it was not easy to skid. Now they don't know how to get out. However, they do not particularly lay claim to the center position - they are too frivolous, irresponsible, debauched. One of their funny traits is a sort of slight insanity. After the release of the Dozorov screens, no one went over the fact that Anton Gorodetsky was constantly out of his mind there: he was either “hungover”, or suffering from a hangover, poisoned, generally transferred to another body. He staggers along the plot so inadequate, with perspiration on his forehead, stretching his lips in his floating, “sprawling” smile.

However, this blurry perception of the world is even attractive in its own way. Probably because it is unattainable for the viewer. After all, life around, if it has to relax, then only in the hours strictly allotted for this business. Allowing yourself to let the tightly twisted spring inside you weaken in a normal, that is, complete struggle for existence, life is difficult, and even at a dangerous moment it is completely unthinkable. The heroes of Khabensky are not only able to “let go” of themselves and the situation, they seem to be incapable of any other way. Getting between the Dark and the Light and closing their eyes is their way of surviving. Bite the bit, follow your own desires - like Claudius in the "Hamlet" of the Moscow Art Theater - and think: maybe it will blow over! This stake on "maybe", on the fact that it "forms on its own", of course, corresponds to the idea of ​​the Russian national character. But it also testifies to a conscious choice: it can be said that Khabensky's characters thus express fatigue from the pressure of an "adult" existence - they flee from it into infantilism, into the perception of the world through a veil of altered consciousness.

But it is also just the intoxication of life. Because for all the under-manifestation, something is really given to the heroes of Khabensky: a sensual perception of the world, the ability to treat it with captivating trust. They are receptive: they perceive everyday life not as a quagmire, but as grace, that others will not even notice, they will be delighted as a gift of fate. Fatigue from life is not about them: even the journalist Guryev (“On the Move”), who is drawn headlong into a senseless secular whirlpool, manages to get some kind of pleasure from all this fuss.

In this soft playful vitality, in this touch of undisguised sensuality, it seems to me, lies the secret of Konstantin Khabensky's popularity. This also puts him in the position of one of the main artists for the role of heroes-lovers: this type of charm is able to influence the female audience more than the outright brutality of, say, Vladimir Mashkov or Mikhail Porechenkov. So in the opera, the tenor is a more defiantly sexual voice than the bass, it is no coincidence that tenors in all eras have “raw” fans.

In the cinema, this actor's color of Khabensky today manifests itself more expressively than in the theater, perhaps because on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov, he has not yet been able to truly open up. Although the audience goes to the Moscow Art Theater in many respects “on Khabensky”, but at the performances it does not leave the feeling that his neurotic charm is actually chamber, not too compatible with the position of the prime minister. Cinema, on the other hand, likes to emphasize, enlarge the sensual side of his acting personality - the ability to bathe in life, to catch all its affection on his face. Do not make a choice and do not evaluate - respond to the proposal with consent.

A man who is ready to spontaneously and sincerely get carried away by any woman is a rather attractive version of a hero-lover. Especially in times when a man seems to be generally interested in a woman less and less. A spark of sincere interest, instantly lighting up in his eyes, flatters women's pride. This spark is also in the look of Claudius in “Hamlet” by Yuri Butusov, a hooligan young king who, only out of some kind of adventurous feeling, commits a terrible crime and looks at a large, suitable for him in his mother Gertrude with a mixture of delight and horror: this is all mine!

There is this spark in the eyes of the journalist Sasha Guryev, who does not miss a single skirt. And it is certainly characteristic of Andrei Kalinin from Dmitry Meskhiev's film "Women's Property" - Khabensky's early, but still the best work in the cinema.

These charming hedonists have an uneasy relationship with the concept of "masculinity". Because of their irresponsibility, they are far from the “real man” stereotype. Sometimes, however, Khabensky is also offered the role of solid and strong personalities, but this is of little use: there is something parodic in Alexei Turbin in Sergei Zhenovach's play The White Guard at the Moscow Art Theater and in the terrorist Green in the film State Councilor. No matter how much you make a courageous face, a reflective neurasthenic still makes his way out.

A more organic and fruitful option for Khabensky is a kind of hidden masculinity. It is precisely this that is demonstrated by the hero of "Women's Property" - the same Andrei Kalinin, who was admitted to the theater institute solely due to an affair with the master of the course, a famous actress. Marina Tsvetaeva's well-known words about Yuri Zavadsky, which are the best suited to other heroes of the artist, cannot be attributed to this long-standing character of Khabensky. Here is the quote: "Good? No. Laskov? Yes. For kindness is a primary feeling, and he lives exclusively secondary, reflected. So, instead of kindness - affection, love - disposition, hatred - evasion, delight - admiration, participation - sympathy. Instead of the presence of passion - the absence of dispassion ... But in everything secondary, he is very strong: a pearl, the first bow. Many of Khabensky's heroes seem to be secondary. But not Andrei Kalinin. The movie "Women's Property" talks about how much visibility differs

and the bottom line: so behind the unbearably tearful melodramatic plot (the heroine dies of cancer, the hero indulges in all serious grief, and then finds a new love), there is an accurate story about a relationship that from the outside looked like an ordinary affair, but was a real feeling. And so the masculinity of Andrei Kalinin must also be able to recognize it, it carefully and successfully camouflages itself. The hero of "Women's Property" in the eyes of others looks like a walker and a gigolo, a cynic and a slob. Masculinity is hidden by him as something personal, intimate, which cannot be flaunted, which is the very essence of a person, and therefore must be protected. Khabensky accurately plays this specific male bashfulness: when it is easier to seem cheeky than excited, petty than deep. He plays a person with an inner core, who does not condemn anyone and even follows the circumstances, but clearly makes a choice for himself and knows how to distinguish the real from the fake. So only wise women are able to understand him, in "Women's Property" there are two of them - the highly experienced Liza and the young Olya.

Such a subtlety of work and a variety of psychological nuances for Khabensky today is a rarity. Meanwhile, he is certainly inclined to this. But for the situation of simplification in which it exists today, the play Duck Hunt, staged in 2002 on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater by Alexander Marin, is typical. Spectators who come to see Vampilov's play (and Duck Hunt usually fills the hall) see a vulgar, fussy story about a guy who, of course, does not always behave comme il faut - he lies to his wife, gets confused with women, but on the whole is quite nice . Yes, he drinks a lot (Khabensky depicts a hangover for a considerable part of the stage time), but who is not without sin? A sort of soul of the company, charming - and why, in fact, is he drawn to pull the trigger? In the Moscow Art Theater version, Vampilov's play becomes a series of unpretentious gags on the theme of Soviet life, played out with a greater or lesser degree of taste: the audience laughs with pleasure, and the terrible component of this story disappears from the performance almost without a trace. And Zilov, performed by Khabensky, appears as a typical indistinct and secondary hero, for the sake of which it was not worth fencing the garden.

Niche Khabensky today can be called specificity. It is interesting to watch him in the films of Dmitry Meskhiev, who clearly tries to use this artist in the most diverse way: after the downtrodden, purely comedic Eduard in The Mechanical Suite, the director offered him the role of political instructor Lifshitz in the film The Own. It is also a variant of hidden, not immediately manifesting masculinity: this closed, not very valiant-looking person, in fact, turns out to be not only a brave fighter, but even sacrifices himself, covering the retreat of his own. In characteristic roles, both the good school of Khabensky, and his ability to feel the form, and the subtlety of nuances are fully manifested. But this, of course, is not enough. If only because the neurasthenic temperament is a valuable and rare gift.

Konstantin Makovsky is a famous Russian artist who painted many paintings of boyar Russia of the 17th century. The furnishings of the boyar choirs, the clothes of the heroes of the paintings, and the boyars and hawthorns themselves are reproduced so reliably that individual chapters of the history of Russia can be studied from the artist’s paintings.

Accuracy in writing individual details and motifs of patterns woven by the hands of Russian embroiderers, or clear ornaments on carved goblets and bowls, surprises and delights viewers of the past and present.

Luxurious clothes embroidered with pearls, amazingly beautiful headdresses of that time, beautiful hawthorns adorned with precious necklaces, boyars in brocade caftans - you can feel in everything with what love for Russian national beauty and culture, for the rich heritage of our ancestors, these pictures were painted . You can stand near each of them for a long time - admire the Russian patterns and feel pride in yourself and at the same time sadness, sadness that much has been lost, has not been preserved and is not preserved today. Therefore, such paintings, in which unique evidence of the culture of the Russian land remained, are especially valuable for us.

Biography of the artist Konstantin Makovsky

Konstantin Yegorovich Makovsky (1839 - 1915) was born into a family where there was an atmosphere of art worship. Many famous figures of culture and art visited their house. The artist's father, Yegor Ivanovich Makovsky, was one of the largest collectors in Moscow in the second quarter of the 19th century. His hobbies were works of fine art, mostly old engravings.

And Konstantin Yegorovich, having inherited his father's passion, collected all the masterpieces of Russian ancient craftsmanship, but it was "beautiful antiquity." He skillfully built something in living rooms and workshops, and then used it in his paintings, and he simply put something in his old large ebony closet, so that later he could admire and admire the beauty and skill of Russian masters.

On the cornice of the fireplace stood old household utensils: silver ladles, cups, washstands, fans - items of boyar times. Ancient boyar, multi-colored sundresses, handrails studded with pearls, kokoshniks embroidered with pearl lace - all this can be seen in the artist's paintings. And besides the things lovingly collected by Konstantin Yegorovich, people who gathered around him also took part in his paintings. Sometimes they acted out scenes from boyar life, which were then transferred to the canvas. And this undoubtedly aroused the keen interest of the audience, because through the paintings of Makovsky they were introduced to the knowledge of the history of Russia and the culture of their ancestors.

The artist's daughter in her memoirs told how "... luxurious" living pictures "from the boyars' life were staged ...". There were sometimes up to 150 people invited to these evenings, among whom were representatives of ancient families, descendants of those whom the artist depicted. They "... deftly and beautifully dressed in brocade and ..." in order to reproduce in them the scene conceived by the artist. This is how the paintings appeared - "The Wedding Feast", "The Choice of the Bride" and many other paintings.

Paintings by Konstantin Makovsky

On the canvases of K.E. Makovsky in bright luxurious costumes from his own collection created images of beautiful women, the artist's contemporaries. You look at the picture and feel as if the Russian pattern shines, the sarafan of the Russian beauty embroidered with silk and silver gleams. And if you pay attention, we will see that in each picture the hawthorn girls wear completely different headdresses. Indeed, the artist's collection of kokoshniks and headdresses was the richest and most valuable acquisition.

Collecting objects of Russian antiquity K.E. Makovsky continued to study all his life. Collecting masterpieces of Russian masters, the artist became familiar with the history of Russia and, admiring them, was inspired by new ideas. Now his canvases evoke in us not only admiration for the richest heritage of our ancestors, but also the desire to learn more and more about our homeland.

About how K.E. Makovsky used his collection in his work, the writer E.I. Fortunato, who was lucky enough to be his model.

KE Makovsky was not only an artist. Communicating with prominent historians, he himself became a great specialist in the field of Russian antiquity. K.E. Makovsky sought to preserve the artistic heritage of Russia. Therefore, it is no coincidence that in 1915 he became a member of the Society for the Revival of Artistic Russia, whose main task was to preserve, study and promote Russian antiquity.

It is bitter and sad that the collection, which has been collected for half a century, which has occupied such an important place in the life of the artist, which has become a reflection of an entire era in Russian culture, will be put up for auction just six months after his death. In September 1915, K.E. Makovsky was hit by a street cab on one of the streets of Petrograd. Having received a severe head injury, the artist died two days later. Sudden death ruined all plans...

More than 1,000 items were listed at the auction, some of them went to the capital's museums: the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, the Museum of the School of Technical Drawing of Baron Stieglitz, and Moscow museums. Many items were bought up by representatives of Moscow antique firms. Authentic costumes, silver goblets, ladles, glasses passed into the hands of prominent Moscow collectors.

But not everyone admired the paintings of K. Makovsky and his manner of working.

At the beginning of his creative career, K. Makovsky shared the views of the Wanderers, he painted peasant children (“Children running from a thunderstorm”, “Date”), but already in the 1880s the artist irrevocably moved away from them and began to arrange personal exhibitions.

In 1883, he created the painting "Boyar Wedding Feast in the 17th century", followed by "The Choice of the Bride by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich" (1886), "The Death of Ivan the Terrible" (1888), "Dressing the Bride to the Crown" (1890), "Kissing rite" (1895,). The paintings were successful both in Russia and at international exhibitions. For some of them, at the World Exhibition of 1889 in Paris, K. Makovsky was awarded a gold medal.

The prices for his paintings were always high. P.M. Tretyakov sometimes could not get them. But foreign collectors willingly bought canvases of the "boyar" cycle, so most of the artist's works left Russia.

Thanks to this success, K.E. Makovsky became one of the richest people. Throughout his life, he was surrounded by luxury, which no Russian artist dreamed of. Makovsky fulfilled any order on any topic with the same brilliance. It was the latter that caused many misunderstanding, and even condemnation. Some, apparently, envied the success, others believed that the people with their daily lives should be present in the paintings. But such paintings were sold out not so willingly, and many believed that Makovsky wrote on those topics that were in demand, that is, for the sake of his own enrichment.

However, he always lived as he wanted and wrote what he wanted. His vision of beauty simply coincided with the requirements and demands of those people who were willing to pay a lot of money for his paintings. His easy success was the main reason for the negative attitude towards him and his work of the Wanderers. He was accused of using art and his talent for material gain.

K.E. Makovsky began his artistic journey together with the Wanderers, exhibiting paintings on the theme of the life of the people. However, over time, his interests changed, and from the 1880s he became a successful salon portrait painter. The fact that this happened for the sake of material wealth cannot be believed. After all, this is evidenced by his numerous collections and multifaceted talent. But it cannot be denied that Makovsky did not seek recognition abroad. In addition, Europeans were interested in Russian history, so his work was quickly sold.

In his personal life, Makovsky was also happy. His pleasant appearance, sociability, always open and smiling look of clear eyes made Konstantin Yegorovich always a welcome guest. He was married three times. His first wife, Lenochka Burkova, an actress at the Alexandrinsky Theatre, lived with him for a short life. A charming and gentle girl brought a lot of joy and warmth into his life. But illness carried her away from earthly life early.

Carefree and greedy for the joys of life, Konstantin Yegorovich quickly consoled himself when he saw a girl of extraordinary beauty at the ball - Yulenka Letkova. The girl was only sixteen years old, and the charming painter was thirty-six. The wedding took place soon after. Having lived twenty years of a happy family life, Konstantin Yegorovich painted many paintings, in most of which there is a cute image of his young wife. For many years, Yulia Pavlovna Makovskaya was his muse and model for portraits.

In 1889, Konstantin Makovsky went to the World Exhibition in Paris, where he exhibited several of his paintings. There he became interested in the young Maria Alekseevna Matavtina (1869-1919). In 1891, an illegitimate son Konstantin was born. I had to confess everything to my wife. Yulia Pavlovna did not forgive betrayal. A few years later, a divorce was filed. And Konstantin Yegorovich continued a happy family life with his third wife, whom he also used as a model. He also often depicted his children from both his second and third marriages on his canvases.