Alexander Nikolayevich Samokhvalov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Самохва́лов; 21 August 1894 – 20 August 1971) was a Soviet Russian painter, watercolorist, graphic artist, illustrator, art teacher and Honored Arts Worker of the RSFSR, who lived and worked in Leningrad. He was a member of the Leningrad branch of Union of Artists of Russian Federation, and was regarded as one of the founders and brightest representatives of the Leningrad school of painting,[1] most famous for his genre and portrait painting.
In 1914, Samokhvalov enrolled in the Higher Art School of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg. He studied under Vasily Beliaev, Gugo Zaleman, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, and Vasily Shukhayev; among his teachers, the most important was Petrov-Vodkin, with his dimensional system of painting design and correlation of colour and form.
Samokhvalov traveled with Petrov-Vodkin to Samarkand in 1921 as a member of the Expedition of Institute for History of Material Culture, and it was a critical moment in his life and outlook. Another powerful influence on his style was his participation in the restoration process of Georgy's Cathrdral in Staraya Ladoga in 1926, where he discovered an ancient Russian painting.
He graduated from Petrograd VKHUTEIN (known as the Ilya Repin Institute since 1944) in 1923.[2] His diploma was "Dressing-down" (State Russian Museum), where he tried to use "spherical perspective" in the spirit of Petrov-Vodkin, and came close to surrealism.
Samokhvalov had participated in art exhibitions since 1914, and in 1917 he took part in the exhibition of the Mir iskusstva. He painted portraits, genre and historical paintings, as well as monumental and easel painting, black-and-white art, sculpture, decorative and applied art, and illustrations for fiction and poetry. He produced book graphics from the middle of the 1920s, and began working with scenography in the 1930s at the Bolshoi Drama Theater and Russian State Pushkin Academy Drama Theater in Leningrad and Novosibirsk.
He was very successful in images of heroes of labour and sport (Conductressa (1928); Girl with the kernel (1933), famous watercoloured series Builder of Metro (1933—1934), all at State Russian Museum), all of which had peculiar surrealistic charm. He was the creator of a significant work of the Soviet Epoch of the 1930s with his painting Girl in T-shirt (1932). In 1937, it was awarded the gold medal at the International Art Fair in Paris, France. At the same time, Samokhvalov took two Grand-Prix awards for his panel Soviet Athletics and illustrations for The History of a Town by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin.[3]
Samokhvalov was a member of the "Krug" (1926–1929) and "October" (1930–1932) artists' associations, and was a member of the Leningrad Union of Artists beginning in 1932. His leading theme was Soviet youth. He was awarded an honorary title from the Honored Art Worker of Russian Federation in 1967.
Samokhvalov created many genre and historical paintings by commission; among them were Sergey Kirov Greeting Parad of Athletes (1935, State Russian Museum), Appearance of Vladimir Lenin in All-Russian Congress of Soviets (1939, State Russian Museum), Parade of Victory (1947, sketch for Palace of the Soviets, private collection), Sergey Kirov and Iosif Stalin at the Building of Volkhov Power Station (1950, private collection, London), and others. Among his works also easel paintings: Vladimir Lenin and Iosif Stalin at the 2nd Congress of RSDLP (1939, State Russian Museum), Front Friends (1946), Stalingrad Resident, Thinking of Battle Days (both 1948), Portrait of Yevgeny Mravinsky[4] (1950), In the Sun[5] (1953), Cafe "Gurzuf"[6] (1956), Portrait of Maria Kleshar (1958).
In 1967, Samokhvalov was awarded the Order of Lenin for outstanding contribution to development of Soviet art.
Alexander Nikolayevich Samokhvalov died in Leningrad on 20 August 1971. His paintings and graphics reside in the State Russian Museum, State Tretyakov Gallery, other art museums, and private collections in Russia, Italy, France, the US, Japan, Germany, England and throughout the world.
^Sergei V. Ivanov. Unknown Socialist Realism. The Leningrad School.- Saint Petersburg: NP-Print Edition, 2007. – pp. 13, 20, 24, 369, 380-396, 398, 399, 401-406, 439, 442, 443, 444, 446.
^Anniversary Directory graduates of Saint Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture named after Ilya Repin, Russian Academy of Arts. 1915 - 2005. - Saint Petersburg, Pervotsvet Publishing House, 2007. P.19.
^Санкт-Петербургская государственная художественно-промышленная академия им. А. Л. Штиглица. Кафедра монументально-декоративной живописи. СПб., Искусство России. 2011. С.66.
^Самохвалов А. Мой творческий путь. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1977.
^Самохвалов Александр Николаевич. В годы беспокойного солнца. СПб., Всемирное слово, 1996.
^Александр Николаевич Самохвалов. Выставка произведений. Каталог. Л., Художник РСФСР, 1963.
^Д. Молдавский. Выставка Александра Самохвалова // Смена, 1968, 31 января."
^Бродский В. О своих современниках // Ленинградская правда, 1975, 26 января.
^Alexander Samokhvalov. 1894—1971. Saint Petersburg, Palace Editions, 2014.
^Александр Николаевич Самохвалов. Каталог выставки. Тверь, Издательство «Приз», 1994.
Молдавский Д. Выставка Александра Самохвалова / Смена, 1968, 31 января.
Щеглов Е. Эпоха Ленина в творчестве художников России // Советская культура, 1970, 28 февраля.
Каталог произведений художников Российской Федерации, переданных в дар организациям и учреждениям культуры (1963—1971 гг.). М., СХ РСФСР, 1972. С.95.
Выставки советского изобразительного искусства. Справочник. Т.3. 1941—1947 годы. М., Советский художник, 1973. С.7, 10, 15, 32, 68, 90, 93, 122, 137, 181, 213, 214, 215, 232, 263, 272, 335, 342.
Бродский В. О своих современниках // Ленинградская правда, 1975, 26 января.
Савин В. Встреча с «Метростроевкой» // Смена, 1975, 28 января.
Яковлева Л. Величие подвига // Вечерний Ленинград, 1975, 27 мая.
Мямлин И. Сердце с правдой вдвоём... // Ленинградская правда, 1975, 1 июня.
Леняшин В. Думая о будущем. Время. Художник. Творчество // Вечерний Ленинград, 1976, 26 января.
Sergei V. Ivanov. Unknown Socialist Realism. The Leningrad School. Saint Petersburg, NP-Print Edition, 2007. P.3, 20, 24, 369, 380-396, 398, 399, 401-406, 439, 442, 443, 444, 446. ISBN5-901724-21-6, ISBN978-5-901724-21-7.
Щербань В. Поздний период творчества Александра Самохвалова // Петербургские искусствоведческие тетради. Вып. 11. СПб, 2008. С.92-101.
Слудняков А. Творчество Николая Ионина в контексте развития ленинградской живописной школы 1920-х — 1940-х годов. Автореферат диссертации. СПб., 2009.
Санкт-Петербургская государственная художественно-промышленная академия им. А. Л. Штиглица. Кафедра монументально-декоративной живописи. СПб., Искусство России. 2011. С.66.
Чегодаева М. Многообразие психологической и эмоциональной характеристики образов в портретах, созданных А. Н. Самохваловым в пятидесятых годах ХХ века // Петербургские искусствоведческие тетради. Вып. 22. СПб, 2011. С.201-212.
Иванов С. Инвестиции в советскую живопись: ленинградская школа // Петербургские искусствоведческие тетради. Вып. 31. СПб, 2014. С.54-60.
Alexander Samokhvalov. 1894—1971. Saint Petersburg, Palace Editions, 2014.