Do not look at Konchalovsky paintings on historical themes - they simply had not been. He has no works, which include any dramatic events, conflicts. World art images created by Konchalovsky - is mostly a joyful perception of life, the world of being, the world of objects that surround people. His understanding of modernity lay in the field of paints. Great and versatile was his colouristic palette, color, he expressed his understanding of beauty. Passionate, hot art Konchalovsky - a boundless love for life, to her boundless colorful variety.

  Pyotr Konchalovsky was born in Slaviansk Kharkov province. When the artist was still a child, the family Konchalovsky moved to Moscow. Father Pyotr Petrovich, an educated man for his time, was engaged in literary and publishing activities, and was close with many famous masters of Russian culture. The house Konchalovsky frequented V. Serov, M. Vrubel, K. Korovin ... Among the artists began to inquisitive boy close and cherished. Even during my school years, Pyotr Konchalovsky attend evening classes for drawing the Stroganov School. V. Surikov (future father in law of Peter Petrovich), approvingly assessed "for the hot flavor of" first experiences of the young artist's paintings, said: "Paints and painting - the first thing ... There is a color - there is an artist, not - so there is no artist."

In the years 1896-1898 Konchalovsky studied in Paris at the Academy R. Julien. His mentors were Academician J.-J. Benjamin Constant and Jean-Paul Laurence. Back in 1899 at home, he entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, from which he graduated in 1907. Learns from B. Savinskoye, Salemann and P. Kovalevsky.

During his long creative life Konchalovsky had time to visit various places of our country and abroad. And every time he brought a lot of variety sketches, sketches, finished works. Excellent sketches brought an artist from Minusinsk steppes, Arkhangelsk, Kandalaksha. In 1903 he founded the film "On the north. Fishermen on the beach", for which he later Council of the Academy conferred the title of the artist Konchalovsky.
Amateur new impressions, Konchalovsky is going to the Tver province, then at Christmas, that near Petersburg, then in Belkino Kaluga province. I visited it and abroad - in Italy, Spain and France.

  After the revolution, the artist's desire to see and capture on canvas the new place has become more noticeable. Picturesque appear after a series of new travel Konchalovsky the West and their native country. Long hours he had been in Novgorod, in the Caucasus, in Crimea. Only Novgorod artist visited three times: in 1925, 1926.1928, respectively.
As a result of travel in 1924 in Italy there were architectural landscape: "The Cathedral of St.. Peter", "Rome Trajan's Column", "Marcus Aurelius", "Rome. Nero's Circus," "Roman street." This pictorial series differed freshness beautiful letter and was greeted with approval artistic community. The Italian series of landscapes has shown that talent Konchalovsky has gained new strength and that it was time to creative discovery. However, these sonorous colorful canvases in many ways inferior landscapes, filled with the artist in Novgorod. Novgorod architectural or lyrical landscapes are different from the Italian, not only in light and color, but also spiritual mood of their author. In the northern landscapes Konchalovsky puts soul of the Russian people, utterly in love with his native land. Reminded of one of Novgorod's landscapes - "willow on the Volkhov": blue sky dotted with white bushy clouds, the river move sailing boats, which, like in a mirror, reflected in the water space. Thick and clear water, the coastal shelf rests a yellow slope and willows. It is a surprising silence, fragrant air is filled with aromas of flowers, greenery, river cool ...

In 1931, Konchalovsky went to Leningrad and creates a series of landscapes. Then he traveled to Ryazan, and soon began to paint landscapes of Moscow and Moscow region. "Fog. Landscape with cows", "leafless lime tree", "Birches at the fence" were written in the 30-ies. These works, including "The tops of the birches" (1940), distinguished by deep penetration into the Russian nature. "Russian nature of the middle band - according to O. Konchalovskaya - took possession of Pyotr Petrovich. I do not know yet, whether he created it on his canvases or she has created his paintings.

Much fruitful, as we see, Konchalovsky worked from nature. But nature, he never considered as fixed, immutable form. Every time he passed his understanding, his vision of nature. "When I see my interesting piece of nature - say an artist - I can see already the whole thing, I see and feel the need to" arrange "the landscape. Just take what you see, to act as a photographer, I could never, without a building there art, and there are naked naturalism, which I think is a sworn enemy of art, the most contagious disease. In the initial perception of nature inevitably includes my comments on a picturesque impression which should give a real landscape. At this moment it begins the process of overcoming reality, awareness of random, causing discomfort, there is the concentration of the visible, which creates the basis of art.
At the same time investigates the basic combination of tones is determined by the leading note of color and the accompanying melody.

In 1936, Konchalovsky went to Murmansk, Kirovsk, and then to the Far North, where to build Tulomskaya hydrostation.

In the artist's works occupy a special place still lifes. Konchalovsky in his life wrote a countless number of still lifes, moreover, a variety of topics, with a selection of different subjects, composition differently constructed, which can stand alongside any of the masterpieces of Western art and did not lose in quality and artistic expression. His still-lifes with berries, fruits, vegetables, poultry, flowers are saturated with vivid, resonant colors and express the joy of life. Who does not remember the huge, fresh, fragrant bouquet of his still life "Lilacs" (1933). This finely sgarmonirovannaya symphony of nature, of life-giving her beauty. One of the best works Konchalovsky - "Still Life. Meat, poultry and vegetables at the window" (1937). Items are written with great pictorial power. This picture - the abundance of the hymn, a song about a healthy, bright view of life.

Konchalovsky was also a brilliant master of portraiture, which occupies a prominent place in his creative biography. In the mid 20-ies clearly manifested portrait gift wizard. 1925 is dated "Portrait OV Konchalovskaya with beads. Soft plastic form, the broad letter, hot flavor, subtle black and white relations, the exact figure - the characteristic features of this product.
In the same year, the artist creates a "Portrait of Konchalovsky. In this way he managed to convey a sense of triumphant youth. Excellent written in red with purple hues dress, to the whole canvas of enhanced brightness and krasochnost.V strong realist tradition of written portraits of "Charlie and the dog" (1923), "Bessarion - cobbler at work" (1926), "The Pianist V. Sofronitsky "(1932)," The composer Sergei Prokofiev (1934), "The writer A. Fadeev (1941)," actress VG Dulov "(1948) ...
Portrait of Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Fadeev, modest in appearance, bright and transparent painting, full of large internal energy. Over the long life of the artist created a number of different self-portraits. The most significant of them - self-portrait of 1943. The author of this outstanding product able to embody itself in the time of full spiritual maturity. Sounds and harmonious color portrait of gorgeous imagery: facial expression, gaze talking about a person's character, his inextinguishable passion all to see, learn, absorb the most interesting and important phenomena of life.
/Berezin, AD Artists of Russia. 50 biographies. M., 1994.

in Bakhchisaray wrote a series of landscape sketches and make sketches and watercolors for genre painting "Embroidery department first weaving collective in Bakhchisarai", which already wrote on his return to Moscow.

"Village" series in 1930 in addition to many landscapes, includes images of pets and birds. Typical works include: "Chickens," "Chicken in a basket", "Picture for children."
 
In the same year began to write a portrait of Alexander Pushkin. The artist decided to depict the poet at the time of the morning of creative work, sitting on a green couch in his shirt, tucking in the Eastern bare feet. Preparing to work on the painting, Konchalovsky made several sketches of the naked female body on the background of green couch, studying the relationship of tones the body and sofa upholstery.

Work continues on the portrait and into next year.

In the summer the artist lived in Barvikha outside Moscow, the fall is going to Leningrad and then in Ryazan, where he wrote a series of landscapes.

One of the strengths of their things written in Leningrad, the artist finds an oil sketch "House of Peter in the Summer Garden.
 
Immediately after the Leningrad Konchalovsky wrote the winter landscapes of Ryazan, followed by the streets of Moscow.
 
Winter 1931 wrote two portraits: Portrait of the pianist Vladimir Vladimirovich Sofronitsky the piano and a portrait of Japanese women, which solves the problem of dynamic portrait.
 
Winter 1932 acquired a dacha in the Knobs (part of the estate Obninsk "Belkin") of Maloyaroslavets, in the Kaluga region. Writes a series of landscapes, bouquets of flowers and flowering gardens, still lifes, sketches of the female body among the landscape and genre studies. Since 1932, begins a series of children's portraits granddaughter Katya.
 
At the end of the year performs sketches of scenery and costumes for opera, V. Ferrari, "Four of a despot" (in plot C. Goldoni) for experimental theater in Moscow and to comedy C. Goldoni "Mistress of the Inn" for the Moscow Art Theater.

"I have long since wanted to return to the scene of this painting, so hastily banished in favor of already bored and almost anachronistic so-called constructions. I want to give the scenery is extremely pleasing and miserly in the details, but made with a laconic, which can be perfectly combined with a theatrical reality, with a stage prop. We have to give the theater are commonly written by picturesque scenery, which would have merged together all the costumes and the stage are the original items that they "grow" in the painting. Such decorations were quite possible, as the experience of the "Four despots ". Op. by Nicholas, op. cit., p. 98.

Also in 1932, travels to Leningrad to work on decorations for the State Academic Bolshoi Theater.

Autumn of 1933 goes Kutaisi. However, most of the time in the period from 1933 to 1935, lives in the hills, where portraits of outstanding figures of culture.
 
It was written over a hundred portraits, among them portraits of Prokofiev, VV Sofronitsky, AO Stepanova, NS Golovanov, V. Meyerhold, A. Tolstoy, KS Simonov , VG Dulova, Dovzhenko, S. Marshak, B. Yakovlev, AI Khachaturian, Z. A. Dolukhanova, A. Cortot, C. Zecchi, Albert Sanchez, etc.
 
Also continues to work on landscapes, images of bouquets of flowers and flowering gardens, still lifes and genre sketches
In 1937 went to Kirovsk and Apatity which also continues to write. In the autumn of this year, wrote Still Life "Meat, poultry and Brussels sprouts."

1938 travels in Khokhlov. Works on the painting "khokhloma risovalschitsy.

In the same year he painted a portrait of Meyerhold in his home on the sofa, against the background of the carpet.
 
In the summer of 1938 is going to Kislovodsk, which makes a series of sketches of the grape harvest and winter paints a picture, using this plot.

In 1939 he made a trip with his son in the Caucasus. http://www.pkonchalovsky.com/a_period6.html

2. Canvas, oil. 89x108 cm
Note Latin Signed lower right. The work was won over, and the original inscription on the back were copied other hand: "P. Konchalovsky, 1918, Flowers in pink, 283.
  Sale: 24.11.2008 auction house Sothebys, London, New Bond Street
Lot 42
Estimate 800 000 - 1 200 000 GBP (1 212 480 - 1 818 720 USD, 939 397 - 1 409 096 EUR)
Result 1 026 850 GBP (1 556 294 USD, 1 205 775 EUR)
-------------------------------------------------- ---------
3.Portret Japanese actor Todzyuro Kavarasaki
Canvas, canvas, cm 174x143, 5
Provenance the artist's work belonged to the family and hereditary.
Note Signed in Cyrillic "PKonchalovsky" at the bottom right.
Signature, inscription and the date "732 1928 /P. Kontchalovsky /Acteur japonais Kivarasaki" on the back.
Sale: 11.06.2008 auction house Christies, London Lot 71
Estimate 800 000 - 1 200 000 GBP (1 570 080 - 2 355 120 USD, 1 009 179 - 1 513 768 EUR)
Result 1 049 250 GBP (2 059 258 USD, 1 323 601 EUR)
-------------------------------------------------- --------
4.Portret artist Leonid Denatova.Holst; canvas, 111x116 cm
Provenance Family of the artist.
Note Signed in Russian at the top left and dated 1920
Sale of 26/11/2007 Auction house Sotheby's, London, New Bond Street
Lot 48
Estimate 300 000 - 500 000 GBP (621 240 - 1 035 400 USD, 417 696 - 696 161 EUR)
Result 726 100 GBP (1 503 608 USD, 1 010 965 EUR
-------------------------------------------------- --------
5.Ryzhevolosaya naked in front of the mirror (1928g.) Oil, oil, 128x106
Signed lower right.
Sale: 01.12.2005 Auction house Sotheby's, London (GB)
Lot 188
Estimate 220 000 - 280 000 GBP (380 666 - 484 484 USD, 324 440 - 412 924 EUR)
Result 411 200 GBP (711 499 USD, 606 408 EUR

It is also an artist creating paintings on themes of relevance to the war years (canvas "Where is the give blood?", 1942).
  1942-1943 year working on a portrait of Mikhail Lermontov.
"In a bomb shelter read Lermontov, I was thinking to write our great poet and patriot. I came across just the publication of my father. Many memories came rushing at me. When we go in the Caucasus, I often imagined Lermontov is the station Kazbek. So I decided to portray him and, making a sketch, he began to explore his portraits, daily life and costumes of the time. read all the memories of him, and it helped me to imagine a poet ... In July 1942 I returned to Lermontov. again began reading his biography, memories of him , looking for the most dramatic moment of his life to painting. After the death of Pushkin's still little known Lermontov, shocked and angered by the tragic death of "the sun of Russian land" (Dostoevsky's words), wrote brilliant poems "On the Death of a Poet." Verses on the lips of all Russia. Lermontov, already a recognized poet, goes into exile to the Caucasus, in the current 44-th Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment. The first reference to the Caucasus, Lermontov theme of my paintings.
 
Image Lermontov I was looking at the portrait painted from life, in the memoirs of contemporaries, and, finally, in his poetry. Lermontov, proud and happy recognition, nostalgic, almost a young man is such he must be on my picture. In exile, Lermontov wrote a remarkable poem, "Kazbek", expressing his concerns, his anguish.
Lermontov's "I graduated in April 1943.." Autobiography. L. 5-6.
 
During the war years, also wrote three of the Moscow spring landscape, three lilac bouquet of three, two self-portrait, a portrait of L. Tolstoy and SN Troynitskogo.
In 1944, performs sketches and scenery to Bizet's opera "Carmen" for the State Academic Bolshoi Theater. Work continues in 1945.
 
In 1946 he wrote Still Life "oranges and crumpled paper" on the PP Chistyakov, and also creates a genre picture - "floor polisher", written in a precise, confident, beautiful style.
 
In the second half of the 40-ies Konchalovsky wrote a large number of portraits, often the nature of the chamber.

It may be noted portrait of the surgeon AA Vishnevsky (1951) or a long series of portraits of the artist's grandchildren, for example, paintings: "Margot dancing" (1949), "Andron with the dog" (1949), "Margot the cat" (1948) .

Also to the post-war years are numerous landscapes, paintings depicting the people's life against the backdrop of the Russian nature (with the lopsided "1948," They row hay, 1947), still-lifes ( "Wild flowers on a background of green blinds," "Wild rose against the white tile stove" "Wine and ham, a long series of" Lilac ").
 
The work of this period, as it sums up the artist his creative experience. Strive for the synthesis of painting and then began to write large canvases.
 
In the introduction to the catalog accompanying the fifteenth solo exhibition Konchalovsky (1951), Vsevolod Ivanov summary of previous years, the artist's work: "Creativity Konchalovsky's really evolved into these days, and past - were merely its approach to this holiday ... Paints Konchalovsky bright, sun and air in his paintings a lot, coloring his unusually juicy, objects, it shows clearly, vividly ... 15 anniversary exhibition PP Konchalovsky - a huge victory for the artist.

This victory came to the artist, stood in the way of real, sincere service to his art to the people. Author tracks, landscape, portrait painter, theater artist, a master of still lifes, painted porcelain dishes and samples of tin tray - everywhere he a great artist, who loved life and life is most in love with the art ... Worker, every night spared that day was over, but the hand is surely not tired; connoisseur of fine works of others, cheering the emergence of new talent and otherwise help promote this talent, social activist, passionately fond of the Soviet homeland and its achievements in all areas of life ,
  Such Pyotr Konchalovsky, the singer of flowers, the sun and heat. "

In 1954, for 2 years before his death, the artist wrote his last great painting "on the lawn. Depicting a family picnic, Konchalovsky together on one canvas elements of landscape, still life, portrait and self-portrait and genre painting, thus summing up his unique creativity.
 

from Paris, traveling with VISurikova in Spain (Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Seville, Valencia, Barcelona). Meets with the art of Velasquez.
From Spain back to Arles, then takes off with the family villa in Kaldetase, where numerous sketches and sketches, made in Spain, wrote the picture "Bullfight".
Artist also interested in Spanish folk art, and in the "Bullfight" strive to make it look like a bull on the popular toy, the primitive is to give the form typical.

"I originally wrote" Bullfights "very realistic, Surikov thought the remarkable thing for the vitality of the transfer, but I did not like it. I wanted to do more characteristic of a bull, not the way everyone sees it as similar to a primitive, a toy. I have always loved folk art. Remember these Trinity Toy, who all his life were cut from a tree some bear with a man. With what simplicity and power, they passed the very essence of man and beast, blowing to the most basic means it all comes down to two or three characteristic detail. That's how it is, "a peasant", "in toy and wanted to give me a bull during a fight. I wanted, what would it seem not like a toy, not like himself" the devil ", as depicted by the Middle Ages in church vestibule . So I rewrote it. Surikov, remember, thought that I was wrong and sorry for all the old bull, but I liked the new more. Op. by VA Nicholas op. cit., p.46-47.

Spanish Painting palette changes Pyotr Konchalovsky. The color palette warms up, the shades are murky. Artist strive to reach the Spanish "simplified synthetic colors.

Paints a picture: "Home", "Amateur bullfighting", "Spanish Room" and "Matador Manuel Hart.

In the same year, returned to Moscow and became one of the founders of the Art Society "Knave of Diamonds".

The main advantage of painting proclaims its quality. The artists of the public awareness of the need to "work on a new and very specific method."

One of the central works written by Konchalovsky after returning from Spain is "Portrait of the artist George Bogdanovich Yakulov.
The artist himself describes it: "Portrait Yakulov I wrote in a kind of triumphalism, such a strong feeling in the painting, after Spain. Quite frankly, in the most blatant form I wanted this portrait to oppose the favorite by many artists, pretty, and prichesannosti prilizannosti portrait of a that was considered generally felt ugly, but in fact it was extremely beautiful. Mostra like scenic beauty and power of this supposed outrage, to show the very nature of Yakulov. On this portrait I heard from someone Benua, entered the shop and persuaded to show the portrait to the nearest exhibition "World of Art before he will be on display in the Jack of Diamonds." Konchalovsky, 796-4. C 23.

In 1911 the artist holds in Moscow, leaving in the summer Abramcevo, where as in the Spanish scheme wrote a series of landscapes. At the same time takes an interest in Russian folk art, street signs, enters them into their urban landscapes.

"The roots of interest in folk art and the sign lying in Konchalovsky, as well as some other painters of the era, in the scope of their efforts to identify painting in only one characteristic, using the simplest means. Inherent folk art and generally primitive generalized forms with extraordinary stinginess of the artistic language was in essence, the confirmation sezannovskogo teachings of the synthesis of form, as time and performs while the triumphal procession in painting in many countries and peoples. " Nikolsky. Uk. cit., p.51

Writes the first family portrait - a group portrait of the artist's wife and children ( "Family Portrait", 1911). This pattern also applies to a series of works of Spanish artist.
"In him, in Spanish, is dominated by two colors: black and white. No matter how much given the portrait of red and green, they play a strictly subordinate role, the case underscores the sonority of the two main notes of the portrait. Introduced into the background accompaniment of Chinese painting is that key tones. It is given again in black, gray sweats, and repeated for the red - pink fish gills and green - the blue-green wave. In this portrait, if you look intently, will have some sense of thinghood items and the beginnings of constructivism. " Nikolsky. Uk. cit. P.53

Along the Spanish passion for painting still interested in the artist's creativity by Paul Cezanne. In 1912 published a book by Bernard E. "Cezanne, his unpublished letters and memories of him in translation PP Konchalovsky.

In March, the family Konchalovsky accompanies VISurikova in Berlin, then moved to Italy (Siena, Pisa, Assisi, Perrudzhu).

In Siena, the artist examines the frescoes by Signorelli, Simone Martini, Benozzo Gozzoli, Piero Pollaiolo. The old masters, he learns the structure of the composition, flattened shape.

For significant works of this period also include "Family Portrait".
Portrait characterized primarily by the spatial structure of the composition, the desire to "fresco" style. "It was in Siena for some reason, I drew the attention of the fact that real people sometimes sit in the Italian room, as if they pose for the frescoes of the day. Life itself has prompted me to day is a fresco portrait of Siena, the circular building. Roundness of composition, its spatiality particularly well here showed the door to the stairs behind his wife, the highest point in semicircles. Siena and gave me the monumentality of the composition, which is in this portrait. The color of his decision, I have kept primitive simplistic tones. The frescoes also all terribly simplified, although the image of They often seem quite alive. I remember how happy my little "discovery" in Siena portrait: once about standing on the floor near the wall the canvas randomly placed chair, and found that it just grows in the picture, merges with it in spite of throughout the simplicity of its forms. They tried to put a portrait of the other things - all the same, grow into a canvas and they are. It opened my "secret" of the real painting, the opposite of its qualities of naturalistic illusion. This "secret" gave some new boldness and strength provides a new quality of painting, quite distant from the Impressionist ...". Op. by Nicholas. Uk. cit., pp 56-57

Also in Siena and environs wrote a series of urban landscapes and still lifes, attentively studying the structure of natural forms.
In Siena the artist's works can be seen clearly the influence of Cezanne and the Cubist painting. Just following the example of Cubist, on his return to Moscow, the artist wrote a series of still lifes by entering into a composition of paper labels.
Sticker, which was introduced in the paintings, according to the wizard makes the artist to improve the quality of painting, bringing it to the realism, to achieve "tangible transfer thinghood items not falling into the naturalistic extremes. Nikolsky. Uk. cit. P.57.
In parallel, the desire to transmit "material nature" of the subject and attempts at expansion colors on the plane, Konchalovsky exploring efficient method of constructing objects - cubism.

Works written in this manner: self-portraits in 1912 and "The Model".

Method of Cubism helps the artist to learn to extract from nature the most characteristic, teaches the construction of the composition.

"That I had," - explains the artist - to finally master the art derive from the nature of one characteristic, essential to learn how to build the track, we finally do away with the traditions of painterly naturalism, which afflicted me from all sides, which have lived and breathed a huge of Russian painting .... Nicholas, op. cit., p. 58.

In 1912, Konchalovsky performs sketches of scenery and costumes for opera Rubinstein "Merchant Kalashnikov" Opera for SI Zimin. Decorations are not preserved (killed during the fire). Previously created sketches Curtain "Hamlet, Piero and the magician" for the theater of miniatures MA Artsybushevoy.
In 1913 he visited the south of France, in the city of Cassis, near Marseilles, where he created a dozen paintings: the port, sea shores, cliffs and mountains.
Still continues to operate using the techniques of Cubism.
The summer of 1914 traveling with his family in Krasnoyarsk. Along the way, in the Urals, he finds the news of the beginning of the war, and Konchalovsky mobilized as an artillery officer.
In war, wrote several watercolors as a reminder comrades in the service. Also during the two-month stay in Moscow in 1915 wrote a portrait of "Natasha in her chair."
During his visit to Moscow next year paints a picture "Violin."

The work is written in a thoroughly atypical for an artist rather dry manner, and may be considered a signal of the coming of the new period. Also in still lifes, painted in 1916, there is a turn toward realism. In the "Agave" - apparently the artist's attention to the very surface of the canvas, to the "-designed" his painting, for exploring the picturesque textures.
 
"I definitely wanted to then dilute the surface of the canvas. The value of texture in painting was, of course, it is clear to me before. I've always admired, for example, texture, Renoir, Titian and texture specially studied even, but the most certain tasks texture of the order had not set up to turn, because there were other, more pressing tasks. Caring for texture may occur to the artist only when his picturesque style has matured, as it happened I have only to 1916, I am particularly carefully prepared the canvas for "Ahava", and painting sought to herself transferred outside the texture properties of objects: mat paper sheet to the elasticity suffused with juice leaves of the agave plant, oily polished wood. Here and Technology letter I had the extraordinary: he wrote on the dry, resorted to the glaze, drank a lot of polish. But after the "Ahava" I almost could not get rid of the issues the invoice, no matter what he wrote - care of the surface has become an integral part of my mannerisms. " Nikolsky. Uk. cit., p.63-64.