Nicholas Feshin - artist of the two continents. He lived a long life, divided almost equally into two halves - the Russian and American. In Russia he is known, but only among artists, in America, his paintings are very much appreciated, and it is known there as "old" master and as a "painter of painters". Master painting, drawing, sculpture, cutting wood and ceramics, architectural work - what he saw, and what were his hands, he turned into a work of art.
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In Russia, Nikolai Feshin know enough: first, because his work was not associated with the capitals of Moscow and St. Petersburg and the province - he has worked and taught at the Kazan Art School. He was the only active member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, who lived not in the capital. And secondly, in 1923 he emigrated to America, and about his work trying not to talk much. In Russia, creativity Feshin fit with unilateral yardstick, assessing only the period of Russia's indiscriminate and considering all of his American works of art salon portrait. Work on the study of his legacy were constantly, but they were only Kazan museum and aimed only at finding the lost pieces Rossiyskogo period of his creativity. Recently, the study of creativity Feshin there have been significant shifts. In Moscow, the gallery "Art-Divazh the summer of 2004 was successfully held a large exhibition of his work. There was a lot of positive feedback in the metropolitan press, released a wonderful album of works by the artist.
Much work in studying the works of art Feshin holds Kazan Galina Tuluzakova, exploring the archives of the city of Taos, New Mexico, she has published several interesting articles about the American period in the life of the artist. Currently, the most complete work of outstanding artist is given a large monograph of the American art historian Marie N. Balcombe, which was published in the form of art album back in 1975.
Nicholas Feshin was born in Kazan in the family who are involved in artistic creation. In Kazan, he graduated from art school and came here as a teacher. Here, in Kazan, he created his most outstanding works Rossiyskogo period of life. Here, living in Kazan, he became a full member of the Academy of Arts. But Kazan, the city, although the then cultural and administrative center of the Volga region, but it was not the capital city.
Here is what he wrote in his autobiography Feshin:
"In Kazan, we students were boiled at all times in its own juice, never seeing a recent show, no paintings, which deserved to see them. It is not difficult to imagine how the city seemed to me miraculous Petersburg with its world-class museums, theaters and other values .
But the strange fact that, while studying at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, he has not delivered any work related to these beautiful and majestic city. Being sent abroad by the Academy of Fine Arts, he was fascinated by the neither Paris or Germany or Italy. Daughter of the artist Iya recalled:
"There was nothing special, just as my father was thrilled. He does not like Paris. There was nothing that would have impressed him. He was in Italy, and only in the Naples fish market interested in him."
Feshin while studying at the Academy nearly every year he took leave to travel to Russia with the aim of art works from nature. With the exception of 1903, when he traveled to Siberia, the main duty of his trips were all the same native to him, the middle Volga and the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Also in America: the most productive period of his creative period was Taossky, where they met the most magnificent works - portraits of local residents. Artworks Feshin American period can not be attributed to any direction of painting. They are original and unique. His style - a combination of deep realism of the old masters in the expression of the spiritual principle of personality with an abstract and expressionist depiction of everything that does not belong to this spiritual principle. If separate his painting Taosskogo period of realistic fragments, it reminds us of American abstract expressionist painting 1940-1950 period. But his abstract - it is not abstract at all, but an abstraction, emphasizing and amplifying the spiritual. His canvases - a single whole, every inch of his canvases is organic.
"An artist should not forget that he is dealing with a single canvas, and not part of it. Apart from the fact that he was going to paint, the problem in his work remain the same: a new way to fill his canvas and obtain an organic whole . In the picture should not be any particular dominant spots. We must remember that one false note in the symphony orchestra destroys the harmony of the work as a whole. (N. Feshin. Notes on the art.)
It seems that all that has been created Feshin in Russia, a search of his style in painting, and only in the period of work in Taos this style is completely defined. Feshin was greatly influenced by Repin, in the class which he was in his early years studying at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.
"What influenced me Repin? He treated me more warmly than the other students, evaluating the accuracy of my work. First of all, he appreciated my ability to more songs and is always telling me to go down this road. But his support did not inspire me! I realized that a composite type of work could not be committed without full knowledge of the human person, and contrary to his advice, I began to work exclusively in the portrait genre. (N. Feshin. Autobiography).
But, despite this negative attitude toward his teacher, it should be noted that it Repin Feshin accustomed to the impressionist techniques of painting. True Repin believed his paintings somewhat frivolous and is not suitable for the Russian artist, but nevertheless Repin demanded of his pupils, including those from Feshin, experiments with impressionistkoy technique and tried to dissuade them only to the simplification of the content of their work.
And this Feshin always been grateful Repin:
"As a great artist Repin valued his students' more or less original. He never tried to teach, believing that people coming to the Academy, must have basic technical skills. However, his tips on how to master always had an exceptional value and are logically justified. It seemed that he saw not only the work of the artist, but his soul. "
Feshin living in Russia, is constantly searching for his identity and eventually to America, he found it: a wide free swab, close to impressionistkoy Technology and realistic portrayal of a person, which is clearly visible manner of his teacher Repin.
Feshin restrict himself to choosing colors. He wrote:
"The purpose of the master painter is not to clutter the canvas unconscious material, and reasonable cost them ... On a limited palette should be particularly remembered for beginners, because the fewer colors, the more food in mind."
Feshin left Russia in 1923. He was not in opposition to the Soviet regime, he enthusiastically accepted the October Revolution. He participated in the activity engendered by the revolution in 1905 satirical magazines. After 1917, he enthusiastically worked on the works of the leaders of the world proletariat of Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, Lunacharskogo. Feshin all the forces trying to fit into a new, radically changed the artistic and cultural situation.
But in 1921 he received the consciousness of the impossibility of further and simply the existence of life in Soviet Russia. Here's what he wrote to his friend at the Academy, the painter Isaac Brodsky:
"... Before the revolution, I could still feel there is more or less tolerable, but now when I lost all contact with the outside world - is becoming unbearable ..."
Isaak Brodsky stayed in Russia became semiofficial artist. Perhaps that was left in Russia, Feshin would go the same path, he was not a fighter, he was an artist. He painted a portrait of Soviet bosses, as well as in the U.S., when some are not the best periods of his creative work he performed custom-made and entirely colorless portraits of officials. But as an artistic phenomenon of world-class, he would have been lost. And do not complain that the departure Feshin abroad, Russia has lost it. Won the Art.
In America Feshin became friends with Sergei Konenkov. This friendship did not end with the departure Konenkova in Soviet Russia during the Khrushchev thaw. Konenkova gladly accepted, he was given the studio, his work a success. He was among the first to get the most prestigious at the time of the Lenin Prize. He called and Feshin return to the Soviet Union. Likely return to his homeland, he would have got here the same recognition and fame. But family circumstances did not allow the artist to realize this opportunity.
In America Feshin enjoyed incredible success. But his personal life has developed tragic. This is how writing Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov in his famous book "one-storey America":
"She left for the twenty-third year of Kazan. Her husband - the artist Feshin, quite famous in his time with us. He was friends with the Americans from the ARA, which were on the Volga, and they gave him an invitation to America. He decided to stay here ever, not to return to the Soviet Union. This was mainly contributed to success in business. artworks were sold, the money came a lot. Feshin as a true hare, to live in a big American city could not, here come here in Taos. built a house , a wonderful house. We built it three summers, and he cost twenty thousand dollars. build, to build, but when the house was ready, - dispersed. It turned out that his whole life in vain live together, that they are not suited to each other. Feshin left from Taos, he is in Mexico City.'s daughter is studying in Hollywood, at the ballet school. Mrs. Feshin stayed in Taos is one. she had no money, not even enough to have the winter to heat their magnificent home. Therefore, in the winter, she rented a cottage for three dollars a month in the village of Rio Chiquito, where the Mexicans live alone, do not even know English, but very nice people. "electricity in the Rio Chiquito not. We must make money. She decided to write for the movies, but still nothing earned. The house sold sorry. It was worth twenty thousand, and now, with the crisis, for it can give five thousand. "
What happened between the couple - you can only guess. For Feshin it was a tragedy, he never stopped loving his ex-wife after divorce, he wrote her a letter, he asked friends to help him to improve relations. Not a word of reproach in her address. But she was relentless. The daughter remained with her father, and the rest of his days, she took care of him. They were very close. And only because of the daughter he had not returned to Russia, where his name was and where he was advised to leave his American friends. He was there, in America, remained a Russian artist, and it was evident to the naked eye.
I Feshin always had many disciples and imitators. His students idolized him. Here's what remembers his daughter Ia:
"... There are descriptions of colleagues and his students at the Academy for his influence that he was there, while still a student. ... He imitated He was very charismatic, it felt kind of brightness, and people were attracted to him. He was the leader. When he worked with a model or draw a still life, the whole school came to see him and they stood and looked at him sometimes for an hour, and sometimes all four. The students watched with admiration as he creates his songs. His compositional feeling was boundless.
In the United States after the departure from Taos, he worked in an art studio in Los Angeles. Many of his students, who worked day in a wave of Hollywood came to him in the evening to take lessons in mastery.
Feshin - artist, whose fate is predetermined by God. At an early age he was ill with meningitis, while incurable disease, and only touch on the icon saved his life. Having accomplished his mission, he died quietly in his sleep - a sign of God's chosen.
In the article "Nicholas Feshin - artist of the two countries: Russia and America" Tsaly Katsnelson
Top 10 artist's works on information ARTinvestment.RU
1.Indeyskaya girl with sunflowers (1 140 000 USD)
2.Tonita (1 140 000 USD)
3.Druzya (993 000 USD)
4.Chay in Santa Monica (the portrait of Mrs. Craig) (909 000 USD)
5.Portret Duane (902 500 USD)
6.Obnazhennaya (872 500 USD)
7.Igrayuschy on a drum (492 000 USD)
8.Lillian Gish in the role Ramoly (480 000 USD)
9.Natyurmort with grapefruit (384 000 USD)
10.Devochka with a red ribbon (336 000 USD)
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Interesting AN Fishina.
1.Avtoportret
Creation Date: 1920
Size: 66h64
Material: x /m
Abstract: Portrait located in the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan
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2.Miss Feshin daughter
Creation Date: 1922
Size: 67h60
Material: x /m
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3.Russkaya singer (Portrait EI Hataevoy)
Created: Ok. 1924
Size: 118h83
Material: x., M.
Abstract: A Portrait of EI Hataevoy performed Feshin NI located in a private collection, USA
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4.Portret VI Lenin
Creation Date: 1918
Size: 123/142
Material: x., M.
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5.Portret Karl Marx
Creation Date: 1918
Size: 244/141
Material: x., Distemper
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6.Obnazhennaya in the bathroom
Created: 1916 (?)
Size: 66/70
Material: x., M.
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7.Za samovar. Portrait OM Yasneva
Creation Date: 1913
Size: 80.6 /98.4
Material: x., M.
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8. Russian girl (Portrait of Ariadne Mikeshin)
Date of creation: 1923-1926
Size: 87h75
Material: x., M.
Abstract: A Portrait of Ariadne Mikeshin performed Feshin NI belongs to a private collection, USA