[Dogel]

The Vasily Nikolaevich Yakovlev

YAKOVLEV, V. N. (1893-1953), Russian painter, master of painting and restoration, who sought to combine the style of the old masters" of the program of socialist realism.
Born in Moscow 2 (14) January 1893 to pharmacist. From 1911 he studied at the physics and mathematics faculty of Moscow University, simultaneously (1913-1914) visiting the Studio V. N. Meshkov. In 1914-1917 studied at the School of painting, sculpture and architecture, in particular with Arkhipov and K. Korovin. Was an active member of AHRR. In 1932-1933 at the invitation of A. M. Gorky visited Italy. He lived in Moscow.

Enthusiastically revered old Italian, Dutch and Flemish masters, helped by his vast experience of the Museum's restorer (he worked in the Central restoration workshops, 1924-1927, and in 1926-1931 was in charge of the relevant workshop of the Museum of fine arts). Being a "militant realist" configured to art avant-garde negatively, countered manner, based on a detailed simulation scenic classics. Thus, the images of Renaissance and Baroque - combined with creative impressions trips or modern artistic life - is translated in the pictorial cycle of the Fish of the Barents sea (1931-1934), Orgy picture (1934), Prospectors write the great Creator of the Constitution (1937), the Dispute about art (1946; all three works - Russian Museum), the Collective herd (1948, Museum of fine arts, Orenburg; Stalin prize, 1949), the Return from the hunt (1948, Tretyakov gallery), etc., they all share naturmort-meticulous detailing of the subject and body textures, sometimes acquiring (as in the mock-erotic Orgy with portraits of fellow artists or violent Dispute about art, what happens in the Studio, cluttered with Antiques) almost surreal hue. Often acted as a salon persuasion portrait (Harpist V. G. Dulov, 1934, private collection, Moscow; etc.) and master of landscape "in an old taste" (Sorrento, 1933).

In 1938-1939 and 1949-1950 was chief artist of the all-Union agricultural exhibition. Has cemented its high official status heroic portraits of the period of the Second world war (Hero of the Soviet Union V. N. Yakovlev, 1941; Partisans, 1942; both portrait in the Tretyakov gallery; the Stalin prize in 1943). However, his equestrian portrait of Marshal Zhukov - amid the burning ruins of Berlin (1945 to 1946, the Museum of the siege of Leningrad) - was too pathetic, how would infringe upon the authority of the Generalissimo, and was banned for showing. The master was active as a teacher (he taught from 1918 in Free art workshops, the Institute named after VI Surikov and other schools). He turned to literature, writing in the 1930-ies autobiographical novel Frol Skopin (published in his posthumous essay book My calling, 1963). However, all of his books (On painting, 1951; On great Russian artists, 1952; Artists, restorers, antique dealers, 1966) invariably get too starry-eyed and Autocentrum. The last major work of Yakovlev was manual (together with P. P. Sokolov-Scalia) restoration of Sevastopol panorama F. Roubaud (1952).

Died Yakovlev in Moscow on 29 June 1953.