Into the history of Russian art Nikolai Petrovich Krymov entered not only as one of the best Russian landscape painters of the 20th century, but also as a major theorist of painting and teacher.
Born into the family of an artist. Initial vocational training got it from my father. In 1904 he entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (MUZHVZ), where he studied with Valentina Serova And Konstantin Korovin. In the first years of his studies, Krymov was so poor that he often could not buy paints and used those that wealthier students cleaned from their palettes and canvases. This taught Krymov to handle paints carefully and work on canvases of small formats.
The young artist's talent developed quickly. Already one of his first independent works - “Roofs under the snow” (1906) - was acquired by V. A. Serov for the Tretyakov Gallery. Krymov participated in exhibitions of associations " Blue Rose", "Wreath", Union of Russian Artists. By the time he graduated from college (1911), he was already a famous artist. Early works Krymov ("Sunny Day", 1906; "Bullfinches", 1906; "Towards Spring", 1907; "After the Rain", 1908, etc.) can be called moderately impressionistic: separate strokes, clean colors, though somewhat faded, so to speak “tender” and “poetic” - quite in the spirit of the times.
In landscapes of the 1910s ("Moonlit Night in the Forest", 1911; " Pink winter", 1912; "Evening", 1914; "Edge of the Forest", second half of the 1910s, etc.) Krymov sought to combine the spontaneity of impression with decorativeness, the generality of form with care and subtlety of execution. Krymov loves to paint water and reflections in it, when the world seems to double, when the sky merges with the earth, when unexpected spatial breakthroughs arise ("Morning", 1911; "Night Landscape with a House", 1917; "Afternoon", second half of the 1910s).
Nature in his paintings seems to have frozen; no matter what natural states the artist depicts, his own poetic-contemplative state dominates everything. But sometimes genre motifs appear in Krymov's works, which have a somewhat popular character ("Landscape with a Thunderstorm", "Square", both 1908, etc.). During these years, Krymov’s work, for all its originality, still lacked integrity, and traces of influences can be found in the artist’s paintings different masters- from A.I. Kuindzhi to Konstantina Somov and N.N. Sapunov.
However, the main thing for Krymov has always been a living emotional perception of nature; fashionable far-fetched constructions and unrestrained experimentation are completely alien to him. This determined the nature of its further development. In his works of the 1920s - for example, "Village in Summer" (1921), "Towards Evening" (1923), "Russian Village" (1925) - Krymov is already a classic, in the sense of a conscious return to the traditions of Russian realistic painting late XIX- early 20th centuries (Krymov’s favorite artists - Ilya Efimovich Repin And Isaac Ilyich Levitan). Honesty and more honesty. Nothing external. No memorized techniques or emphasized effects. Originality and originality will manifest themselves if the artist is truly talented. When working from life, Krymov demanded unconditional fidelity to the visual impression. Nevertheless, many of his landscapes are painted from the imagination, when, using excellent knowledge of nature, the artist creates a kind of pictorial equivalent of a certain emotional state. Krymov explained the generality of his paintings by the fact that he “does not have time” to convey nature as a whole and at the same time in a variety of details, unlike, for example, A. A. Ivanov, who “had time.”
Outwardly, Krymov’s basic creative principles seem very simple, but they are based on a deep professional artistic culture. At the same time, the artist himself was not satisfied with the randomness of the results achieved and the lack of a well-thought-out method of work. In 1926, he formulated the well-known theory of “general tone” in painting. It is not color, but tone, that is, the strength of light in color, that is the main thing in painting. Only the right color in tone really becomes a color, and not a paint, and becomes spiritualized. Krymov proposed using a candle or match as a tuning fork to determine the true degree of illumination of an image object. In essence, the artist tried to theoretically generalize the classical understanding of painting that finally emerged in the 19th century. Based on his method, he wrote many beautiful landscapes, delicate in painting and feeling: “Landscape. Summer Day” (1926), “Evening in Zvenigorod” (1927), “House in Tarusa” (1930), “Winter” (1933 ), "Before Twilight" (1935), "Evening" (1939), "Evening" (1944), "Flowers in a Painted Box" (1948), "On the Edge of the Village" (1952), etc.
Krymov had many direct students, whom he taught using a system specially developed in accordance with his theory. But an even greater number of artists had the opportunity to benefit from his advice.
Dzyak A.V.
Literature.
1. "N. Krymov. Selected works. Album." M., 1984.
2. "Nikolai Petrovich Krymov - artist and teacher. Articles. Memoirs." M., 1989.
Biography and episodes of life Nikolai Krymov. When born and died Nikolay Krymov, memorable places and dates important events his life. Quotes from the artist and teacher, Photo and video.
Years of life of Nikolai Krymov:
born April 20, 1884, died May 6, 1958
Epitaph
“I love peaceful pictures
Their fields, their forests,
I love the mooing of cattle
And the sounds of bird voices.
I will not part with this paradise
I love this beauty
And the city with dust and trams
I would never choose them over them."
From the poem “In the Village” by Mikhail Chekhov
Biography
Nikolai Krymov was born at a good time: the future artist was able to study with the great Russian masters of painting. He may not have equaled them in either fame or skill level. But his works - especially landscapes of simple Russian nature, imbued gentle charm, - can be seen in museums and private collections. To this day they give the viewer a feeling of peace and tranquility.
Nikolai Petrovich's father was an artist, and he gave his son basic knowledge and practical lessons. Krymov consolidated the acquired skills in his studies, and it was so successful that his first serious student work was acquired by the Tretyakov Gallery. Krymov tried to play with light and shadow, to select the overall tone of the canvas as accurately as possible.
Krymov's early works were written in the genre of symbolism. Subsequently, his works become more “classical” and realistic. But even then, Krymov insisted on the right and responsibility of the artist to depict what he sees, and not what “really is.” Identifying creativity with the author's vision of beauty, he argued that it is wrong to depict objects based on knowledge of what kind of objects they are and what they are like. The painter must convey to the viewer the picture as it appears before his eyes; not information, but an image.
Nikolai Petrovich fully developed these and other ideas in his teaching work. Many wonderful Soviet artists came out of his workshops. Krymov himself, passionately in love with his native nature, was first and foremost a landscape painter and never painted “to order” ideological paintings or works that reflected modernity in the manner required by the social system. But he did not insist on this as an approach to working with students, showing individual approach to everyone. Many of his students subsequently worked in characteristic painting genres.
Nikolai Petrovich's life was as artlessly modest as his paintings. He loved to walk in nature, loved to work by the window, looking at the rural landscape, loved his wife, with whom he lived side by side for more than forty years. We can say that he loved life itself, but not with frantic passion, but with gratitude and humility. The only thing he grieved about at the end of his life was the fact that he would never have time to capture everything he wanted. But even without that, the artist did a lot during his 74-year life, leaving more than 150 beautiful paintings to his descendants.
Life line
April 20, 1884 Date of birth of Nikolai Petrovich Krymov.
1904 Admission to the Moscow School of Painting.
1905 Krymov's first paintings at exhibitions.
1906-1909 Work as a graphic designer for the magazine “Golden Fleece”.
1907-1911 Training in the landscape workshop of A. Vasnetsov.
1919-1930 Teaching work.
1922 First personal exhibition at the State Tretyakov Gallery.
1926 Design for the Moscow Art Theater performance "Warm Heart".
1928 Joining the Society of Moscow Artists.
1933 Design for the Moscow Art Theater performance “Talents and Fans.”
1949 Appointment as a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Arts.
1954 Awarding the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
1956 Title of People's Artist of the RSFSR.
May 16, 1958 Date of death of Nikolai Krymov.
Memorable places
1. The estate of V. Mamontov Gorki (Ryazan province), where Krymov lived and worked in the summer in 1916-1918.
2. Zvenigorod, near which Krymov lived and worked in 1920-1927.
3. Moscow Regional Art School, where N. Krymov taught.
4. State Tretyakov Gallery, where Krymov’s first personal exhibition took place.
5. Poluektov (now Sechenovsky) lane in Moscow, where Krymov lived.
6. Tarusa, where Krymov worked every summer from 1928 until his death (with the exception of the years of the Great Patriotic War).
7. Novodevichye cemetery, where N. Krymov is buried.
Nikolay Krymov “When the linden trees bloom” (1947)
Episodes of life
N. Krymov’s teachers at the school were the great K. Korovin, V. Serov, A. Vasnetsov.
One of the concepts that Krymov constantly explained to his students was the importance of tone in painting. Sometimes he was even credited with creating his own school of “tone” painting, although this is perhaps an exaggeration.
Nikolai Petrovich kept for many decades wooden plank for a painting given to him while still in school by V. Serov. Only shortly before his death, Krymov painted a landscape on it.
In terms of character, views and way of life, Krymov could be classified more as a conservative. He never had a studio: he painted at home. Nikolai Petrovich had never been abroad; his longest trips were to the Volga and Crimea. But his native and close nature always gave him inspiration.
Landscape in paintings by N. Krymov
Testaments
“I can only paint bushes and fences, but I do this better than anyone else.”
“The artist’s depiction of the beauty he sees in objects is creativity.”
“When young artists master the general tone, all this will fall away and only “right” and “good” will remain. It’s good only if it’s true, and it’s true if it’s good.”
“How to paint a picture so that it turns out picturesque? We must write taking the relation of one object to another. Where's the big mistake? If you lie in color or if you lie in tone? Of course, if you lie in tone. What holds up the picture? Tone. We know paintings that are painted with two or three colors, but thanks to a very true tone they make a good, true impression.”
Condolences
“Nikolai Petrovich is an artist of the Russian school, a continuer of its traditions. For him, truth was above all else in art, so the study of the laws of tone, color and composition became not an end in itself, but a means of approaching its expression. And this is what he taught us - to find themes in everyday life, without chasing external effects.”
Yuri Kugach, Soviet painter
“Possessing the talent of a theorist, Nikolai Petrovich in his statements systematized and generalized the experience of the great artists of the Russian school, undoubtedly introducing, like every talented artist, something of his own - Crimea.
He did not invent his theory, he only more clearly explained what we see in the paintings of Repin and Levitan, and what we see (though not always as subtly as he saw) in nature, which Nikolai Petrovich loved more than anything in the world "
Sergei Viktorov, Soviet painter
“Nikolai Petrovich was very cheerful, noisy, there was never a dull moment with him... Nikolai Petrovich Krymov and I lived for almost 50 years, whose whole life was spent in creative searches and in the ascetic work of an artist.”
Elena Krymova, the artist’s wife
Nikolai Krymov was born on April 20, 1884; his father, as already mentioned, was an artist who painted in his favorite manner of the Wanderers. The father passed on all his skills and abilities to his son, instilling in him a love of art from an early age.
The artist’s family was not rich, so while studying painting at an art school, student Nikolai Krymov saved on a lot, paints and canvases were expensive, so he saved and used what was left over from wealthier students. It is probably for this reason that in his subsequent works the artist carefully used materials; all his paintings are small in size.
The artist’s talent was noticed almost immediately after his admission - in 1906, one of Krymov’s earliest works, “Rooftops under the Snow,” was bought by Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov for an exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery. The works of Repin I.E. had a great influence on the artist’s work. and Vasnetsov V.M., it is their influence that is so noticeable in Krymov’s earliest works.
During the years of study from 1905 to 1910. the artist in his works leaned towards impressionistic depictions of nature, gentle pastel shades and light strokes gave his canvases a spiritual and weightless appearance. During this period of creativity, Nikolai Petrovich Krymov was looking for his own individuality and his own style of performance. Early works include the paintings “Towards Spring”, “Bullfinches” and “Sunny Day”. All these paintings have a slightly blurry character; the hand of an inexperienced master in painting is visible.
The main achievement of Nikolai Krymov over the years of study was his special style of painting, combining the transfer of the naturalness of the landscape and its poetic romance, which became unique business card artist. Krymov’s later works were painted more carefully and in more detail, the manner of execution was also slightly transformed, the paintings now have a more holistic and finished look. Vivid examples of the work of this period are “Pink Winter”, “Moonlit Night in the Forest”, “Evening” and “Evening”, written between 1910 and 1920. The manner of painting works of this period has many similarities with the paintings of Kuindzhi, the same plasticity of landscapes is noticeable, great attention is paid to light and highlights.
The artist brought his talent to perfection in the 20s, becoming an adherent of Russian realistic painting. Krymov loved and was proud of his country and his people. Each of his canvases is literally imbued with this genuine love and tenderness. All his works are a contemplative look at Russian landscapes, in each of which the artist sees some kind of riddle and secret. It’s not for nothing that Krymov was so fond of depicting water, which created in the picture a peculiar effect of a looking-glass and otherworldly reality. A striking example is his canvases “Night Landscape with a House” and “Midday”. It seems that these paintings are wonderful illustrations for a fairy tale. The atmosphere of airiness and lightness was achieved by Nikolai Petrovich thanks to precise selection tones, which he considered the most important in the image and transmission of light.
The favorite theme for the works of the late Krymov was the Russian village, and the artist saw nature as its center, not people. All works devoted to this topic are done so emotionally that it is simply impossible not to be inspired by the author’s passionate feelings for his native landscapes! Just look at the painting “Village in Summer,” painted in 1921. All of his paintings can be described as idyllic and a little naive, but they reflect the Russian soul in an overly subtle way, which is impossible to understand and give them positive assessment It's just not possible.
We can say that in the twenties the author’s paintings acquired a certain concreteness; Krymov often depicted landscapes of the city of Zvenigorod, in the vicinity of which he lived.
The last period of the artist’s work is inextricably linked with the Oka River and the small town of Tarusa, where Krymov moved to stay; he was simply fascinated by the local landscapes and of course the Oka River, which, according to his statements, “breathed freedom.” The paintings “Before Twilight”, “Polenovo. Oka River" and a number of others. At the age of 74, in the spring of May 6, 1958, Nikolai Krymov died. The artist left a magnificent collection of his works for all subsequent generations to understand and admire his work.
Krymov Nikolai Petrovich (1884-1958)
N.P. Krymov entered the history of Russian art not only as one of the best Russian landscape painters of the 20th century, but also as a major theorist of painting and teacher.
Born into the family of an artist. He received his initial professional training from his father. In 1904 he entered the Moscow School of Painting and Painting, where he studied with V. A. Serov and K. A. Korovin.
In the first years of his studies, Krymov was so poor that he often could not buy paints and used those that wealthier students cleaned from their palettes and canvases. This taught Krymov to handle paints carefully and work on canvases of small formats.
The young artist's talent developed quickly. Already one of his first independent works - “Rooftops under the Snow” (1906) - was acquired by V. A. Serov for the Tretyakov Gallery.
Krymov participated in exhibitions of the associations "Blue Rose", "Wreath", SRH. By the time he graduated from college (1911), he was already a famous artist. Krymov's early works ("Sunny Day", 1906; "Bullfinches", 1906; "Towards Spring", 1907; "After the Spring Rain", 1908, etc.) can be called moderately impressionistic: separate brush strokes, clean colors, although somewhat faded , so to speak, “tender” and “poetic” - quite in the spirit of the times.
In landscapes of the 1910s. ("Moonlit Night in the Forest", 1911; "Pink Winter", 1912; "Evening", 1914; "Edge of the Forest", second half of the 1910s, etc.) Krymov sought to combine the spontaneity of impression with decorativeness, the generality of form with thoroughness and subtlety of execution.
Krymov loves to paint water and reflections in it, when the world seems to double, when the sky merges with the earth, when unexpected spatial breakthroughs arise ("Morning", 1911; "Night Landscape with a House", 1917; "Noon", second half of the 1910s ). Nature in his paintings seems to have frozen; no matter what natural states the artist depicts, his own poetic-contemplative state dominates everything.
But sometimes genre motifs appear in Krymov's works, which have a somewhat popular character ("Landscape with a Thunderstorm", "Square", both 1908, etc.). During these years, Krymov’s work, for all its originality, still lacked integrity, and in the artist’s paintings one can find traces of the influences of various masters - from A. I. Kuindzhi to K. A. Somov and N. N. Sapunov.
However, the main thing for Krymov has always been a living emotional perception of nature; fashionable far-fetched constructions and unrestrained experimentation are completely alien to him. This determined the nature of its further development.
In works of the 1920s. - for example, “Village in Summer” (1921), “Towards Evening” (1923), “Russian Village” (1925) - Krymov is already a classic, in the sense of a conscious return to the traditions of Russian realistic painting of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. (Krymov’s favorite artists are