Ye Konstantin Makovsky (1839-1915)

K. Makovsky was born in a family of artists, one of the founders of the Moscow School of Painting. Since childhood, he and his brother, the future artist V. Makovsky was surrounded by a creative atmosphere: in the house of his father ever visited the famous painters, teachers of the school.

However, Makovsky has chosen an independent path. In 1858, Moscow and leaving his home, he went to St. Petersburg, where he enrolled in the Academy of Arts. In 1863, already a graduate, Makovsky joined a party to the "revolt of fourteen" who opposed the conservative system of teaching. As a result, a group of "rioters" he left the walls of the Academy of Arts, and is not coming to my degree. However, in the same year he became an active member of the famous St. Petersburg Artel of Artists headed by I. Kramskoi .

Works Makovsky created in 1860. Were different genre trend. Particularly renowned enjoyed his painting "festivities during Carnival at the Admiralty Square in St. Petersburg" (1869) - Original gallery colostomy, these paintings are distinguished poetic, touching way.

In 1877 Makovsky, in response to the events of the Russian-Turkish war, the painting "The Bulgarian martyr." However, tending to the characteristic of the genre, the Wanderers, Makovsky gradually began to lean in the direction of easy success, which is achieved with the help of spectacular images of subjects, is neither thoughtful nor the depth of content. Such is inspired by travels to Egypt painting "The Return of the Sacred Carpet from Mecca to Cairo" (1876), representing a magnificent religious procession in the eastern city. Household exotic types of brightness, ethnographic precision, sonority of color only reinforce the external impression, obscuring a truth of life.

Historical painting Makovsky, his so-called knights genres meet the spirit of the official nationalism and pseudo-Russian style, popular in the 1880s, the art of the 90s. "Boyar Wedding Feast in the family XVII Century" (1883), "kissing ceremony" (1895), "The Death of Ivan the Terrible" (1888) are interesting, rather, with the ethnographic point of view: the artist carefully writes the characters costumes, accessories, household items surroundings.

Special place in Makovsky took the portrait genre. His workshop on Palace Square was extremely popular among the secular public, and idealized portraits of fashion, obviously embellish the model were very much appreciated. Brilliantly passing situation, dresses, expensive fabrics and furs, the artist tried to present portrayed in the most favorable light, while adhering to the exact likeness, but without delving into the psychological characteristics of the models. In the words of INKramskoy in these portraits, "the colors are chosen, like a bouquet." These are the famous portraits of the artist's wife (1881), Countess of VS Zubov (1877), etc. The exception is "Portrait of an opera singer OA Petrov" (1871), "Portrait of an old woman in a bonnet" (1874) and, finally, portrait-painting "Senya" (1882), truly representing the old man at the boiling samovar. It is these works speak eloquently about what a big talent was laid in Makovsky.