Gorbatov Konstantin Ivanovich (1876-1945)

The fate of Russian artist Konstantin Ivanovich Gorbatova full of contrasts, as well as his paintings.

Gorbatov was born in the town of Samara Stavropol province. As in any of the county-level cities of central Russia, there were the old temples, ramshackle house on the wooden sidewalks overgrown with grass, thick silence. And most important - was the Volga, which was later praised Gorbatov in his series of paintings with the indispensable sailing banners on iridescent water.

School painter Gorbatov was held in early 1890 in Samara, a local artist FE Burov, and from 1896 to 1903 he lived in Riga, studies at the Polytechnic and continued his art education at Clark's.

Arriving in St. Petersburg in 1903, humpback first learns in the famous painting Stieglitz School, and then at the Academy of Fine Arts at the architectural department. A year later, he transferred to the painting department under the leadership of A. Kiselyov and PN Dubrovsky . It is no accident later the artist finds his path is in the architectural landscape.

In 1912, the 35-year-old K. Gorbatov travels to Rome pensioner of the Academy of Fine Arts. Initially working in the Eternal City, and then at the invitation of Maxim Gorky moved him to Capri.

Gorky had gathered there around the colony of young artists from Russia - he burned, Brodsky , Falileev , Veschilov ... The famous writer highlights of her countryman Volzhanin Gorbatova together twice a week, they bypass the youth workshops. After Italy, toured all over Europe, humpback lives in Russia and tirelessly writes its nature, types of northern cities of Pskov, Novgorod - and little of the Volga and the Volga, with your favorite silhouettes curves birches in the foreground pictures.

On the working spirit of the artist, his "river" heart wrote at the time, and IE Grabar , "From St. Petersburg artists hardly anyone knew so well the life of the northern cities, as Konstantin Gorbatov. Since childhood, he used to stand on an old fishing boats moored with patched sails to the heavily laden barges to the smell of the muddy water and fresh fish, to the molten sun, mercilessly poured down its rays on the green, the red roofs of coastal homes. Adult when he considered alien to everything except painting, humpback weeks lost on the banks of the river, listening, watching, writing sketches and wrote a lot, with relish. And the more he liked the northern fringes of provincial cities by the end of winter, when the snow turns gray nozdryastym when the first puddles and began to come to life birches. "

In St. Petersburg, K. Gorbatov not joined the fashion trends and mugs. According to his worldview, he became a member of the Society to them. AI Kuindzhi , later traveling exhibitions, as if deliberately keeping up with the speed of the locomotive is gaining new Russian art of the early XX century.

At the time, manner and style Gorbatova have finally worked out. His stuff is immediately recognizable. Their quality factor and the picturesque beauty ensured the success of the public. All Gorbatovskaya pictures easily sold off from the exhibitions. But the circle of admirers and buyers artist from the middle strata of society, as expected, fell apart immediately after the revolution. In 1922, together with his wife Gorbatov leaves of Russia. First Gorbatova live in Italy. In his traditional Russian themes artist now boldly introduces kinds of solar over Capri, Venice, and then will use the motifs inspired by his travels to England, Palestine, Egypt. These colorful town he now blaze on a colorful sea (already - not the river), and sky, sometimes eloquently written almost puantelistskim stroke.