Kuprin Alexander (1880-1960)

In an imaginary group portrait of the members of the community, "Jack of Diamonds" (1910) the place of A, B. Kuprina - in the second row, next to the Christmas VV and R. R. Falk. The first row will be "heroes" - I. Mashkov , P. Konchalovsky , A. B. Lentulov - and painting Kuprina no means no loud voice, and even inspired fresh material folk primitive.

It is clean sezannistov among his friends the most nervous and dramatic, but it still lives and preserve the power of color plastic system and when the former "Jacks", muffling his natural temperament, renamed in the "Moscow Painters" (1925) and the Society of Moscow Artists ( 1928).

Kuprin studied in the studio of L. Dmitriev-Caucasian in St. Petersburg (1902-04), in the studio K. Juon in Moscow (1904-06) and in the Moscow School of Painting (1906-10). By becoming a member of the "Jack of Diamonds", he shared a common passion Cézanne, but his interpretation sezannistskie gain enhanced the aspect composition, shape - prickliness, color - contrast and tension ("Still Life with a blue tray", 1914, "Still Life with a figurine," 1919; "Autumn Bouquet", 1925, etc.).

Less direct than most of his comrades, he uses cultural productions of important subjects - a sculpture, tubes, horse skull, in general, he prefers artificial, unchanging nature, and live in a variety of colors appear in his still lifes only to the 1930s. But nature, lively and changeable, tangible and full of movement, appears in his Crimean landscapes created in 1930-50-ies. ("Poplar", 1927, "Beasalskaya Valley", 1937, "Landscape with Moon," 1944, etc.). The convergence of their tonal color still retains the decorative richness. And even in a series of industrial types of steel mills and oil fields artist does not lose the whole culture of vision. In addition to the creative work, Kuprin lot of time and effort to teaching: since 1920 - in the Higher Art-Vhuteine, the Moscow Textile Institute and other universities (up to 1952). From 1954 - Corresponding Member of the Academy of Arts.