Apollonovich Konstantin Savitsky (1844-1905)

A typical representative of peredvizhnichestva, great master of genre painting KA Savitsky was a commoner by birth.

He studied at the Academy of Arts (1862-73), together with I. Repin , friendship which, as well as convergence with I. Kramskoi , M. Antokolsky, MI Shishkin , Vladimir Stasov largely determined the ideals and aspirations of the creative artist.

Already in the years of apprenticeship, he linked his work with the Association of Traveling Art, began his exhibitor. During this academic authorities expelled Savitsky before the competition for a gold medal, depriving the young artist and academic pensionerstva put in a difficult financial situation.

Summer 1873 Sawicki with I. Kramskoi spends at the station Kozlovka-Zaseka near Tula, where "ignite" conception of "Repair work on the railroad" (1874) - the first and one of the most important of his works. Following Repin , who wrote a year before the "Boatmen", Savitsky in the film reflects not separate, albeit significant, a fact, and the whole phenomenon of contemporary life, maintaining natural and unintentional life scene. The main hero is a monumental canvas peasantry.

In the complex but masterfully constructed compositions, which presents a huge number of people moving in different directions, Savitsky managed to perfectly convey the rhythm and intensity of hard work of farmers, day laborers, who were working on the construction of the railway. It first manifested itself with unprecedented force that "choral beginning" (Stasov), which will tend to the artist and later. Two characters in the foreground (men with wheelbarrows laden) intentionally distinguished from the others, they emphasized the power, tenacity, determination. Of the picture based on the tonal unity of gray, yellow, blue-gray, brown colors.

III shown in a traveling exhibition, this picture has made ​​the author's name is widely known and has received a positive assessment among artists and in the press. Pavel Tretyakov acquired it for his gallery. After selling the young artist was able to travel to France where he has lived his friends - retired AH I. Repin and B. Polenov . Together with them, Sawicki has studied the experience of French painters, worked on the problem of plein air.

In France he created paintings - "The sea in Normandy (Fisherman in trouble)" (1875), "Travelers in the Auvergne" (1876) - it is mainly focused on the transmission of light and air. The last multi-figure composition of interest as detailed genre scene, where a large variety of observation given social types.