Alexander Volkov (1886-1957)

At first, AN Volkov attitude to his studies in painting as a hobby. Learning from the natural faculty of St. Petersburg University, he also attended the master class of genre Vladimir Makovsky Academy of Arts (1908-10). A decisive influence on the fate of the future artist had H. Roerich , a private studio where he worked in 1910, then the Kiev Art School (1912 - 16) have the greatest master of monumental FG Volkov Krichevsky learned the laws of monumental painting.

 He saw unlimited opportunities for imaginative synthesis in the majestic ancient mosaics of St. Sophia. His paintings fascinated symbolism M. Vrubel at St. Cyril's Monastery. Under their influence, he created his first independent work.

 However, back in 1916 at his home in Central Asia (Tashkent), Volkov, relying on close to a real childhood experiences, found its intrinsic artistic language. Noisy, piercingly bright world of the East, scorched scorching sun, comes to life in his series "Mountain Village" (1926-27). His laconic, pure color, monotonous rhythm of work Volkova resemble oriental rugs. Seriously studying the peculiarities of Uzbek national music and arts, the artist sought to transfer their traditional motifs for his paintings. In the panorama of the old city, he used the laws of conditional prospects eastern miniatures.

At the end of 1920. Volkov departed from the outside decorativism and turned to a more complex picture of nature. Art of improvisation artist focused on the life and life in Uzbekistan. He wrote everything I saw - people, monuments, nature, but outgrew the value of these works of genre scenes, becoming fabulously beautiful scenic poem about Central Asia. The artist has achieved a rare intensity of sound colors, combining in his still lifes tempera paint and oil.

Requirements to be met by Soviet art in the 1930s. (Among them in the first place - a large concrete images), Volkov took the hard way. He set himself the task: "... without losing the richness of tone and great brilliance inherent in my previous quest to give simple and clear pictures associated with modernity." His paintings of this period is inherent in the monumental and epic beginning. He writes a new building, the cotton fields, the portraits of workers ("Storm off-road", 1932, "The collective farmer", 1933, "Morning in Shahimardine", 1934, etc.).

 Volkov has inspired birthday decorative and monumental painting in Central Asia. Together with a team of artists, he painted the building, designed the holidays. His creativity and pedagogical work Volkov had a significant influence on the development of modern Uzbek national art. He has taught at the Tashkent Art School (1916-19), Turkestan, art workshops (1919-21), in Tashkent Art School (1922-46). Nazim Hikmet in 1959 wrote about the artist: "It is said he was not aware of the Uzbek language, but he was very good at drawing in Uzbek! .." The phenomenon of Russian-Asian artist AN Volkov lies in the fact that his work and his best works are important for the history of Russian art and history of the formation of the so-called national Turkestan-Uzbek school of painting.