Soviet and Russian artist Ivan Penzov painted a double portrait of the writers Alexandr Tvardovsky and Konstantin Simonov from the collection of the Valuy Museum of History and Art.
The artist was born on August 5, 1928, in the village of Mikhailovka, Omsk region. After school, he entered the railway school to get employment as an assistant driver. However, his plans were disrupted by the Great Patriotic war. It was only in 1943, after several attempts, adding a year in his passport, Penzov persuaded the military commissar to give him a referral to machine gunner courses in the Leninsk-Kuznetsk, Kemerovo region.
Ivan Penzov graduated from his studies with honors and was immediately posted to the Kursk Bulge. He fought in the war, was held captive, but managed to escape. Penzov returned to the front, drowning in the Dnieper, liberating Romania, and being wounded in his head and chest in Hungary: a shell fragment remained in his lung. After hospital treatment, Ivan Penzov was recognized as a group 1 disabled person.
In his works, Penzov also dealt with the military history of the formation of the Soviet state. On the recommendation of the artist and restorer Igor Grabar, he restored frescoes in the Holy Resurrection Cathedral of the 15th century in Volokolamsk. He also helped restore and renovate the paintings of the Epiphany Cathedral at Yelokhovo, Moscow. In total, Penzov worked in more than 20 churches and cathedrals in the country.
Artist Ivan Penzov died on January 21, 2000. His works are displayed in 62 museums in Russia, in the former Soviet Union and beyond, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Central Armed Forces Museum, Poklonnaya Gora, and the United States, Britain, Cuba, India, Japan, and other countries.
Ivan Penzov created a chest-high portrait of ‘A. Tvardovsky and K. Simonov’ in 1987. He portrayed two famous Soviet writers. The artist showed them in a relaxed atmosphere, in the study against the background of literary works they wrote during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war years.
During the Great Patriotic War, about 1,215 writers fought on the fronts, 400 of whom died. Those who went through the battles to the end were later awarded government orders and medals. Many of them worked as front-line correspondents. They wrote essays and journalistic articles based on their impressions of what they saw because they often had to fight on the front line like rank-and-file soldiers.
Poets Konstantin Simonov and Alexandr Tvardovsky also worked as war correspondents. Their meetings were often associated with creative activities, participation in the Union of Soviet Writers' and the Presidium meeting, where books were nominated for the State Stalin Prizes. There was often a spark of controversy and creative competition between them. When they met, they shared new works in anticipation of praise, criticism, or any edits. The colleagues disputed occasionally, but that was what the partnership of two creative personalities looked like. Simonov reflected on the like-minded writers' interpersonal relationships, his considerations on Tvardovsky, and his works in his essay ‘The way I remember him.’ In the picture, the artist Ivan Penzov conveyed a unique atmosphere, in-depth views of writers. They sat half-turned and looked at the viewer as if they were speaking without words.
The artist was born on August 5, 1928, in the village of Mikhailovka, Omsk region. After school, he entered the railway school to get employment as an assistant driver. However, his plans were disrupted by the Great Patriotic war. It was only in 1943, after several attempts, adding a year in his passport, Penzov persuaded the military commissar to give him a referral to machine gunner courses in the Leninsk-Kuznetsk, Kemerovo region.
Ivan Penzov graduated from his studies with honors and was immediately posted to the Kursk Bulge. He fought in the war, was held captive, but managed to escape. Penzov returned to the front, drowning in the Dnieper, liberating Romania, and being wounded in his head and chest in Hungary: a shell fragment remained in his lung. After hospital treatment, Ivan Penzov was recognized as a group 1 disabled person.
He was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, Second Class, and other awards for his service.
Ivan Penzov, a Member of the Artists’ Union of the USSR, Honored Artist of the RSFSR, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, and winner of the Prize named after M.B.Grekov — author of the Soviet State leaders, admirals, and generals of the fleet — former and current commanders of the National Fleet. He lived and worked in Moscow. He painted one of his first сanvases in 1949. It was a grand portrait of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Then he created a whole series of nearly 500 portraits of Soviet officials and prominent military commanders. Ivan Penzov also depicted the heroical deed of soldiers on his canvases. For example, Alexey Ochkin, who repeated the feat of Alexander Matrosov and Vanya Fedorov at Stalingrad: wounded in the hands, he threw himself under a fascist tank with a bunch of grenades.
Ivan Penzov, a Member of the Artists’ Union of the USSR, Honored Artist of the RSFSR, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, and winner of the Prize named after M.B.Grekov — author of the Soviet State leaders, admirals, and generals of the fleet — former and current commanders of the National Fleet. He lived and worked in Moscow. He painted one of his first сanvases in 1949. It was a grand portrait of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Then he created a whole series of nearly 500 portraits of Soviet officials and prominent military commanders. Ivan Penzov also depicted the heroical deed of soldiers on his canvases. For example, Alexey Ochkin, who repeated the feat of Alexander Matrosov and Vanya Fedorov at Stalingrad: wounded in the hands, he threw himself under a fascist tank with a bunch of grenades.
In his works, Penzov also dealt with the military history of the formation of the Soviet state. On the recommendation of the artist and restorer Igor Grabar, he restored frescoes in the Holy Resurrection Cathedral of the 15th century in Volokolamsk. He also helped restore and renovate the paintings of the Epiphany Cathedral at Yelokhovo, Moscow. In total, Penzov worked in more than 20 churches and cathedrals in the country.
Artist Ivan Penzov died on January 21, 2000. His works are displayed in 62 museums in Russia, in the former Soviet Union and beyond, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Central Armed Forces Museum, Poklonnaya Gora, and the United States, Britain, Cuba, India, Japan, and other countries.
Ivan Penzov created a chest-high portrait of ‘A. Tvardovsky and K. Simonov’ in 1987. He portrayed two famous Soviet writers. The artist showed them in a relaxed atmosphere, in the study against the background of literary works they wrote during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war years.
During the Great Patriotic War, about 1,215 writers fought on the fronts, 400 of whom died. Those who went through the battles to the end were later awarded government orders and medals. Many of them worked as front-line correspondents. They wrote essays and journalistic articles based on their impressions of what they saw because they often had to fight on the front line like rank-and-file soldiers.
Poets Konstantin Simonov and Alexandr Tvardovsky also worked as war correspondents. Their meetings were often associated with creative activities, participation in the Union of Soviet Writers' and the Presidium meeting, where books were nominated for the State Stalin Prizes. There was often a spark of controversy and creative competition between them. When they met, they shared new works in anticipation of praise, criticism, or any edits. The colleagues disputed occasionally, but that was what the partnership of two creative personalities looked like. Simonov reflected on the like-minded writers' interpersonal relationships, his considerations on Tvardovsky, and his works in his essay ‘The way I remember him.’ In the picture, the artist Ivan Penzov conveyed a unique atmosphere, in-depth views of writers. They sat half-turned and looked at the viewer as if they were speaking without words.
