The work done by Boris Vasilyevich Milovidov represents one of the most gripping and significant phenomena in the world of art in Saratov. Boris Milovidov was one of the most talented students of Petr Utkin, as evidenced by his paintings and graphic works in the 1920s, and the acclaim from art critics at the time. Art critics in the country’s capital acknowledged him as one of the most talented from among the “graduates of the Utkin school”. In the twenties, the artist painted landscapes permeated with the Utkin school’s lyricism, with a special, tender attitude toward the natural. But then, in 1927, some articles already started to say that such works ‘belong to the sphere of an intimate landscape, evoking those lyrical moods that are so alien to our era’…
A new, severe era of socialist realism began in art, one in which there was no place for quiet sentimentality.
A new, severe era of socialist realism began in art, one in which there was no place for quiet sentimentality.
In the artist’s work, naturally, changes occurred that were explained by these new trends. The works done by the artist in the thirties do not become any less imbued with creative skill, and the culture around painting does not change the artist himself - but the style of his works does change. The intensification of the process of beginning with a narrative that was characteristic of Soviet painting during that time influenced the art done by Milovidov as well. The painting Model airplane builders was painted by the artist in 1934. One summertime story served as the impetus for its creation.
Every summer, the artist and his family went out of town, and he worked on sketches. Boris Milovidov’s daughter recalls that not far from the house where they lived, there was a Young Pioneer camp on the mountain. There the artist met some of the kids, talked a lot with them, and decided to paint a picture.
Every summer, the artist and his family went out of town, and he worked on sketches. Boris Milovidov’s daughter recalls that not far from the house where they lived, there was a Young Pioneer camp on the mountain. There the artist met some of the kids, talked a lot with them, and decided to paint a picture.
Upon returning home to Saratov, he received an invitation to participate in the opening of a new Young Pioneer Palace center, for which he made wall paintings that have survived to this day. There was an airplane model builders club that functioned in the Young Pioneer Palace center, and the artist started to visit it often, returning to the idea he had to paint a picture. He observed the kids pensively, for a long time, creating numerous drawings. The family kept sheets with the illustrations, now in the collection of the Radishchev Museum - the preparatory sketches for the future painting.
This painting can rightfully be considered a turning point, a ‘milestone’ in the artist’s work. Boris Milovidov “enters” Soviet art with a painting that rather represents a compromise. It is undoubtedly distinguished by the beauty of how it was painted, and the clear, “civilized” composition, and the author’s genuine interest in the main characters. At the same time, the plot in the work does not conflict with the ideology of the new system. As a typical artistic document of the era, this canvas firmly landed in the history of the artistic world in Saratov in the thirties. It is no coincidence that at the First Regional Exhibition, in 1934, this painting occupied the spotlight, and the Radishchev Museum immediately acquired it for its collection. Voluminous, rapturous statements were devoted to Model aircraft builders in various publications.
This painting can rightfully be considered a turning point, a ‘milestone’ in the artist’s work. Boris Milovidov “enters” Soviet art with a painting that rather represents a compromise. It is undoubtedly distinguished by the beauty of how it was painted, and the clear, “civilized” composition, and the author’s genuine interest in the main characters. At the same time, the plot in the work does not conflict with the ideology of the new system. As a typical artistic document of the era, this canvas firmly landed in the history of the artistic world in Saratov in the thirties. It is no coincidence that at the First Regional Exhibition, in 1934, this painting occupied the spotlight, and the Radishchev Museum immediately acquired it for its collection. Voluminous, rapturous statements were devoted to Model aircraft builders in various publications.
Critics argued that Milovidov ‘was able, and not by an inscription for the painting, but by means of artistic skill, to show in which direction our young pioneers are growing… where our country is going…’.
