Ivan Arkhipov, the famous artist from Arkhangelsk, painted ‘Village of Kholm’ in 1994. He depicted a small village in the Primorsky district of Arkhangelsk region. It is located on a hill (‘kholm’ in Russian) — probably hence the name. In Arkhipov’s painting, the silhouette of the hill resembles the outlines of a fairy-tale fish, on the back of which there are houses, fences, and a church.
Ivan Arkhipov became famous in his homeland as a landscape painter. In addition to nature, he often painted studies with examples of ancient architecture: churches, peasant and merchant houses, city buildings. In pursuit of inspiration, the artist traveled extensively through the region, visiting the most remote villages. In 1980 his first solo exhibition “Northern Churches” took place in Arkhangelsk. Later Arkhipov participated in the competition for the best project of the architectural complex “Malye Korely”.
The village of Kholm, which is depicted in this painting, was founded around 1570 by three families: the Kuznetsovs, the Matveevs, and the Sukhikh. All of them were natives of Novgorod. In the 19th century, a wooden church was built in the village. It was consecrated in honor of the Apostles Peter and Paul. It was used for divine services, ceremonies of weddings and funerals. The local residents were also buried in the church cemetery.
The village of Kholm was surrounded by lakes from all sides, so it was only possible to reach it by boat. A community of Old Believers settled on one of the neighboring islands. One had to shout from one shore to the other in order to call a boatman and cross the lake from Kholm to their territory or back. Over time, bridges appeared between the settlements: one of them is featured in the painting. However, it was still impossible to get there by transport.
During World War II, a naval aviation garrison was stationed at one of the lakes near the village of Holm. The church bell tower was used as a machine-gun station and the church itself served as a lighthouse during the war.
In 1997, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Kholm burned down. The head of the village Viktor Sadkov arranged a memorial cross to be installed in its place.
Ivan Arkhipov became famous in his homeland as a landscape painter. In addition to nature, he often painted studies with examples of ancient architecture: churches, peasant and merchant houses, city buildings. In pursuit of inspiration, the artist traveled extensively through the region, visiting the most remote villages. In 1980 his first solo exhibition “Northern Churches” took place in Arkhangelsk. Later Arkhipov participated in the competition for the best project of the architectural complex “Malye Korely”.
The village of Kholm, which is depicted in this painting, was founded around 1570 by three families: the Kuznetsovs, the Matveevs, and the Sukhikh. All of them were natives of Novgorod. In the 19th century, a wooden church was built in the village. It was consecrated in honor of the Apostles Peter and Paul. It was used for divine services, ceremonies of weddings and funerals. The local residents were also buried in the church cemetery.
The village of Kholm was surrounded by lakes from all sides, so it was only possible to reach it by boat. A community of Old Believers settled on one of the neighboring islands. One had to shout from one shore to the other in order to call a boatman and cross the lake from Kholm to their territory or back. Over time, bridges appeared between the settlements: one of them is featured in the painting. However, it was still impossible to get there by transport.
During World War II, a naval aviation garrison was stationed at one of the lakes near the village of Holm. The church bell tower was used as a machine-gun station and the church itself served as a lighthouse during the war.
In 1997, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Kholm burned down. The head of the village Viktor Sadkov arranged a memorial cross to be installed in its place.
