‘Grinka’ is considered one of the best studies painted by Fedot Sychkov. The artist created it in 1937 working outdoors. He painted his fellow villager — a teenager Grigory Ushanchikov. The boy sits on a fence and soaks in the spring sun. He is not embarrassed about his battered-looking sheepskin coat, his ‘lapti “ (Russian bast shoes), or a worn “treukh” (a cap with earlaps and a back flap). A lively, long-legged, smiling teenager sincerely enjoys the warm weather.
The genre of study differs from detailed paintings in that painters create such works, as a rule, in one session. These are quick, vivid sketches from nature, where a few brushstrokes render the important features of the characters, the lighting, and the color scheme of a particular moment. In this study, Fedot Sychkov managed to show both Grinka’s character and even the very warmth of the air heated by the sun.
There are many portraits of children among the painter’s works. Fedot Sychkov said, “All my life I loved to paint children. I do it now. When I see them coming back from school in a merry crowd or singing joyful songs at pioneer meetings, I recall the pre-revolutionary children, my childhood.” These words were published in the newspaper “Sovetskaya Mordovia” in November 1952, in the article “Create for the people”.
In the same article, Fedot Sychkov told about the boy’s further life, ‘Grinka Ushanchikov later became a pilot, heroically fought at the front against the fascist invaders.’ During the Great Patriotic War, the young man made his native village Kochelayevo famous through his military accomplishments.
The master also shared the details of his biography with the readers of the newspaper ‘Sovietskaya Mordovia’, ‘It was with such difficulty that I had to make my way to my favorite art. Coming from a poor peasant family, I had to go through the difficult path from a boy in an icon workshop to a painter, without any help, only encountering endless opposition to my aspirations from stiff officials. Only the support of the great painter I. E. Repin gave me the opportunity to graduate from the Academy of Arts in 1900.’
The genre of study differs from detailed paintings in that painters create such works, as a rule, in one session. These are quick, vivid sketches from nature, where a few brushstrokes render the important features of the characters, the lighting, and the color scheme of a particular moment. In this study, Fedot Sychkov managed to show both Grinka’s character and even the very warmth of the air heated by the sun.
There are many portraits of children among the painter’s works. Fedot Sychkov said, “All my life I loved to paint children. I do it now. When I see them coming back from school in a merry crowd or singing joyful songs at pioneer meetings, I recall the pre-revolutionary children, my childhood.” These words were published in the newspaper “Sovetskaya Mordovia” in November 1952, in the article “Create for the people”.
In the same article, Fedot Sychkov told about the boy’s further life, ‘Grinka Ushanchikov later became a pilot, heroically fought at the front against the fascist invaders.’ During the Great Patriotic War, the young man made his native village Kochelayevo famous through his military accomplishments.
The master also shared the details of his biography with the readers of the newspaper ‘Sovietskaya Mordovia’, ‘It was with such difficulty that I had to make my way to my favorite art. Coming from a poor peasant family, I had to go through the difficult path from a boy in an icon workshop to a painter, without any help, only encountering endless opposition to my aspirations from stiff officials. Only the support of the great painter I. E. Repin gave me the opportunity to graduate from the Academy of Arts in 1900.’
