In 1908, the artist Ivan Silych Goryushkin-Sorokopudov left St. Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire, and settled in the village of Ivanovka near Penza. He taught at the Penza Art School. Some photographs have been preserved, showing the artist with his students during classes. There are also some staged shots with them posing in costumes.
Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov was famous for his love of the past. This was reflected in his passion for collecting. The artist gathered a large collection of antique clothes and household items, which he often used for period pieces. The artist himself would often dress up in magnificent old Russian costumes.
Later, artifacts from the artist’s collection were transferred to the Penza Art Gallery, the Penza State Museum of Local Lore, and the Penza Art School. Throughout his artistic career, Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov created many images of people wearing traditional clothing. He painted his models surrounded by household items, icons, flowers, and decorative fabrics.
Many of the artist’s works created in the early 20th century were imbued by his admiration for the beauty of the ancient Russian way of life. An example of such a historical portrait is “Young Boyar” painted in the 1900s. It shows the influence of his teacher Ilya Efimovich Repin.
Many noted that Ilya Repin strove to promote the original artistic and technical approaches of his students. In particular, he noticed and supported the original style of Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov who was fond of historical subjects and bright, decorative colors.
The artist created a chest-length, side-face portrait of a man. He wears a cap trimmed with brown fur. His head is turned three-quarters towards the viewer. In this painting, the young man is shown as a character from an idealized world. The artist paid special attention to contrasting tones in his costume. He enhanced the brightness of large areas, which helped amplify the overall festive mood of the painting. Despite the bright details, the painting retains its watercolor lightness.
