Boris K. Merkulov worked as an artist of the Uzlovsky Museum of Fine Arts and Local History for almost 20 years, from 1999 to 2018. He achieved a high level of skill not only in painting, but also in sculpture, wood carving, and even metalsmithing. But he still dedicates most of his time to art: oil painting, graphic images. Among people coming from the same area, he is known, first of all, as a portrait painter — in different years, Merkulov created many portraits of Uzlovaya famous people, as well as landscapes of recognizable places of the city. Most of those works were included in the main museum collection, some decorate premises of city institutions, some are kept in private collections.
And all this is despite the fact that Boris Merkulov, speaking formally, is an amateur artist having no professional education. He was born in the Voronezh Region in 1939, and from the age of 26, has been living and working in the city of Uzlovaya. He worked for a long time as an interior designer at the ‘Plastic’ Factory. Later, when his works were noticed at city and regional exhibitions, he moved to the Museum of Fine Arts and Local History.
The artist confesses that he derives his inspiration from nature. Listening to the birds’ singing, walking on the grass wet with dew early in the morning, one can get a powerful charge of energy, inspiration, various creative ideas. That is why most of the artist’s canvases have been created in his favorite country house. In that country house, Boris Merkulov painted the still life with a simple name In the Country House.
The apples scattered scenically around a jar with a modest bunch of wild flowers on a little garden table suggest that this still life is posed. The partially emptied glass of tea in the left part of the table and the only pear in the forefront add to this impression.
But this fact detracts from neither the beauty of the still life, nor the painter’s artistry in representation of all those objects. Reflections on the wet surface of the table indicate that it has just finished raining and the nature awakes shining in the sunrays with bright colors.
The picture is painted with large strokes: on the one hand, it is typical for impressionism, but, unlike impressionists, Boris Merkulov pays considerable attention to details what is more common to the traditional Russian painting. The artist selects objects for his still lifes carefully and with a lot of taste, and his canvas In the Country House is not an exception. The painting is remarkable in terms of both composition and execution.
And all this is despite the fact that Boris Merkulov, speaking formally, is an amateur artist having no professional education. He was born in the Voronezh Region in 1939, and from the age of 26, has been living and working in the city of Uzlovaya. He worked for a long time as an interior designer at the ‘Plastic’ Factory. Later, when his works were noticed at city and regional exhibitions, he moved to the Museum of Fine Arts and Local History.
The artist confesses that he derives his inspiration from nature. Listening to the birds’ singing, walking on the grass wet with dew early in the morning, one can get a powerful charge of energy, inspiration, various creative ideas. That is why most of the artist’s canvases have been created in his favorite country house. In that country house, Boris Merkulov painted the still life with a simple name In the Country House.
The apples scattered scenically around a jar with a modest bunch of wild flowers on a little garden table suggest that this still life is posed. The partially emptied glass of tea in the left part of the table and the only pear in the forefront add to this impression.
But this fact detracts from neither the beauty of the still life, nor the painter’s artistry in representation of all those objects. Reflections on the wet surface of the table indicate that it has just finished raining and the nature awakes shining in the sunrays with bright colors.
The picture is painted with large strokes: on the one hand, it is typical for impressionism, but, unlike impressionists, Boris Merkulov pays considerable attention to details what is more common to the traditional Russian painting. The artist selects objects for his still lifes carefully and with a lot of taste, and his canvas In the Country House is not an exception. The painting is remarkable in terms of both composition and execution.
