Sergei and Alexei Tkachyov finished ‘Our Courtyard in Chuchunovka’ in 2000. In it, they recreated their childhood home’s yard from memory. The artists depict their parents and paternal grandfather.

The artists’ grandfather, Afanasii Vasilievich lived to be over 100 years old. He was born when Alexander Pushkin was still alive, took part in the Siege of Sevastopol, survived the October Revolution and even lived through collectivization. After twenty years of serving the Tsar, he was appointed as an elder of the village of Molotino. The Tkachyov brothers’ parents told the children that their grandfather was always strict and loved order.

After the revolution, the family moved from Molotino to the small village of Chuchunovka. The village was surrounded by forests. The village’s houses were built with logs. The gaps between logs would be filled with dry moss. Next to the living quarters, a barn for animals was constructed. The properties were enclosed by a high fences, with a gate for entry. Cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and birds were kept in every farmyard. The artists lovingly and attentively recreated this rural scene.

The artists” childhood impressions formed in Molotino and Chuchunovka inspired their later work on the theme of the countryside.

The Tkachyov family lived in Chuchunovka until 1931, and then moved to the city of Bejitsa. After the Great Patriotic War, Chuchunovka may have disappeared from the map, but it would forever live on in the artists’ memories as their birthplace and somewhere they felt close to.