Alexey Afanasyevich Kokel was the first Chuvash artist to receive an academic education. He was born into a poor peasant family in the village of Tarkhany, Simbirsk Governorate. Alexey contracted bone tuberculosis at the age of 11 and was bedridden for about eight years. Due to poor health, he could not engage in peasant labor, and dedicated most of his time to drawing.
His life changed completely in 1899 when the Volga region was struck by famine and epidemics. Medical students who came to Chuvashia from St. Petersburg to provide help took him back to the capital for treatment. In St. Petersburg, Alexey Kokel became acquainted with the world of professional art. Until 1912, he studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts under such teachers as Vasily Savinsky, Jan Ciągliński, and Hugo Salemann.
Kokel painted “Model” in the life class of Professor Ciągliński. The impressionist required his students to use color more efficiently and integrally when painting from life and challenged them to demonstrate the perception of the naked body in contrast with various fabrics, surfaces, and color combinations.
These guidelines inspired Kokel to introduce avant-garde trends into his art of that period. In this style, the drawing is almost imperceptible, with the form and spatial concepts of a painting developed at the same time. Such artworks are characterized by the stylistic devices typical of post-impressionism and expressionism. When choosing between a spot and a stroke, the artist prefers long rhythmic brush strokes, which are sharp, clear, and fresh.
In April 1907, Kokel transferred from the life class to Ilya Repin’s workshop to continue his studies under the famous artist. However, in the fall, Repin left the Imperial Academy of Arts, and some of his students, including Kokel, studied under Dmitry Kardovsky.
In 1910, Kokel joined “Soyuz Molodyozhi” (“The Union of Youth”), the first avant-garde group of Russian artists, and presented his works at the group’s first exhibition in St. Petersburg, as well as the exhibition of the Russian Secession in Riga in the summer of the same year.
His life changed completely in 1899 when the Volga region was struck by famine and epidemics. Medical students who came to Chuvashia from St. Petersburg to provide help took him back to the capital for treatment. In St. Petersburg, Alexey Kokel became acquainted with the world of professional art. Until 1912, he studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts under such teachers as Vasily Savinsky, Jan Ciągliński, and Hugo Salemann.
Kokel painted “Model” in the life class of Professor Ciągliński. The impressionist required his students to use color more efficiently and integrally when painting from life and challenged them to demonstrate the perception of the naked body in contrast with various fabrics, surfaces, and color combinations.
These guidelines inspired Kokel to introduce avant-garde trends into his art of that period. In this style, the drawing is almost imperceptible, with the form and spatial concepts of a painting developed at the same time. Such artworks are characterized by the stylistic devices typical of post-impressionism and expressionism. When choosing between a spot and a stroke, the artist prefers long rhythmic brush strokes, which are sharp, clear, and fresh.
In April 1907, Kokel transferred from the life class to Ilya Repin’s workshop to continue his studies under the famous artist. However, in the fall, Repin left the Imperial Academy of Arts, and some of his students, including Kokel, studied under Dmitry Kardovsky.
In 1910, Kokel joined “Soyuz Molodyozhi” (“The Union of Youth”), the first avant-garde group of Russian artists, and presented his works at the group’s first exhibition in St. Petersburg, as well as the exhibition of the Russian Secession in Riga in the summer of the same year.
