The artist Ivan Silych Goryushkin-Sorokopudov was known not only for his standalone paintings and graphic works. He also cooperated with the editorial board of the “Niva” (Grainfield) magazine from 1908 onwards. The magazine, founded by Adolf Fyodorovich Marx, commissioned the artist to create drawings, etchings, illustrations, and sketches on various historical and contemporary topics.
In 1910–1911, Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov produced many advertising posters for “Niva”, a popular weekly magazine with appendices published in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. The magazine aimed to reach a wide audience. It featured literary works, historical essays, scientific articles, anniversary messages, engravings, reproductions of paintings by contemporary artists, and photographs of important events.
Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov also actively collaborated with other magazines. For example, his works appeared on the pages of “Stolitsa and Usadba” (The Capital and the Mansion). Previously, in 1906, he worked with the “Gamayun” magazine, whose title alluded to the prophetic bird of Russian folklore. Interestingly, two people were listed as editors in its only issue. One of them was the artist Alexander Ivanovich Vakhrameyev, who was a close friend of Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov. They studied together and taught at the Penza Art College.
It was no accident that the artist cooperated with magazines. He always closely followed events in the country, and his works were characterized by attention, verisimilitude, and honesty.
The sketch from the museum collection was not used in the “Niva” magazine in 1911. Instead, another work by Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov was used for the magazine’s advertising poster. It depicted a woman wearing expensive clothing and holding a scroll with the names of the published books by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Aleksey Feofilaktovich Pisemsky, and Lev Aleksandrovich Mei. The name of the magazine was placed behind her head, and the year was placed on the side against a backdrop of church walls and domes.
