The Tkachyov brothers finished ‘First Steps’ in the late 1960’s. In it, they depict a young woman who is helping her child to take their first steps. The mother is carefully supporting her little baby. The artists meticulously recreated the details of the interior of a traditional peasant hut, including a high bed with an embroidered bedskirt, homespun rugs, red cushions and bed cover.
This painting’s subject was painted from life. The brothers often worked in I.E. Repin’s Akademicheskaya Dacha - the long-standing creative headquarters of the Union of Artists. The village of Novoye Kotchishche lies roughly one and a half kilometers from the “Akademichki”. Alexei Sergei met his future wife there, and in the same village the artists met with the neighboring family of Vera Paketova. Vera Paketova gave birth to thirteen children - six sons and seven daughters. She was the inspiration behind the mother in “First Steps”.
The artists said that there was always a sense of the true national spirit in the Paketova’s house, ‘We were attracted to this family and to Vera Petrovna herself, with her unique folk traits. This family raised strong, courageous and robust people.’ Having grown up in the countryside themselves, the artists found it easy to identify with the atmosphere in this house. Over more than 30 years Vera Paketova and her children, and then grandchildren, inspired the Tkachyov brothers in their creative endeavors. The artists described them as being incredibly loyal subjects for paintings.
The depiction of a hard-working mother who supports her children was not simply a domestic scene. The subject of ‘First Steps’ spoke of how, for people of all ages, the support of your family is incredibly important. Reflecting on their first steps in art, the brothers explained that their most patient model was their mother. The brothers recall, with a great deal of gratitude, how their mother patiently encouraged their work. ‘Although the woman was from the most humble of backgrounds and illiterate, in her heart she felt that her children needed her.’
The difficult life faced by mothers became a defining theme of the brothers’ creative work. They often depicted it in their paintings. One of their most famous works on this theme is “Mothers”, finished in 1961. It is part of The State Tretyakov Gallery’s collection.
This painting’s subject was painted from life. The brothers often worked in I.E. Repin’s Akademicheskaya Dacha - the long-standing creative headquarters of the Union of Artists. The village of Novoye Kotchishche lies roughly one and a half kilometers from the “Akademichki”. Alexei Sergei met his future wife there, and in the same village the artists met with the neighboring family of Vera Paketova. Vera Paketova gave birth to thirteen children - six sons and seven daughters. She was the inspiration behind the mother in “First Steps”.
The artists said that there was always a sense of the true national spirit in the Paketova’s house, ‘We were attracted to this family and to Vera Petrovna herself, with her unique folk traits. This family raised strong, courageous and robust people.’ Having grown up in the countryside themselves, the artists found it easy to identify with the atmosphere in this house. Over more than 30 years Vera Paketova and her children, and then grandchildren, inspired the Tkachyov brothers in their creative endeavors. The artists described them as being incredibly loyal subjects for paintings.
The depiction of a hard-working mother who supports her children was not simply a domestic scene. The subject of ‘First Steps’ spoke of how, for people of all ages, the support of your family is incredibly important. Reflecting on their first steps in art, the brothers explained that their most patient model was their mother. The brothers recall, with a great deal of gratitude, how their mother patiently encouraged their work. ‘Although the woman was from the most humble of backgrounds and illiterate, in her heart she felt that her children needed her.’
The difficult life faced by mothers became a defining theme of the brothers’ creative work. They often depicted it in their paintings. One of their most famous works on this theme is “Mothers”, finished in 1961. It is part of The State Tretyakov Gallery’s collection.
