‘Tomatoes’, painted by Fedot Sychkov, is one of the most beloved by the public still lifes of the artist. He depicted bushes with heavy clusters of rich red and pink fruits. Next to them is a large pumpkin; it turns its yellow side to the bright sun. The carved foliage of the pumpkin is painted in delicate greenish tones interspersed with warm golden shades.
The artist painted the still life in his garden, sitting right on the seedbed. He realistically depicted the plants tied to the wooden pegs. Making the composition so large, the master emphasized the abundance of the harvest: juicy tomatoes are so convincingly appetizing that, it seems, you can feel the characteristic smell of pollen coming from green branches and leaves.
Fedot Sychkov painted still lifes throughout his life. Most often, he created them ‘en plein air’, painting directly from nature. That is, the artist did not imagine a composition while standing at an easel in his workshop but rather painted the seedbeds with cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, which he saw in front of him. At the same time, his still lifes do not look purely photographic: the artist carefully chose the angle, balancing the parts of the painting. He also made sure to use colors of the same tone, so that not a single detail on the canvas would stand out in the general composition of the painting. Therefore, his painting looks finished and well developed and at the same time retains a fresh observation. This is how the paintings ‘Strawberries’ (1910), ‘Cucumbers’ (1917), ‘Poppies’ (1925), ‘Dandelions’ (1930), ‘Flowers’ (1940) were created.
On these canvases, full of sun, air, and greenery, was conveyed the life-affirming principle, for holding onto which Fedot Sychkov was called ‘the painter of joy’. In his paintings, one can feel his sincere love for life: for the working peasants on the field, for bright summer colors, for juicy berries and a warm wind.
The Sychkovs enjoyed gardening a lot. They grew their crops and bought the food they did not grow from their neighbors. The artist’s wife made pickled vegetables and fruit according to the recipes of her mother Evdokia Ankudinova — with them she regaled guests who came to their house. Their acquaintances from other cities, as well as family friends and the artist’ models from Kochelayevo, were always treated to delicious tomatoes, cucumbers and pumpkins.
The artist painted the still life in his garden, sitting right on the seedbed. He realistically depicted the plants tied to the wooden pegs. Making the composition so large, the master emphasized the abundance of the harvest: juicy tomatoes are so convincingly appetizing that, it seems, you can feel the characteristic smell of pollen coming from green branches and leaves.
Fedot Sychkov painted still lifes throughout his life. Most often, he created them ‘en plein air’, painting directly from nature. That is, the artist did not imagine a composition while standing at an easel in his workshop but rather painted the seedbeds with cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, which he saw in front of him. At the same time, his still lifes do not look purely photographic: the artist carefully chose the angle, balancing the parts of the painting. He also made sure to use colors of the same tone, so that not a single detail on the canvas would stand out in the general composition of the painting. Therefore, his painting looks finished and well developed and at the same time retains a fresh observation. This is how the paintings ‘Strawberries’ (1910), ‘Cucumbers’ (1917), ‘Poppies’ (1925), ‘Dandelions’ (1930), ‘Flowers’ (1940) were created.
On these canvases, full of sun, air, and greenery, was conveyed the life-affirming principle, for holding onto which Fedot Sychkov was called ‘the painter of joy’. In his paintings, one can feel his sincere love for life: for the working peasants on the field, for bright summer colors, for juicy berries and a warm wind.
The Sychkovs enjoyed gardening a lot. They grew their crops and bought the food they did not grow from their neighbors. The artist’s wife made pickled vegetables and fruit according to the recipes of her mother Evdokia Ankudinova — with them she regaled guests who came to their house. Their acquaintances from other cities, as well as family friends and the artist’ models from Kochelayevo, were always treated to delicious tomatoes, cucumbers and pumpkins.
