Alexander Gerasimov stayed attached to his home and parents throughout his whole life. A lot of his affection went into painting the portrait of his father in 1934. This image of Mikhail Safronovich is quite vivid, showing gray and slightly disheveled hair, rosy cheeks, a coat made of black thick cloth, overworked hands that are typical of a hard-working man who knows his job well, and intelligent, slightly riant eyes.
A large part of the population of the town of Kozlov (now Michurinsk) was constituted by people who were engaged in trade in some way or another. The artist’s parents, who came from serf families, were no exception. His father Mikhail Safronovich tried various activities: he was a tenant of manorial gardens, a horseman, a mealmonger, a fish-and-meat wholesaler, and a successful merchant.
The artist’s parents stood out among other people of serf origin as having a fairly wide worldview. Both of them learned how to read and write on their own. The artist’s father was also quite an empathetic man: he let his son — his right-hand man and heir to the business — go to Moscow to master such a disrespected career as painting.
A large part of the population of the town of Kozlov (now Michurinsk) was constituted by people who were engaged in trade in some way or another. The artist’s parents, who came from serf families, were no exception. His father Mikhail Safronovich tried various activities: he was a tenant of manorial gardens, a horseman, a mealmonger, a fish-and-meat wholesaler, and a successful merchant.
The artist’s parents stood out among other people of serf origin as having a fairly wide worldview. Both of them learned how to read and write on their own. The artist’s father was also quite an empathetic man: he let his son — his right-hand man and heir to the business — go to Moscow to master such a disrespected career as painting.
