The portrait of the historian-ethnographer, publicist, and author of popular historical novels, Daniil Mordovtsev was created by Boris Kustodiev in 1901. This year was significant for Mordovtsev: his first complete works in 50 volumes were published.
The painting belongs to the cabinet portrait genre: Kustodiev depicted the writer in his customary setting — in a comfortable chair and next to bookshelves. In order to capture his first impression of Mordovtsev on his canvas, he created the portrait in the etude manner — in wide and liberal brush strokes.
The composition of the painting is deliberately simple: a gray-haired old man sits in a deep chair and bows his head, deep in thought. Kustodiev conveyed the personality of his hero with the help of several details: the characteristic pose and the thoughtful look, as well as with the interior, which here serves as an extension of the inner world of scientist Mordovtsev.
Art historians consider Boris Kustodiev a master of genre painting: he created bright and colorful canvases about funfairs, folk festivities with troikas (three-horse team harnessed abreast) and balagans (show-booths), village and merchant life. However, he was also a prominent graphic artist and sculptor. Furthermore, he created illustrations for books and stage decorations.
Kustodiev became famous as a portrait painter. His portraits were noticed and highly praised by artist Ilya Repin. In 1901, as he worked on his large-scale canvas ‘Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May, 1901’, he invited Kustodiev to be his assistant. Kustodiev created sketches and made portrait studies for this multi-figure composition.
Repin said:
The painting belongs to the cabinet portrait genre: Kustodiev depicted the writer in his customary setting — in a comfortable chair and next to bookshelves. In order to capture his first impression of Mordovtsev on his canvas, he created the portrait in the etude manner — in wide and liberal brush strokes.
The composition of the painting is deliberately simple: a gray-haired old man sits in a deep chair and bows his head, deep in thought. Kustodiev conveyed the personality of his hero with the help of several details: the characteristic pose and the thoughtful look, as well as with the interior, which here serves as an extension of the inner world of scientist Mordovtsev.
Art historians consider Boris Kustodiev a master of genre painting: he created bright and colorful canvases about funfairs, folk festivities with troikas (three-horse team harnessed abreast) and balagans (show-booths), village and merchant life. However, he was also a prominent graphic artist and sculptor. Furthermore, he created illustrations for books and stage decorations.
Kustodiev became famous as a portrait painter. His portraits were noticed and highly praised by artist Ilya Repin. In 1901, as he worked on his large-scale canvas ‘Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May, 1901’, he invited Kustodiev to be his assistant. Kustodiev created sketches and made portrait studies for this multi-figure composition.
Repin said:
