The painting “A River in Ukraine” from the collection of the Ostrogozhsk Museum was created by the artist Efim Efimovich Volkov. This landscape painted during a journey across Ukraine resembles the settlements and villages in Ostrogozhsk and the Ostrogozhsky Uyezd.
Contemporaries rightly described Efim Volkov as the master of a lyrical landscape. The talent of the impressionable and sensitive young man developed rapidly. Born into a poor family of a minor St. Petersburg official, Volkov always enjoyed observing nature in solitude. His road to becoming a painter was complicated due to financial troubles: after graduating from a comprehensive school, Efim had to follow his father’s example and served as a minor official in the fixed taxes and duties department. Still, he persevered on his way to his goal and constantly practiced painting from life. After reaching the required technical proficiency, the talented artist entered the School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts and completed a four-year curriculum in one year. Such brilliant success allowed him to enter the Academy of Arts where the enthusiastic student quickly found like-minded associates.
Volkov’s reputed mentor and inspirational figure was Ivan Shishkin. In 1870, Efim Volkov received the title of an unclassed artist for his landscape “In the Vicinity of St. Petersburg”. He was not a member of the St. Petersburg Artel of Artists, but in 1878, he joined the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions. Efim Volkov depicted the nature of northern and central Russia. He painted small landscapes depicting calm and silent nature. His distinguishing techniques were muted colors in combination with a balanced composition.
Other artists and connoisseurs of art appreciated Volkov for his ability to breathe poetry into the muted beauty of forests and rivers, as well as his calm contemplation. Even the names of paintings reveal their tonality: “Spring in the Forest”, “Meadow Moor”, “At Sunrise”, “A Quiet Day”, and “A Forest Stream”. The ability to observe the minute details of surroundings helped Volkov to become a successful book illustrator.
Contemporaries rightly described Efim Volkov as the master of a lyrical landscape. The talent of the impressionable and sensitive young man developed rapidly. Born into a poor family of a minor St. Petersburg official, Volkov always enjoyed observing nature in solitude. His road to becoming a painter was complicated due to financial troubles: after graduating from a comprehensive school, Efim had to follow his father’s example and served as a minor official in the fixed taxes and duties department. Still, he persevered on his way to his goal and constantly practiced painting from life. After reaching the required technical proficiency, the talented artist entered the School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts and completed a four-year curriculum in one year. Such brilliant success allowed him to enter the Academy of Arts where the enthusiastic student quickly found like-minded associates.
Volkov’s reputed mentor and inspirational figure was Ivan Shishkin. In 1870, Efim Volkov received the title of an unclassed artist for his landscape “In the Vicinity of St. Petersburg”. He was not a member of the St. Petersburg Artel of Artists, but in 1878, he joined the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions. Efim Volkov depicted the nature of northern and central Russia. He painted small landscapes depicting calm and silent nature. His distinguishing techniques were muted colors in combination with a balanced composition.
Other artists and connoisseurs of art appreciated Volkov for his ability to breathe poetry into the muted beauty of forests and rivers, as well as his calm contemplation. Even the names of paintings reveal their tonality: “Spring in the Forest”, “Meadow Moor”, “At Sunrise”, “A Quiet Day”, and “A Forest Stream”. The ability to observe the minute details of surroundings helped Volkov to become a successful book illustrator.
