The painting “A Scene in a Carriage” was created by Alexey Trankovsky, a talented and original artist from Smolensk, who worked at the turn of the 20th century, was well known in the past but practically forgotten today. His paintings are on display in various Russian and foreign museums, as well as in private collections. There is no record of him having studied at an art school. What is known is that in 1882 he sent a number of pictures (“A Wedding in the House of a Russian Boyar”, “Torturing for Heresy and Old Believers’ Sign of the Cross in the Olden Days” and “From the Folk Life: a Village Lawyer Writes a Petition in a Tavern”) to the Academy of Arts in order to make a name for himself as a professional and mature painter. The attempt does not appear to have been successful. It is very likely that this could have been due to ideological and political reasons — the artist’s keen interest in Old Believer motifs.
Alexey Ivanovich Trankovsky created mainly genre paintings and works devoted to famous historical subjects. Many of the canvases kept in his family estate near Smolensk were destroyed during the Russian Civil War. Some pictures were taken out to an exhibition in France in 1914 and remained there in private collections for good. The artist’s painting, on display at the Michurinsk Museum of Local Lore, is a genre scene of Russian reality in the early 20th century.
Some art historians regard Trankovsky as a follower of the Wanderers, and indeed the works of the Smolensk painter that have survived to this day were mostly done in a very similar artistic manner. His works from the early 20th century are characterized by a very close attention not only to the subject, but also to detail. This can also be seen in the painting “A Scene in a Carriage”. Many of his picturesque works were once published in various magazines and as illustrations for books. His ability to capture and convey different images and characters, to underline the fleeting emotional state of people through gestures and facial expressions is a typical feature of the artist’s creative style.
Alexey Ivanovich Trankovsky created mainly genre paintings and works devoted to famous historical subjects. Many of the canvases kept in his family estate near Smolensk were destroyed during the Russian Civil War. Some pictures were taken out to an exhibition in France in 1914 and remained there in private collections for good. The artist’s painting, on display at the Michurinsk Museum of Local Lore, is a genre scene of Russian reality in the early 20th century.
Some art historians regard Trankovsky as a follower of the Wanderers, and indeed the works of the Smolensk painter that have survived to this day were mostly done in a very similar artistic manner. His works from the early 20th century are characterized by a very close attention not only to the subject, but also to detail. This can also be seen in the painting “A Scene in a Carriage”. Many of his picturesque works were once published in various magazines and as illustrations for books. His ability to capture and convey different images and characters, to underline the fleeting emotional state of people through gestures and facial expressions is a typical feature of the artist’s creative style.
