The artist Porfiry Krylov worked in a variety of genres — from anti-fascist cartoons and political posters to European landscapes and children’s portraits. Krylov was a member of the Kukryniksy artistic group, People’s Artist of the USSR, academician, he received five Stalin Prizes and other state awards. In collaboration with the Kukryniksy, his works were regularly published in the newspaper Pravda (“Truth”) and the magazine Krokodil (“Crocodile”), the artist also created a number of illustrations for the works of Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky and Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin.

Flowers were among the favorite subjects in the art of Porfiry Krylov. His floral still lifes are always exquisite and wonderful and can be combined into a “Painted Poem About Flowers”. Krylov painted many kinds of flowers — luxurious roses, simple-hearted wildflowers, fabulous aquatic and delicate garden flowers.

“Lilac and Three Lemons” is one of the artist’s most famous floral still lifes and the main jewels of the museum’s collection. Krylov painted it at the age of 76, but the picture is filled with the joy of life, the spirit of spring and youthful admiration for the beauty of blooming lilacs. Ripe lemons echo the cheerful mood of the painting and look like bright sunlight.

When looking at Krylov’s still life the lines from the poem “Happiness” by the artist’s friend and poet Samuil Marshak come to mind:

Porfiry Krylov created many paintings of lilacs over the decades. His most famous works are the still life “Lilac in a Jug”, a portrait of his second wife Elena against the background of blooming lilacs called “On an Old Bench”, as well as the postcard he addressed to his fellow countrymen that depicts a girl with a bouquet and a whole basket of lilacs.