Valerian Fyodorovich Ilyushin takes pride of place among the Kurgan painters. He was a founder of professional art education in the city. Thanks to him such artists as Ivan Lokhmatov, Nikolay Godin, Boris Kolbin, Boris Lapshin and others “grew up”.
Valerian Ilyushin had a remarkable artistic biography. He moved to Kurgan in 1945, and before that his life and work were connected with Adjara and Batumi, where he moved after his graduation from Penza Art College due to his health problems. He used to teach in Batumi for around 40 years and was a director of the main art college. Along with that he painted a lot and participated in exhibitions.
Painting By the Window refers to the early Batumi period in Ilyushin’s art. The artist’s wife Ekaterina Ivanovna Markhevko (Marshevskaya) was depicted there. She frequently posed for him and was not only a model, but also a muse. They first met at work. Ekaterina gave lessons of foreign languages to the children. She came from a noble Polish family where she got a great education and studied a few foreign languages. In 1911 Valerian Ilyushin and Ekaterina Markhevko made an artistic trip around Europe and visited many museums. In Italy Ilyushin managed to take some lessons under the famous painter Paoletti. In Warsaw the painter was introduced to his wife’s family.
This painting was made five years later, in 1916. Back then the family still lived in Batumi. The palette of the portrait with its pearly, blue translucid tones is remarkable. Ilyushin managed to capture the changing nature of light and colour. It’s like the painting is covered with the mist of the falling night, when colours change their primary fullness. The image of a woman looking into the distance only adds the charming mystery to the painting. The influence of impressionists, whose art Ilyushin got to know during his European trip, is obvious in the manner. For impressionist art it was important to capture the moment, always evading and full of life. This is exactly what’s reflected in the painting.
Life wasn’t kind to Ekaterina Ivanovna. They went through many worries with her husband, such as urgent departure from Batumi to Samarkand, to where their seriously ill daughter Lida was evacuated. In Samarkand the family was pulling through till their daughter passed away. Ekaterina Ivanovna couldn’t live through her death and left this world in 1946.
Valedian Ilyushin kept this portrait till his last days as a reminder of the happy days spent together. Nowadays this painting is one of the masterpieces in the collection of the Kurgan Regional Art Museum.
Valerian Ilyushin had a remarkable artistic biography. He moved to Kurgan in 1945, and before that his life and work were connected with Adjara and Batumi, where he moved after his graduation from Penza Art College due to his health problems. He used to teach in Batumi for around 40 years and was a director of the main art college. Along with that he painted a lot and participated in exhibitions.
Painting By the Window refers to the early Batumi period in Ilyushin’s art. The artist’s wife Ekaterina Ivanovna Markhevko (Marshevskaya) was depicted there. She frequently posed for him and was not only a model, but also a muse. They first met at work. Ekaterina gave lessons of foreign languages to the children. She came from a noble Polish family where she got a great education and studied a few foreign languages. In 1911 Valerian Ilyushin and Ekaterina Markhevko made an artistic trip around Europe and visited many museums. In Italy Ilyushin managed to take some lessons under the famous painter Paoletti. In Warsaw the painter was introduced to his wife’s family.
This painting was made five years later, in 1916. Back then the family still lived in Batumi. The palette of the portrait with its pearly, blue translucid tones is remarkable. Ilyushin managed to capture the changing nature of light and colour. It’s like the painting is covered with the mist of the falling night, when colours change their primary fullness. The image of a woman looking into the distance only adds the charming mystery to the painting. The influence of impressionists, whose art Ilyushin got to know during his European trip, is obvious in the manner. For impressionist art it was important to capture the moment, always evading and full of life. This is exactly what’s reflected in the painting.
Life wasn’t kind to Ekaterina Ivanovna. They went through many worries with her husband, such as urgent departure from Batumi to Samarkand, to where their seriously ill daughter Lida was evacuated. In Samarkand the family was pulling through till their daughter passed away. Ekaterina Ivanovna couldn’t live through her death and left this world in 1946.
Valedian Ilyushin kept this portrait till his last days as a reminder of the happy days spent together. Nowadays this painting is one of the masterpieces in the collection of the Kurgan Regional Art Museum.
