Every artist has his own Muse-a person whose image they want to paint in their works again and again. For Aleksei and Sergei Tkachev, Vera Petrovna Paketova was such a Muse — an ordinary rural woman from the village of Novoye Kotchishche in the Vyshnevolotsky district of the Tver region. A series of works is dedicated to her and her family, including one of the first ones, where Vera Paketova is depicted with a one-year-old daughter in her arms. Thanks to this picture, critics nicknamed the woman the rural Madonna.
Till the death of Vera Paketova, Alexei and Sergei Tkachev maintained a friendship with her. They were aware of all the problems and concerns of a large family, because Vera Petrovna gave birth and raised 13 children. Another wedding, seeing off to the army or harvesting, she gathered them all in their house, and the Tkachev brothers were often among the guests. It is not surprising that for several decades they have created a series of works dedicated to this family which can be distinguished by a special rural atmosphere.
This painting is of the same theme. The woman is not much like she used to be thirty years ago, she is old and haggard. Her veined hands were folded across her stomach, elbow resting on a wooden chest of drawers. For the woman posing in front of artists it is a brief rest in the series of everyday affairs, because she is still the keeper of the house. However, now she takes care of her grandson, who is trying to look in the drawer.
On top of the wall there are pictures of numerous children of Vera Paketova, who seem to have become a link between generations. Their change occurred quite imperceptibly and practically did not affect the usual way of life of the woman. The house, the children, the cat, the heated stove and the daily cares — the world of Vera Paketova has not changed, but she herself has become older and wiser.
Sergei and Aleksei Tkachev are brothers-artists from the village of Chugunovka. As children, they attended an art club together at the house of pioneers, but they could not imagine that their life would be associated with painting. Sergei Tkachev managed to finish several courses of the Vitebsk Art School before the war and then went to the front. His younger brother was evacuated and by a happy coincidence was able to continue painting at an art school in Barnaul. After the war, both brothers became students at the Surikov Moscow Art Institute.
The creative tandem of the brothers was formed in 1952 and proved to be very successful. There was even an artistic term ‘Tkachev phenomenon’, which was interpreted as a ‘combination of prose and lyrics’ in painting. ‘The prose writer’ in the tandem was the elder brother, an expert in monumental painting, and ‘lyricist’ — beautiful landscape painter and portraitist Alexei Tkachev. Together they created a series of works dedicated to the family of Vera Petrovna Paketova.
Till the death of Vera Paketova, Alexei and Sergei Tkachev maintained a friendship with her. They were aware of all the problems and concerns of a large family, because Vera Petrovna gave birth and raised 13 children. Another wedding, seeing off to the army or harvesting, she gathered them all in their house, and the Tkachev brothers were often among the guests. It is not surprising that for several decades they have created a series of works dedicated to this family which can be distinguished by a special rural atmosphere.
This painting is of the same theme. The woman is not much like she used to be thirty years ago, she is old and haggard. Her veined hands were folded across her stomach, elbow resting on a wooden chest of drawers. For the woman posing in front of artists it is a brief rest in the series of everyday affairs, because she is still the keeper of the house. However, now she takes care of her grandson, who is trying to look in the drawer.
On top of the wall there are pictures of numerous children of Vera Paketova, who seem to have become a link between generations. Their change occurred quite imperceptibly and practically did not affect the usual way of life of the woman. The house, the children, the cat, the heated stove and the daily cares — the world of Vera Paketova has not changed, but she herself has become older and wiser.
Sergei and Aleksei Tkachev are brothers-artists from the village of Chugunovka. As children, they attended an art club together at the house of pioneers, but they could not imagine that their life would be associated with painting. Sergei Tkachev managed to finish several courses of the Vitebsk Art School before the war and then went to the front. His younger brother was evacuated and by a happy coincidence was able to continue painting at an art school in Barnaul. After the war, both brothers became students at the Surikov Moscow Art Institute.
The creative tandem of the brothers was formed in 1952 and proved to be very successful. There was even an artistic term ‘Tkachev phenomenon’, which was interpreted as a ‘combination of prose and lyrics’ in painting. ‘The prose writer’ in the tandem was the elder brother, an expert in monumental painting, and ‘lyricist’ — beautiful landscape painter and portraitist Alexei Tkachev. Together they created a series of works dedicated to the family of Vera Petrovna Paketova.
