Henpecked husband and hundred rubles for a wife. How was the family life of famous artists?

A lot of artists would hardly be able to create at the proper level, if they did not have a life partner who inspired them and helped them to cope with life's difficulties. We will talk about the love story of several famous artists in this article.

Victor Vasnetsov. Portrait of Arkhip Kuindzhi.

In 1863, Arkhip Kuindzhi met Vera Ketcherdzhi, the daughter of a Greek merchant. She was thirteen years younger, had an excellent education, knew French like her native language, and even translated scientific articles written by Dmitri Mendeleev. When Kuindzhi first saw Vera, he immediately wanted to paint her portrait, and soon true love flared up between them.

Arkhip Kuindzhi. Night

True, her father, Eleutherius Ketcherdzhi, was categorically against his daughter's marriage to a budding, poor artist. But Vera was a stubborn girl and said: "If you don't give me your blessing for the marriage, I'll go to a monastery." Eleutherius had to agree, but he set a condition: Kuindzhi had to pay 100 rubles in gold as proof of his solvency.

Arkhip Kuindzhi. Autumn thaw

Kuindzhi did not have that kind of money, and he went to the capital to earn money. Only after 3 years did Kuindzhi collect the required amount, but Eleuthery asked for even more. As a result, Kuindzhi and Vera were able to marry only nine years later in 1875. Then Kuindzhi managed to successfully sell two of his paintings to Tretyakov for a decent sum of 1,500 rubles, which prompted the unyielding Eleuthery to give permission for the marriage.

Arkhip Kuindzhi. Moonlit Night on the Dnieper

The couple lived quite secluded, and rarely interacted with anyone. Vera, although she came from a wealthy family, cooked, cleaned, washed and washed dishes herself, without bothering to hire a servant. Kuindzhi later became rich by selling land plots, but spent almost all the money on charity. A line of all sorts of beggars formed to see him, and Kuindzhi never refused any of them.

Arkhip Kuindzhi. On the island of Valaam

And his love for birds was the talk of all of St. Petersburg, often in a mocking and derisive tone. Even Vera told her husband: "One day they will come to you in the middle of the night and say: trouble, Arkhip Ivanovich, a crow is freezing, you need to save it. You will rush to help, and you will immediately be tied up and sent to the yellow house."

Arkhip Kuindzhi. Elbrus. Moonlit Night

Kuindzhi made a will according to which the bulk of his fortune went to charity, and Vera received only a small pension. Perhaps he loved all people too much and sincerely tried to help them with all his might: "it is not right when someone is in need, and someone has too much money." But this idealistic approach eventually played a cruel joke on his wife. Ten years after Kuindzhi's death, during the Civil War, Vera died of hunger, because she did not have the money to buy food that had become incredibly expensive.

Arkhip Kuindzhi. Forgotten Village

Artist Pyotr Konchalovsky was married to Vasily Surikov's daughter Olga Surikova. He first saw her at the age of 16, when he came to Surikov for one of his lessons. But Surikov kept a close eye on his daughter and tried not to introduce her to his numerous students. But 10 years later, everything was different, Surikov himself was sincerely glad to marry the girl, who was already considered overripe, "to a good young man from a noble family."

Pyotr Konchalovsky. Family Portrait (Sienese)

The couple had a tender and touching relationship, but Konchalovsky accepted the role of a henpecked husband. Olga became his main critic: if she was not satisfied with a painting, Konchalovsky would destroy it without the slightest regret. "Shouldn't I burn this painting, my dear?" Konchalovsky asked. Olga would evaluate it meticulously and say: "Burn it." Pyotr also loved to paint still lifes with bouquets that his wife collected.

Pyotr Konchalovsky. Lilacs in a Basket (Heroic)

Konchalovsky could be harsh with other people, since he had a wild temperament, but at home with Olga he walked as quiet as a mouse and obeyed her in everything without question. Olga also showed her despotic nature in raising her children. Their day was strictly regulated, and in their free time, instead of playing, they had to read various moralizing books. “We won’t do that” was her favorite phrase, which Konchalovsky often heard.

A. N. Tolstoy visiting the artist

Olga greeted the revolution enthusiastically and made her husband and children feel the same way. "We had wonderful musical gatherings when our friends came to visit us, including the pianists Igumnov, Borovsky and Orlov. We all gathered around the piano, played music that warmed our hearts, and forgot about the cold, firewood, expensive food and other household troubles."

Pyotr Konchalovsky. Portrait of Olga Konchalovskaya.

Gradually, they saved up enough money to buy a dacha in the Moscow region, where they spent the summer. Konchalovsky preferred to paint what interested him, and even dared to refuse to work on a portrait of Stalin. "I am a supporter of realistic art and cannot paint from a photograph." But the authorities still appreciated his talent, and Konchalovsky received the Stalin Prize and the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1943. Pyotr almost died before he reached 80, and two years later Olga died.

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