In previous publications we wrote about the paintings of Netherlands artist Marius van Dokkum, which painted cheerful and energetic pensioners, ready to enjoy life and catch up on the old age missed earlier for artwork and care of children all sorts of entertainment. In general, one can only envy such pensioners, and the paintings themselves carry a great charge of positive emotions.
Fishing
But is it only abroad there are artists who write in their paintings happy old age, and our painters are ready to create though extremely truthful, but very tragic paintings, looking at which the venerable age is perceived as God's punishment. No, the artist Leonid Baranov has been painting optimistic paintings for 20 years, where the main characters are grandfather and grandmother Ivan and Marya, who live in a very special fairy-tale village, which the artist himself calls “Happiness”.
My world
And also his paintings are imbued with kindness and positive attitude to life. Baranov's old men live as if out of time, in some unique world, where there is no concern about news from Moscow, the current world situation, economic turmoil, and life flows in a measured and unhurried manner, and other basic values, valued by our ancestors from time immemorial, come to the fore.
Everything was and is
Leonid Baranov is a native of the Kurgan region, and as a child he often visited his grandmother in the village of Bobylevo, of which he has the best memories. Leonid graduated from technical school, served in the army, but when he came to the plant, the doctors said that he had a heart defect, heavy physical artwork is contraindicated for him. He had to leave the factory and look for an occupation according to his abilities. At least it turned out that Baranov could draw well. So he entered the Sverdlovsk Art School, and when he graduated, he worked at the local school - teaching children painting and decorator at the movie studio.
Board
However, the pay was not very much, so Baranov began to go every summer to Yalta, where he drew portraits and caricatures of vacationers. The business turned out to be very profitable - for one day he earned 100 rubles - the average monthly salary at the art school. And in winter Baranov, not needing money, lived on the position of a free artist, wrote what he wanted, including his amazing village “Happiness” and its funny old men and old ladies.
By the Black Sea
But the 90's came, rest in Yalta became less, and competition among artists for the attention of vacationers increased many times. Money at Baranov catastrophically lacked, because of which even broke up his family. Had to go to the “panel” - so called the ruin in the central square of Sverdlovsk, where local artists sold their paintings.
The fair
It was there that he sold his first painting on a village theme - a grandmother eating bilge. And it turned out that these artworks are very much in demand, they were different from others, had their own personality, were funny and carried positive emotions, because the appeared “new Russians” paid good money for them - 100 dollars for “cardboard”, that is, painting on fiberboard, and 200 on canvas.
So Baranov began to create these funny and cute paintings, which depict fabulous village old men and old ladies. And they are not bored - riding on sledges, on improvised swings, doing household chores, making and fixing birdhouses.
Spring is coming soon, we need to fix the birdhouses
The style of Baranov's paintings art historians call Russian fairy-tale realism - the artist willingly increases his characters, making them look like Bylinny bogatyrs, even further away from everyday reality.
While the rivers are frozen
His paintings often participated in all kinds of exhibitions, where they are willingly bought - everyone wants to have in the house of such a cheerful canvas, a small piece of simple happiness, where the main thing - not material wealth, but love and good relations between people, the inhabitants of that mythical village “Happiness”.
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