Robert Rafailovich Falk (1886-1958) was a Russian artist who worked in the avant-garde and Art Nouveau style. He painted still lifes, landscapes, and portraits, which were characterized by clearly constructed three-dimensional forms and rich colors close to mosaics. His early paintings are often dark, giving an oppressive impression, but full of underlying drama. Later paintings are lighter, more complex in color schemes. But even Cubism in his interpretation seemed lyrical, and did not resemble the chopped off-the-shoulder poster artwork of other Soviet avant-gardists.
Sleeping Gypsy
He somehow always managed to paint not “as it should be”, but on the basis of his understanding of painting. His artwork was characterized by a clearly expressed authorial style, which was a lot of Cézanne's work. But at the same time, Falk's paintings were often criticized, and in Soviet times he was labeled “the most formalist artist”, however, only “court” critics. In this article we will talk about Robert Falk's unusual artwork and his difficult life path.
Self-portrait in fez
Robert was born into the wealthy family of a popular Moscow lawyer, Rafail Falk, who in addition to his business was an excellent chess player and even a champion of Moscow. Robert had to conform - he studied at the school Peter-Paul Schule, where they taught in German. But painting Robert attracted much more than “serious”, according to his father, the sciences, because he was desperate to convince his son to go on a reliable legal path, allowed to engage in his favorite business. Having studied at Yuon and Mashkov Falk entered the Moscow School of Painting, where Serov and Korovin taught.
Summer Day (Palanga)
With such a school, it's not surprising that with such a school, Falk's first artworks were impressionist landscapes that differed little from others. But he quickly found his own unique authorial style, as in the painting “Lisa in the Sun”, where he depicted his wife Elizabeth Potemkin.
Lisa in the sun
By the way, to marry her, he had to give up his faith and baptized - although about his nationality Falk never forgot and after the revolution again began to sign as Robert.
Robert Falk was a prominent member of the avant-garde creative association “Jack of Diamonds”, wrote fashionable in those years, paintings in the style of neoprimitivism and “cubic portraits”. And cubism was not in itself, but as a way to convey the inner state of the hero.
Portrait of M. Refatov
From 1913 Falk traveled extensively in the Crimea and wrote landscapes in the spirit of Cézanne, whose artwork he sincerely admired. After the revolution, he began to work as a teacher, and to him lined up lines of those wishing to “learn from Falk”. His fame spread throughout Moscow, and the artist organized a competition to accept only the most capable to his courses. The new art required a new approach, so aesthetic academicism was Falck outlawed, and instead of nudes, students painted still lifes with potatoes.
Nude. 1915
Gradually Falk began to pay more and more attention to the color component in his paintings, for example, wrote the famous painting “red furniture”, looking at which there is no doubt that it was written, although in the revolutionary, but in a harsh time.
Red furniture
And in 1928, Falk received permission to go to Paris “to study classical art”. But he returned only after 9 years - and the Parisian period of art historians naturally consider the peak of Falk's work. His brush became especially light and airy, as if the very atmosphere of Paris contributed to the awakening of all the hidden talents of the artist.
Foire. Photo. Night Paris
But only among the Parisian bohemia Falk was not his, noisy companies were a burden to him and in the creative parties, he did not participate. Gradually, life in Paris became increasingly difficult, orders were not, and the city was flooded with refugees from Germany. Falk decides to return to his homeland, but not in Moscow, and in the Crimea and Central Asia, where there is not so fierce repressive machine. At first everything was going well - he married Angelina Schekin-Krotova, wrote landscapes and portraits in the modernist and impressionist manner.
Golden wasteland. Samarkand
And after the Second World War Falk was subjected to disgrace, his paintings stopped buying, theaters were forbidden to deal with him. The only thing that helped was friends who bought his paintings to help the artist financially.
Nude. 1916
Now his artwork sells for millions of dollars at world auctions - perhaps we are just too easy to part with our heritage and do not know how to appreciate art in favor of political conjuncture.
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