Yuri Pavlovich Annenkov (1889-1974) was an artist, theater decorator and writer who wrote under the pseudonym Boris Timiryazev. Annenkov studied painting in Paris, and this determined his fascination with the then newly fashionable cubism and futurism. There he formed his style of painting, skillfully combining traditional academic painting with elements of cubism, which was reflected in his series of portraits of famous people of the time.
Portrait of Anna Akhmatova
Since 1950 Annenkov decided to abandon figurativeness in favor of pure abstraction, and created peculiar collages, gluing on the paintings sections of fabric, and even various wooden parts.
Music
Yuri Annenkov was born in the Kazakh city of Petropavlovsk. His father Pavel Annenkov, who was a member of the organization “People's Will”, was sent there in exile as unreliable. However, in 1894 Paul was able to return with his family to St. Petersburg.
His children he brought up in a progressive way, which sometimes came out to their detriment. Yuri, who shared his father's views, drew several political cartoons, for which he was expelled from the state gymnasium. He had to enter a private one, paying a decent tuition fee. But Annenkov was an able student, and after the gymnasium began to study at the law faculty of St. Petersburg University.
Adam and Eve
However, Annenkov's law was not too fascinating, and then his father bought a summer house, not far from the famous Penates, where Repin lived. Annenkov often went to visit him, and Yuri decided to become a real artist, so that, like Repin, to write paintings that can make viewers think about the existing problems in Russia. After taking a few lessons, he decided to enter the Academy of Arts. He was not accepted, but advised to study in Paris. Annenkov heeded the advice, studied in the workshops of Felix Vallotton, Maurice Denis and the Academy of Grand Chaumiere. Two years later he already exhibited his first paintings at the Salon des Indépendants.
Montparnasse
Then there was a return to St. Petersburg, friendship with the scandalous theater director Evreinov, creating sets for his productions and marrying the ballerina Elena Galpern.
Portrait of the artist's wife - ballerina Annenkova E.B. (Galperina)
In addition, Annenkov drew illustrations for various magazines and joined the “World of Art” society. But in 1917 there was a revolution, which clearly divided the lives of many people in Russia before and after. However, Annenkov accepted the revolution, good shared leftist views, although he came from a fairly well-to-do family. He painted portraits of prominent political figures, including Lenin and Trotsky, and illustrated Blok's famous poem The Twelve.
Illustrations to A. A. Blok's poem “The Twelve”
In 1920, Evreinov organized a large-scale production of “Storming the Winter Palace”, which involved more than 9 thousand people. The scenery for it was created by Annenkov. In the same year, Annenkov published a book “Portraits”, where he depicted in his inherent style of many figures of art and culture.
Portrait of Leon Trotsky
Four years later, together with his wife, he went to Venice to participate in a major international art exhibition. He never returned, although it was a very difficult decision. Annenkov moved to Paris, where he had many old acquaintances and, finally, began to create as he wanted to himself, not as he was required. He worked on illustrations as a book and magazine graphics, created scenery for performances, painted paintings in his own unique manner, not afraid that some “authoritative commission” accused him of formalism and indulging bourgeois tastes.
Lying naked
In the late 1920s, he finally separated from Elena Galpern, who decided to return to Russia, and took Valentina Motyleva, a former Mkhatov actress, as his wife. Many artists and writers from Russia, including Leonid Pasternak, the artist and father of writer Boris Pasternak, Isaac Babel, Alexei Tolstoy and others, often visited his atelier.
Portrait of Valentina Motyleva
On the wave of popularity of cinematography, Annenkov was a set designer for director Georg Pabst's film Drama in Shanghai. During World War II, he designed theater sets in Paris and later took an honorary position with the French Syndicate of Cinematographers. But the work on scenery and costumes did not leave, even was nominated for an Oscar for his work on costumes in the movie “Madame de...”, directed by Max Ophüls. In general, it became one of the main directions of his activity, and later Annenkov wrote a book “Dressing movie stars”.
Yuri Annenkov. Self-portrait
He lived the rest of his life abroad, creating theater sets, costumes for films, paintings, illustrations for books and magazines, but whatever he did, talent and skill were visible immediately, it is no accident that his work was in demand throughout his life. And how many such Annenkovs left Russia and were written up in absentia as traitors. But maybe they just wanted to create without looking back at anything, and it is hard to accuse them of that.
Buy handmade goods or modern art you can on artAlebrio - is an international marketplace for people who want to create, sell, buy and collect unique items and art - buy the best with us artAlebrio.com.
By confirming your order you unconditionally accept these General Conditions of Sale
