Yuon Konstantin Fedorovich

Russian Russian landscape artist Konstantin Fedorovich Yuon, who combined the traditions of Russian painting with the impressionistic freshness of color and in different eras was able to express both the quiet beauty of ancient cities and the scale of historical changes.

Biography

He was born on October 12 (24), 1875 in Moscow in a German-Swiss family. I started drawing at the age of eight.
He studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1892-1898). Among his teachers were K. A. Savitsky, A. E. Arkhipov, L. O. Pasternak. Later he worked in the workshop of V. A. Serov. He traveled to Europe several times (France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany), where he got acquainted with Western art.
In 1903, he became one of the founders of the Union of Russian Artists. Participated in exhibitions of the Wanderers and the "World of Art".
Since 1907, he worked as a theater artist: he designed productions, including for Diaghilev's "Russian Seasons" in Paris (for example, Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov in 1913). Later he created decorations for the Moscow Art Theater, the Maly Theater and other stages.
After 1917, he remained in Russia. He created a series of watercolors dedicated to the Moscow events of that time. In 1925, he joined the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (AHRR).
During the Great Patriotic War, he remained in Moscow and continued to work.
He died on April 11, 1958 in Moscow, and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Creation

Yuon is primarily known as a master of landscape, both rural and urban. His favorite motives are:

views of ancient Russian cities (Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Uglich, Rostov Veliky, Torzhok);
ancient churches and monasteries (for example, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra inspired the paintings "To Trinity" (1903) and "Trinity Lavra in Winter" (1910));
scenes of folk life, women in traditional outfits.

Characteristic features of the style:

Panoramic point of view — the artist often depicted the city from a height, which created a sense of spaciousness and light.
Bright, rich color scheme.
In his early works, the influence of Impressionism is noticeable, while in general his manner combines lyricism and features of realism, close to the tradition of the Peredvizhniki.

Among the famous works are:

"The March Sun" (1915, Tretyakov Gallery) is a cheerful landscape that conveys the feeling of awakening nature.
"Domes and swallows. Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra" (1921, Tretyakov Gallery) — the cathedral is flooded with sunlight, which emphasizes its architectural power.
The New Planet (1921, Tretyakov Gallery) is a work from the so—called "cosmic" cycle. This is a symbolic and allegorical canvas: it depicts the appearance of an unknown planet. Art historians interpret it in different ways: in Soviet times, they saw in it the "cosmic significance" of the revolution, and in modern criticism there are other interpretations (for example, as a metaphor for a global cataclysm).
"The Parade on Red Square in Moscow on November 7, 1941" (1942, GTG) is a wartime work.
"Morning of Industrial Moscow" (1949, Tretyakov Gallery) is an example of an appeal to the industrial landscape.
Social and educational activities

Yuon did a lot of teaching. In 1900-1917, together with I. O. Dudin, he headed his own school. Among his students are Vera Mukhina, Vladimir Favorsky, Alexander Kuprin, Vasily Vatagin, Nikolai Kolli, Yuri Bakhrushin and others.

He also actively participated in the organizational life of art.:

In 1941, he received a doctorate in art History.
From 1948 to 1950, he was director of the Scientific Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Arts at the USSR Academy of Arts.
From 1952 to 1955, he taught as a professor at the Surikov Moscow Art Institute, as well as at other educational institutions.
Since 1957, he served as the first secretary of the Board of the Union of Artists of the USSR.

Titles and awards

Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1926),
People's Artist of the RSFSR (1945), People's Artist of the USSR (1950).
He was awarded the Stalin Prize of the first degree (1943).
He was awarded the Order of Lenin (1945), two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1943, 1955) and other medals.