SOFRONOVA Antonina Fedorovna

March 14, 1892 (Droskovo, Orel province) — May 14, 1966 (Moscow)

Painter, graphic artist, book illustrator, teacher

Antonina Sofronova was born to a family of country doctor. In 1902–1909 she studied at the Women’s Commercial College of N. N. Volodkevich in Kiev; graduated with gold medal. In 1908 Sofronova moved to Orel, later in 1910 — to Moscow. In 1910–1913 she studied at the Art School of F. I. Rerberg in Moscow. In 1912 Sofronova took part in the student’s exhibition. In 1911 she was given the certificate of Moscow school district and was conferred the title of a private tutor in different subjects of school curriculum. In 1913–1917 Sofronova studied at the I. I. Mashkov Studio of painting and drawing.

In 1913 Antonina Sofronova participated in the exhibition of the Society of Fine Arts in Orel. In 1914 she exposed her works at the 4th exhibition of the group Bubnovy Valet (“Jack of Diamonds”) in Moscow. In 1917 she became a member of the professional Union of painters in Moscow. She also took part in the exhibitions of the group Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”) in Petrograd and in Moscow. In 1917 she exposed her works at the 23rd exhibition of Moscow Association of Artists in Moscow.

In 1919–1920 Sofronova taught drawing in the schools of Orel and Orel province. In Droskovo she created a series of charcoal sketches on country motives. In 1920–1921 she taught painting and drawing in the State Free Art Studios in Tver, where she met art historian N. M. Tarabukin. In 1920–1922 she drew constructivist abstract graphic compositions.

In 1921 Sofronova moved to Moscow, worked as an art instructor in the Political Administration of Moscow Military District. Since 1922 she drew sketches of the banners for Moscow ProletCult (Proletarian Culture); since 1924 — slogans, propaganda booklets and banners for the Main political and public education Committee (Glavpolitprosvet). In 1923–1927 Sofronova worked as a designer and illustrator in the magazines Krasnaya Niva (“The Red Field”), Ogonek (“Little Fire”), Klub (“Club”). In 1923 she drew illustrations to the fairy tales by H. Ch. Andersen.

In 1925 Sofronova participated in the International exhibition of decorative and industrial art in Paris. In 1924–1926 she drew a series of drawings Types of Moscow streets. In 1927 she worked on illustrations to the novel The Badgers by L. Leonov.

In 1929–1930 Sofronova painted landscapes in Orel. In 1929 she exposed her works at the exhibition of painting and sculpture of the Society of Moscow artists in the pavilion Hexahedron in the Park of Culture and Rest in Moscow. In 1929–1935 she painted city landscapes of Moscow. In 1931 as a member of the group Trinadtsat (“Thirteen”), which members also were the artists T. Mavrina, N. Kuzmin, D. Daran, V. Milashevsky, R. Semashkevich, and B. Rybchenkov, Antonina Sofronova took part in the 3rd exhibition of the group of Moscow State University. In 1932 she exposed her works at the exhibition of the Soviet art in Königsberg and at the traveling exhibition of Moscow painters in Kharkov, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and other cities.

In 1932–1933 Sofronova painted city landscapes in Livny. In 1933 she participated in the exhibition Artists of the RSFSR for 15 years. 1917–1932. Graphics in the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. In 1934–1935 she painted a series of the landscapes, views of the vicinities of Moscow.

In 1935–1937 Sofronova worked on the painting-graphic series Moscow Zoo; she also created illustrations to The Revolt of the Angels by A. France and book cover designs to the works by H. de Balzac for the publishing house Academia. In 1936–1958 Sofronova worked as a retouch artist in the State publishing house of the medical literature (Medgiz). In 1937 she worked on the illustrations to the poem The Spaniards by M. Lermontov.

In 1938 Sofronova made a trip to the Ukraine, in 1939 — to the Caucasus, in Gudauta. During that period she painted landscapes and genre scenes on the theme of the bazaars. In 1939–1941 she painted a series of the portraits The former actresses. In 1941 she drew illustrations to the works of A. Blok. In 1941 she was evacuated together with the family of her daughter to Miass in Chelyabinsk province. In 1942–1943 she lived in Bashkiria, later she returned to Moscow.

In 1945–1946 Sofronova worked on the illustrations to the works by A. Bely and to the story Nevsky prospect by N. V. Gogol. In 1945 she became a member of Moscow Section of the Union of Artists (MOSKh).

In 1947–1950 Sofronova painted landscapes and portraits in the village Dzhunkovka. In 1950–1952 she drew illustrations to The Scarlet Sails and She Who Runs on the Waves by A. Grin. In 1952–1965 Sofronova painted landscapes, portraits, still lifes in Zvenigorod. In 1956 she traveled to Bakhchisaray, where she painted a series of landscapes.

In 1962 the personal exhibition of the artist was held in the Central house of writers in Moscow. In 1965 she drew a series of floristic drawings with Indian ink.

The personal exhibitions of Sofronova were held in 1968 in the Museum-apartment of A. N. Skryabin in Moscow (exhibition of watercolors), in 1975 in the Central House of Artist in Moscow, in 1976 in the Museum-apartment of F. M. Dostoevsky in Leningrad (exhibition of illustrations to the literary works), in 1989 in the Exhibition hall of the Soviet Culture Fund in Moscow, in 1993 in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and in the Museum of Fine Arts in Orel, in 1994 in Tver, in 1995 in the Memorial apartment of A. Bely in Moscow, in 1999 in the gallery Kovcheg (“Ark”) in Moscow.

Antonina Sofronova was influenced of constructivism, French art (postimpressionism, cubism, and fauvism). Works of the artist were characterized by lyricism, spirituality and special expression. Her manner of painting was simple and laconic. Color gamma was based on combination of different nuances of grey, brown and black.

Works by Antonina Sofronova are in many museum and private collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Orel, the Museum-apartment of F. M. Dostoevsky in St. Petersburg and others.