Artist of the week. Vladislav Izmailovich Matveyevich. 1872-1959
ARTinvestment.RU   27 августа 2019

Before court portraitist, after the princes and king's Ministers, he wrote one of the first "canonical" portraits had just come to power Lenin, and later became the author of a risky portrait of the performance c the images of the Emperor and the leader of the Bolsheviks

Izmailovich was born in the family of an official of the Ministry of the Imperial court. Mother was a sister to the successful architect. Excellent success in painting and drawing, Central school of technical drawing of Baron A. L. Stieglitz, numerous awards for academic work, critical acclaim, the approval of a pensioner's trip to Europe, study at the Academy of St. Luke in Rome — everything presaged a successful career on the picturesque field. So at first, and evolved.

In tsarist Russia Vladislav Izmailovich salon became a fashionable portraitist. His clients were high-ranking officials, members of the Imperial family, Ministers, prominent representatives of the merchant class. One time he even served as a court painter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich — President of the Academy of arts and uncle of Nicholas II. He was known to the General public. However, no longer portraits, and works on biblical, mythological and exotic Oriental scenes. Corny songs inspired by trips to Italy, publishers gladly printed on the postcards. The artist has exhibited as a member of associations "Society of Russian watercolors", "the Association of artists" and others.

However, the Bolsheviks, the role of a radical change was not necessary. Portraits demand at any power. There is a perception that Vladislav Izmailovich was the first who had the opportunity to write from life of Vladimir Lenin in the Smolny. But it turns out it's not. Famous pastel portrait of the leader of proletariat (it is now in the memorial Museum "Smolny"), the artist actually wrote, not from nature, but from photos of Moses Nappelbaum. In the future it similar on a good photo made a few more replicable portraits of the head of the CPC. But one of them should tell apart.

In 2010-х years the restorers did a gigantic portrait of Lenin, which is nearly 100 years hung in Leningrad school number 206. Its author — Vladislav Izmailovich — worked for many years in her teacher, and of pre-revolutionary times, when this school was Peter's commercial school, founded by the merchants. When conservators examined the torn portrait, he saw that turnover smeared why-то easily removable water-soluble black paint. Washed away, and there — surprise. On the reverse side izmailovskogo Lenin was discovered a formal portrait of Emperor Nicholas II painter IlyaGalkin. The one that before the revolution, was decorated with a hall Petrovsky College. Izmailovich was not to wash it off, and Vice versa, artfully preserved. Why — is unknown. Maybe didn't want to spoil the work of his friend (Galkin together they designed the interiors in the mansion of the merchants Eliseev). Or what-то other reasons. But one thing is certain: he accidentally say or do the letter denouncing him — artist just didn't faint. Worse, Izmailovich still combined figures historical antagonists: the head of Lenin written at the same level as the head of Nicholas II. Probably he did, not to give your trick to through the fresh Lenin did not tread the treacherous circuit shot the enemy. Not sure whether there is a deliberate Fronde. But in the end came out terrible, right mystical performance — infernal "Yin-янь": almost a century the Emperor along with his killer spent close, on a single canvas. And this torture for them-прежнему not finished. Restored "double portrait" has become a popular Museum attraction. In particular, in 2017, he was an ornament the exhibition in the Hermitage dedicated to the 100-летию Revolution.

After the Revolution, Izmailovich portraits of Stalin, Dzerzhinsky, Lunacharsky, Kirov, later — portraits of leaders, heroes of the Soviet Union, commanders and statesmen. In the mid 1930-х in his work returned and genre paintings — "Tatars Burned Moscow in the XV century" (1935), "the Arrival of Lenin and meet with the sailors at the Finland station in Petrograd on 3 April 1917" (1936), "Mikoyan fishermen-колхозников in Teriberka. Barents sea" (1939) and others. Izmailovich have spent many years teaching, working in schools and institutions. 23-й school of Leningrad his disciple (say very talented) was the future famous artist Arkady Raikin. Later satirist via-доброму responded about his teacher: "...in his paintings Izmailovich maintained a relatively conservative, old-fashioned attitudes (he would not want to leave the nineteenth century), but in our classes, are affected. His ideal was the accuracy. Precision without any admixture of tastiness".

Vladislav Izmailovich lived a long life. He went on 87-м year of life in 1959-м. His last solo exhibitions were held in the late 1940-х. Under the Soviet regime, he exhibited very little. And at the end of life and all was forgotten. His archive — with photos, letters and graphic works — new tenants demolished in what-то shed as unnecessary. Fortunately, major artist's works by the time for a long time already were in the leading museums of the country — in Russian, Tretyakov gallery, etc.

Today the works of Vladislav Izmailovich rare to find at auctions. And outstanding work on trading yet and does not appear. The current auction record was set at Bukowskis in 2004. Not a portrait, and a large pastel, "Mushrooms" at the time, was sold for $6 000. Price guide for the most popular women's small portraits and genre paintings (usually it is a color chart) of approximately $1 000-3 000. Reserve price "Mephistopheles", which is on display now for the Auction AI, is entirely in the market. The thing intriguing and special. Quality and energy-it is without a doubt favorably with most previously available at auctions of paintings of the Izmailovich. Take a look.

Vladimir Bogdanov, AI

Sources: artinvestment.ru, blog.trud.ru, pan.bg, books.google.de