Artist of the week: Vyacheslav Pakulin
ARTinvestment.RU   20 февраля 2020

Pakulin — talented Russian artist, one of the founders of the Association "Circle of artists" who wanted to create "epoch style", a brilliant representative of the Leningrad school of painting

Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Pakulin was born in 1901 in Rybinsk, in 1916, came to St. Petersburg on the eve of the February revolution, having got thereby in the rapid whirl of events. Studied a total of nearly a decade (1916 to 1925), first in the Central school of technical drawing of Baron A. L. Stieglitz, A. E. Karev and V. V. Lebedev, then in VKhUTEMAS — prepare, combining education with training courses mastery of stage productions of Vsevolod Meyerhold in Petrograd.

In 1918-1919, he tried his hand as a theater artist (sketches are in the collection St.-Петербургского state Museum of theatrical and musical art). The picture of the "Stable of Pegasus" represents "a noisy, smoky" literary cafe, where he loved to gather the poets and artists. The work is based on collision of sharp rhythms, unexpected twists, perspectives, on the expression of gestures and cubistic forms, it is very dynamic. Hence the sense of theatricality of the action.

Like many artists at the time, Pakulin participated in the design of the celebrations devoted to the October anniversaries.

Beginning of a creative way Pakulin falls at the end of 1910-х, it fits into the context of the visual arts of the time, characterized by the existence of numerous artistic associations. He constantly visited the Museum of artistic culture, was in the thick of things, took part in the exhibition "Overview of the latest trends" (1922). The exhibition includes works whose titles speak for themselves: "the Volume and plane" (1922), "the Formal resolution textures" (1920), "Blue landscape" (early 1920-х).

Pakulin gave tribute to various innovative experiments, including cubism. On the influence of cubism is evident from his early graphics 1923-1924 years. Although it is quite closely connected with real motive, the artist skillfully puts it in the plane, emphasizing the geometric forms of constructivism.

In 1926, the art scene has a Union "Circle of artists", the permanent Chairman of which was Pakulin. The Association consisted of artists A. F. Pakhomov, A. N. Samokhvalov, E. D. Zagoskin, A. I. Rusakov, G. N. Traugott, A. S. Vedernikov, B. E. Kaplyanskii, etc.

Georgy Traugot recalls this time: "Pakulin was a very energetic President, he demanded that the exhibition was all over. He was a very organized person and demanded discipline from the others. One artist said, “I started writing landscape — snow but it had melted on the roof. Will have to wait until next year”. Pakulin furious: “what is the snow? Solve the problem of the white on red"" (Mochalov, L. V. Landscapes Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Pakulin. Leningrad: Khudozhnik RSFSR, 1971).

One of the programmatic works of this period — "Reaper" (1927) — reflects strivings and creative credo of the artist. It is a large canvas (152 × 187) resembles fresco painting. The plastic form is freed from daily life, petty lifelikeness. In this picture, according to A. musakova, "the artist deliberately enhances the dynamics of contrasts, freely shifting spatial plans and the contours of the volumes, finds a plastic equivalent physicallyCSO voltage" (O. musakova. Vladimir Pakulin //Patron and the World, 2009, No. 41-44). A character explains the author's text-манифест on the back of the canvas: "the Symbol of gravity — powerlabour in the s-пластическом perception of nature. The prerequisite to formally-тематическому the pictures — withdrawal of moments of time (household), passive-созерцательных and the introduction points are active, and timeless..."

In 1920-30-е continued to work with theatres, designed the performances of the State theatre of satire ("the Secret calenders", dir. V. Luce), Mobile theatre "Theatre-клуб" ("Wolf night", dir. Yu Jurassic) and 1-й state of the art Studio ("the Marriage of Figaro", dir. G. K. Kryzhitsky; "gadfly", dir. Konstantin Tverskoy; "Sluk and Yau", dir. K. K. Tverskoy).

In 1930-е Pakulin changed his style and his theoretical postulates, he wrote that "need to learn first and foremost from nature". During these years he had been in creative mission in the Donbass, did a lot of drawings, sketches, with incredible meticulousness locking equipment, machinery and production process. Following her trip, the artist executed a number of works on the industrial topic, including "Turbocopy plant "electric power" (1932).

it is Known that Pakulin worked as part of a team of artists on monumental-декоративными panels for the Soviet pavilion at the world exhibition of 1937 in Paris. In 1939 was part of the team Alexander Samokhvalov, who participated in the interior decoration of the pavilion "Cotton" on VSHV.

In the late 1930-х it creates images of young athletes, as if paying tribute to time and the universal love of sports. AI Auction presenting the work of "the Young athlete" (1938);, the athlete appeared before the audience in a state of rest, the image of the front that enhances the interaction with the audience. Static posture maintains internal discipline, unity of command, and the background gives figuratively-эмоциональное filling, underlining the tension of the moment — preparation for the impending struggle.

During the great Patriotic war, the artist remained in the besieged Leningrad. By the time he was 41 years old. In this time the artist deliberately identifies your way — selects the most peaceful genre and is working on a series of landscapes depicting the changing face of the city. Creating these landscapes, Pakulin stood waiting on the street with a sketchbook, not hearing, it seemed, no siren, no exploding shells. For example, in the landscape "At the Admiralty" anything not directly talking about the war. Sparse brush strokes are designated people and a truck, but despite the lack of detail, the artist convincingly conveyed the atmosphere of wartime.

Pikulinski cycle, dedicated to besieged Leningrad holds a special place not only in the artist, but in the landscape genre as a whole. "The familiar streets in a softly diffused light, the pearly haze, and can not see the sun, but light, and the weather was thinking about what-то...", — is landscapes-состояния, where it is fixed soonnot realestic such, but the feeling of her.

In the postwar years Pakulin continues to develop the landscape theme, fixing the favorite motifs of the city streets. In the publications mentioned that in the post-war years of the artist's work has been criticized as "a striking example of formalism in painting." He even had a chance to witness the destruction of their works: on orders over this act was performed by employees of the Art Fund XLP. Undoubtedly, all this contributed to the fact that six years after the end of the war Pakulin did not. He died in 1951, there were no titles, no awards, no proper attention.

To date, the artist re-opened, reinvented, publishes books and catalogs devoted to his talent and bright personality.

Alexei Smirnov