Valentin Serov (1865-1911)

Serov was often described as brilliant. Just as frequently, he was characterized as stern and reclusive. Friends, family, students, and patrons loved him, but they also feared him. Not because of unfounded outbursts of anger, but due to his rare honesty and endless conscientiousness. Serov could not tolerate vulgarity, falsehood, or sloppy work.

His talent became apparent very early on. He studied painting as a child with I. E. Repin, and later at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, under P. P. Chistyakov. It seemed that everything came easily to him. Unseen was the immense effort of this quiet man. He adhered to the principle: It must be done so skillfully that no trace of labor is visible – a principle he remained true to always and everywhere.

Girl with Peaches, Young Woman Illuminated by Sunlight are works by an artist who was only twenty-three years old.

Serov combined many different aspects in himself. He became a bridge between the Peredvizhniki movement and the younger generation. A portraitist by divine grace, he continued almost two centuries of tradition in Russian portrait painting: Leskov and Chaliapin, Gorky and Ermolova. And at the same time, he created images of perfect harmony with classical antiquity. So who was he – a graphic artist, a painter, a monumentalist? Or perhaps a master of everyday scenes? Serov, the peasant, existed just as much as Serov, the stage designer, creating sets for ballet productions.

The 1911 Worlds Fair in Rome marked his triumph. Exhibitions of his paintings, tours with S. P. Diaghilevs troupe to major cities. Paris and Rome were places he visited almost as often as Moscow or St. Petersburg – this is from his letters from that time. He gained European fame. That same year, he died. He was forty-six years old.