Russian Artists. Valentin Serov

Valentin Alexandrovich Serov

(1865 - 1911)

Biography

Valentin, the son of a composer and a pianist, was born in 1865. His father died, and his mother went to Munich. The six-year-old boy left with his mother’s sister in a small village in the Smolensk Governorate where he demonstrated his painting skills for the first time. Valentin’s teacher was Ilya Repin. Serov entered the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, but he quit, wishing to work in his own style.

The artist considered it important to paint joyful and light subjects to stand out among numerous "heavy" paintings

Serov painted numerous portraits of famous people, including artists, for example, Ilya Repin. The portraitist depicted the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The artist also painted a lot of portraits of the Tsar family members, including Nicholas II himself.

Valentin Serov will paint a portrait of the girl "By the Window," and this girl from the painting 

Serov will become a member of the Academy of Arts and join the association "The World of Arts."

The master could paint a portrait for three months; however, this helped him capture facial features that portrayed the model’s character traits to life. The author considered that painting for a long time was not difficult, but preserving freshness for so many sittings was a true skill.

Once he refused to paint the portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna when she gave the artist some advice on how to improve his painting.

Personalities in portraits by Serov

Serov loved staying in Abramtsevo. It is here that he created the portrait of Vera Mamontova, "Girl with Peaches." Valentin painted the members of the Emperor’s family, including Alexander III and Nicholas II. The portraitist also depicted the upper-class society representatives, such as Zinaida Yusupova, Maria Ermolova, and Ivan Morozov. He painted the artists Isaac Levitan, Konstantin Korovin, the writer Maxim Gorky, the musician Feodor Shaliapin, and the actress Ida Rubinstein.

Where can you see the works by Valentin Serov?

• Most works are exhibited at the State Tretyakov Gallery, where you can see "Girl with Peaches" and Serov’s self-portrait.
• You can see the portrait of Olga Orlova in Moscow and the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.
• The Valentin Serov Memorial Art Museum in the Tver Region keeps the works created in this region.
• The collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan includes two portraits of the artist.
• The National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus exhibits Serov’s painting "Blue Vase with Brushes."

You can see the paintings by Valentin Serov at online museums without leaving home:

Virtual Russian Museum

Valentin Serov Foundation

Facts about Valentin Serov

• Serov was an unsociable and straightforward person, and that is why his friends called him a reat silentiary.
• "My only weapon is a brush and pencil. I do not own another one", told Valentin Serov to Princess Yusupova.
• Valentin’s parents called him Valentosha, Tosha, Tonya, and his close friends called him Anton.
• Serov had a very good memory.
• The commune, where young Valentin lived as a child, was particularly strict. Children wore similar clothes and ate plain food there.
• The famous portrait of Nicholas II actually is the author’s copy of the painting.
• While the artist had a difference with the Tsar’s wife while painting the first portrait, he was sure that his work would not be exhibited and painted a copy for himself.
• Vivid portrait. Once Serov brought the portrait of Nicholas II to his editorial office, "The World of Arts," and put it on the table, covering the edges of the painting. Those entering the room were shocked, thinking that they had seen the Tsar himself.
• The last works by the master are done in graphic and differ essentially from his recognizable portraits.

The article has been prepared using the information from open sources.