Konstantin Yuon — Fortune’s Favorite

Konstantin Fyodorovich Yuon (born October 24, 1875 — died April 11, 1958) — an outstanding Russian and Soviet artist of the late 19th-20th centuries. In his work, Konstantin Yuon often turned to village motifs and ancient Russian architecture, painted landscapes permeated with amazing transparent light. The artist’s paintings are done in a realistic style, which he did not change, although he lived in the era of avant-garde. The creative biography of the master was unusually successful: he was lucky enough to find the right path and not lose optimism in a harsh era of change.

Biography

Konstantin Yuon was born on October 24, 1875 in Moscow. He owes his unusual surname to his father, a Swiss by origin. The intelligent family was distinguished by its hospitality and was happy to host numerous relatives. One day, one of the guests at home showed little Kostya how to mix paints, and the boy “fell ill” with drawing. The question of his future profession was resolved unequivocally. In 1892, the young man was accepted to the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, to the course of Nikolai Alekseevich Kasatkin.

Konstantin Yuon studied with such recognized masters as Konstantin Apollonovich Savitsky and Abram Efimovich Arkhipov. He was always distinguished by enviable diligence, worked hard, took part in exhibitions. At one of them, Ilya Efimovich Repin saw the work of the young artist and said: “Merry!” Konstantin Fedorovich was very proud of this all his life.

After completing the course, the young man stayed at the school for another 2 years to work in the workshop of Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov. In the 1890s, he traveled a lot around Europe, but the exotic beauty left the artist indifferent. Nothing could shake his commitment to the dull Central Russian landscape. True, the paintings from the Nocturnes series and the famous Blue Bush became a kind of “tribute” to fashionable trends in art. But, having given it up, Konstantin Fedorovich immediately returned to his favorite panoramic landscapes and the notorious birches. However, later he sometimes still resorted to symbolism.

The end of the 19th century was marked by a triumph – the master’s works were acquired by the Tretyakov Gallery. The painter was torn between the “World of Art” and the Union of Russian Artists, never finally joining either.

Tired of the capital’s hustle and bustle, he went on a tour of Russia. In the village of Ligachevo near Moscow, Konstantin Fedorovich Yuon met his future wife – a simple girl Klavdiya Nikitina. He fell in love with the peasant girl at first sight. Having learned about the impending misalliance, the artist’s father was outraged. But the sweet, kind nature of his daughter-in-law softened his heart. The couple lived in love and harmony for almost 6 decades, and only the death of their 17-year-old son Boris overshadowed their union.

In 1900, the artist opened his own studio, where he taught until the October Revolution of 1917 together with Ivan Osipovich Dudin. Among his students were a whole galaxy of famous personalities: Alexander Vasilyevich Kuprin, Vasily Alekseevich Vatagin, the Vesnin brothers, the architect Nikolai Dzhemsovich Kolli, the sculptor Vera Ignatyevna Mukhina, the ballet historian Yuri Alekseevich Bakhrushin and others.

In 1907, Konstantin Yuon went to Paris, where he worked as a decorator in the theater. Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev commissioned him to design the production of the opera Boris Godunov with the participation of Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin.

After the October Revolution, the artist remained in his homeland. His opinion about the coup that had taken place and its consequences is highly controversial: the painting New Planet, which critics considered “an image of a new world”, was by no means life-affirming and gave the viewer a feeling of a catastrophe of cosmic proportions. But the artist’s people turned out to be alive and real. He did not stop painting churches: the legendary Domes and Swallows were created during the period of the merciless war on religion.

Repressions and poverty safely passed the lucky man. In 1925, he joined the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia. In 1948-1950, Konstantin Fedorovich Yuon worked as the director of the Research Institute of Fine Arts of the Russian Academy of Arts, finding time to work on theatrical scenery and graphics.

Having achieved recognition in his early youth, and being favored by the Soviet authorities, Konstantin Yuon lived a long and happy life. Until his last days, he contributed to the cultural life of the country, wrote a lot and taught at several educational institutions at once. The artist died on April 11, 1958, his grave is located in the 4th section of the Novodevichy Cemetery.