Nikita Petrovich Fedosov (1939-1992) is revered as one of the most talented Russian Realist painters of the 20th century and was a laureate of the State Prize of Russia. Born into an artistic dynasty, his uncle was the famous painter Yuri Kugach, and he grew up alongside his cousin and fellow artist, Mikhail Kugach. Fedosov's formal training was impeccable; he attended the Moscow Secondary Art School before graduating from the prestigious Moscow State Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov in 1962, where he studied in the workshop of Professor D.K. Mochalsky. This deep immersion in the Moscow School shaped his life's pursuit of capturing the essential truth of the Russian landscape.
He developed a unique and powerful style, using sophisticated glazing techniques to achieve a unique, glowing luminosity in his works. This mastery is evident in the painting "Royal Clouds," where he captures the vast, breathing expanse of the sky, treating the clouds themselves as majestic, sculptural forms full of movement and light. In a different but equally skillful work like "Into Spring," Fedosov demonstrates his sensitivity to the subtle, transitional moments of nature, conveying the quiet, hopeful atmosphere of the changing seasons with a nuanced and authentic palette. His compositions are not just depictions of a place, but deep, emotional statements about the Russian soul.
He worked on this graduation project constantly, sleeping in the studio instead of going home at night. His graduation project critique in June 1962 is still readily remembered at the Surikov Institute: When Fedosov's large canvas "At Dvina" was announced, it was met with much applause. P.D. Pokarzhevskii said of it: "This is a genuine, quality painting of the Russian School. It is painted in such a way that it seems that one could touch every shaving of it. But the most important thing in it is that it shows a true Russian heart. The painting is done in loud, rejoicing colours and, like a song, evokes a feeling of the joy of labour, of confident strength, and of human warmth." Y.P. Kugach later wrote: "His first work, his graduation project, already put Fedosov in league with our best artists. He was able to express everything in this painting, immediately and ably. This is a painting of life and beauty. One could never produce such a painting apathetically; every drop of paint in it emanates love." Fedosov's "At Dvina" received the highest marks of all the works in his graduating class, getting him accepted into the Leningrad Academy of Artists, and the work is held in Surikov Institute's permanent collection.
In the 1970s, Fedosov was instrumental in championing the Russian Realist tradition, co-forming the influential "Exhibit of the Twelve" to showcase work that was falling out of official favor. His reputation grew both at home and abroad, leading to an exhibition in Seoul, Korea, in 1991. Today, his works are held in the permanent collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery and many other museums, including our own gallery. For the collector, owning a painting by Nikita Fedosov is to acquire a work of immense cultural value. It represents the pinnacle of the late Soviet landscape school, created by a State Prize-winning artist whose life was dedicated to his craft.
1998, Socialist Realist Painting, by Matthew Cullerne Brown -p. 353; Oil on Canvas, 1964, 67 x 105 in., Private Collection, "The Construction of a Village on the River Dvina"
