Who was Valentin Serov?
Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (1865 – 1911) was a Russian painter, and one of the premier portrait artists of his era.
Serov was born in St. Petersburg, son of the Russian composer Alexander Serov, and his wife Valentina Bergman, a composer of German-Jewish background. In his childhood he studied in Paris and Moscow under Ilya Repin and in the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1880–1885) under Pavel Chistyakov. Serov’s early creativity was sparked by the realistic art of Repin and strict pedagogical system of Chistyakov. Further influences on Serov were the old master paintings he viewed in the museums of Russia and Western Europe, friendships with Mikhail Vrubel and (later) Konstantin Korovin, and the creative atmosphere of the Abramtsevo Colony, to which he was closely connected.
What made Valentin Serov a great artist?
Serov is a wonderful painter of people because, rare amongst portrait painters, he adds both Visual Music & Poetry® to his perfect representational technique. His choice of model, pose, supporting objects, and environment give the viewer an insight into the sitter’s character and life. These paintings are much more than just head studies. In addition to this poetry, there is a strong element of design to most of the pieces. Study his notan design and space division, as well as his use of contrast of saturation. Also study his brushwork and use of texture that gives his work near music.
In the very first official exhibition of Russian Impressionism, which took place in Moscow and organized by the Moscow Society of Lovers of the Arts in December 1888, Valentin Serov won first prize for Girl with Peaches (1887).
Valentin Serov Portrait Paintings
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