Robert
Rafailovich FALK
Born 1886,
Moscow - Died 1958,
Moscow.
Painter, theatre designer.
Lala Falk.
1905. Portrait of
Artist's Cousin.
Oil on canvas, 60.3x41.7 cm. The Tretyakov
Gallery, Moscow.
Winter Cityscape. 1907.
Oil on
canvas, 87x94 cm. Nukus, Art Museum of Karakalpakian Autonomy
Republic.
Lisa in the Sunlight. 1907.
Oil
on canvas.
A Backyard.
1910.
Oil on
canvas, 114x84 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Still Life. 1910.
Oil
on canvas, 85x94 cm. Serpukhov Art Museum.
Portrait of Elizaveta Sergheyevna
Potekhina (Artist's Wife). 1910.
Oil
on canvas. Tiumen Province Picture Gallery.
Lisa in an Armchair.
(Portrait of the Artist's Wife). 1910.
Oil on canvas, 108x80 cm. Private collection,
St.Petersburg.
Double Portrait Against a Street
Background (Family Portrait). 1911.
Oil on
canvas. 120x87.5 cm. Private collection, St.Petersburg.
Steam Ship Embankment. A Cloudy Day. 1911.
Oil on
canvas, 87x106 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Portrait of a Woman.
1910s.
Oil on canvas. Rostov Art Museum.
Ilya Obydensky Church. 1912.
Oil
on canvas, 88x105 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Landscape With a Sail.
1912.
Oil on canvas, 90x116 cm. Saratov Art Museum.
Still Life with a Ficus. 1912.
Oil
on canvas. Yerevan, the Picture Gallery of Armenia.
Moscow Suburbs.
1912.
Oil on
canvas, 88.5x102 cm. Tambov Province Art Gallery.
Still Life. Bottles and a Pitcher.
1912.
Oil
on canvas. Abramtzevo Museum, near Moscow.
Landscape with a Small Bridge.
1912.
Oil on
canvas, 83.2x100.4 cm. Private collection, Moscow.
Owner of a Small House.
1912.
Oil on
canvas, 89x59.5 cm. Private collection, Kiev, Ukraine.
Landscape. Old Ruza.
1913.
Oil on canvas, 87.5x106 cm. Perm Art Gallery.
Old Ruza. 1913.
Oil
on canvas, 104.5x125.5 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
An Old Man.
1913.
Oil on canvas, 112.5x99 cm. The Russian
Museum, St.Petersburg.
Portrait of a Woman in Pink. 1914.
Oil on
canvas, 108x83 cm. The Rostov -Yaroslavl State Museum-Preserve.
Still Life. Bread and a Pitcher. 1914.
Oil
on canvas. Kiev Museum of Russian Art.
Artificial Flowers.
Oil on
canvas. Private collection, St.Petersburg.
Portrait of Unknown.
Oil on canvas, 137x114 cm. The Russian
Museum, St.Petersburg.
Still Life. A Jug and Fruit.
Oil on canvas, 73x73 cm. The Russian Museum,
St.Petersburg.
Crimean Village.
1915.
Oil on canvas, 125x81 cm. The Russian
Museum, St.Petersburg.
Landscape. Crimea.
1915.
Oil on canvas. 78x88 cm. Astrakhan Picture
Gallery.
Crimea. The Lombardy Poplar.
1915.
Oil on canvas. The Russian
Museum, St.Petersburg.
Portrait of Midkhad Refatov (Crimea
Tatar poet). 1915.
Oil
on canvas, 73.7x90.7 cm. Private collection, Moscow.
Self Portrait Against a Window.
1916.
Oil on canvas, 112x96 cm. Saratov Art Museum.
A Backyard in Crimea.
1916.
Oil on
canvas, 71.5x88 cm. Saratov Art Museum.
Sun. Crimea. Cozy.
1916.
Oil
on canvas, 83x105 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Nude. 1916.
Oil
on canvas, 104.5x125.5 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Lady in Red (Elizaveta Sergheyevna
Potekhina). 1918.
Oil on
canvas, 143x98 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Red Furniture. 1920.
Oil
on canvas, 105x123 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Books.
1921.
Oil on canvas, 71x93.5 cm. The Russian
Museum, St.Petersburg.
Nude in an Armchair. 1922.
Oil
on canvas, 131x112 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Woman in a Red Bodice.
1922.
Oil on
canvas, 100x73 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
A Woman with a White Bandage.
1923.
Oil on
canvas, 116x66.3 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Self-Portrait in Yellow.
1924.
Oil on canvas, 100x83 cm. The Russian
Museum, St.Petersburg.
A Dull Day. 1926.
Oil
on canvas, 67x80 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Landscape with a Boat.
1926.
Oil on canvas, 90.8x83 cm. The Art Museum of
Kirghizia, Bishkek.
Portrait of Naryshkina. Paris. 1929.
Oil
on canvas, 99x72 cm. Novosibirsk Picture Gallery.
Oranges in a Basket. 1930s.
Oil
on canvas, 51.5x64 cm. Private collection.
Paris. Canal Saint-Martin. 1930s.
Oil
on canvas, 73.7x90.7 cm. Private collection, Moscow.
Still Life with Long Loaves. 1933.
Oil
on canvas, 63x79 cm. Private collection, London.
Alley.
1933.
Oil on
canvas, 102x80 cm. Collection of Stolichnyi Economy Banc, Moscow.
Still Life with Fish. 1933.
Oil
on canvas, 65x92 cm. Nizhniy Novgorod Art Museum.
Autumn Landscape. Paris. 1933-1934.
Oil on
canvas, 65x81 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
A Construction Area.
1934.
Oil on
canvas, 64.2x92 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
A Bridge in a Paris Suburb (The Bridge
Saint-Clout). 1934.
Oil on
canvas, 69.5x86 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
French Landscape (Landscape in Aix).
1932 (1934?).
Oil on canvas, 72.5x90 cm. The Russian
Museum, St.Petersburg.
An Indian Boy.
1930s.
Oil on canvas, 99x72 cm.
Landscape with Mountains.
1934.
Oil on canvas. The Russian Museum,
St.Petersburg.
Nude.
1934.
Pastel on paper mounted on cardboard,
38x64 cm. The Peterhof Museum-Preserve, near St.Petersburg.
Bathing Huts. Brittany.
1930s.
Gouache
and watercolor on paper, 32.8x45.2 cm. Private collection, Moscow.
A Small House by the Sea. Brittany.
1934. Sketch.
Gouache
and watercolor on paper, 73x62 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
A Brittany Woman (A Fisherman's Wife).
1934-1935.
Oil on
canvas, 92.5x65 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
A Brittany Fisherman.
1935.
Oil on
canvas, 81x85 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Garlic. 1935.
Oil on
canvas, 49.5x61 cm. Private collection, Moscow.
Woman in Blue.
1935.
Oil on
canvas. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
The Bois de Boulogne in Winter.
1930s.
Watercolor
and gouache
on paper, 46.6x37.2 cm. The State Museum of Fine Arts,
Moscow.
A Bridge by an Old Prison.
1936.
Oil on
canvas, 64x80 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Three Trees. Seine Quay, Paris. 1936.
Oil
on canvas, 65x80.7 cm. The Russian
Museum, St.Petersburg.
Paris. Seine. 1936.
Oil
on canvas, 63x80.5 cm. Private collection, Moscow.
In the Paris Environs.
1937.
Gouache
on paper mounted on cardboard, 56.2x39.8 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery,
Moscow.
Stormy Day. 1937.
Oil
on canvas.
A Young
Girl with Braids.
Before 1939.
Gouache on paper mounted on cardboard,
49.8x41.5 cm. The Peterhof Museum-Preserve, near St.Petersburg.
Apple Trees in the Forest.
1939.
Watercolor,
gouache on paper, 31.5x47.9 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Nude.
1940.
Oil on canvas, 90x64 cm. Nukus, Art Museum of
Karakalpakian Autonomy Republic.
Jasmine in a Glass Jar.
1940s.
Watercolor,
gouache, Indian ink, pencil and brush on paper, 62.5x53.8 cm. The
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
At a Square in Samarqand.
1940s.
Oil on
canvas, 61.5x74 cm. Nukus, Art Museum of Karakalpakian Autonomy
Republic.
By the House.
1943.
Oil on
canvas, 65x80 cm. The State Art Museum of East Peoples, Moscow.
The Reghistan (Ancient Mosque in
Samarqand).
1943.
Oil
on canvas.
Rest under the Trees.
1943.
Watercolor,
Indian ink on paper, 48x60 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Against a Background of Siusane.
1940s.
Oil on
canvas, 100x74 cm. Nukus, Art Museum of Karakalpakian Autonomy
Republic.
Still Life.
Watercolor,
30.4x35.4 cm.
Still Life With the Can.
Oil on
canvas, 80x88 cm. Nukus, Art Museum of Karakalpakian Autonomy
Republic.
Woman in a Yellow Blouse.
1944.
Oil on
canvas, 72.5x59.5 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Still Life with an African Sculpture.
1944.
Oil on canvas, 55x44 cm. Collection of
Artist's family.
Double Portrait.
Oil on
canvas, 115x105 cm. Nukus, Art Museum of Karakalpakian Autonomy
Republic.
Wearing a White Shawl.
1947.
Portrait of the Artist's Wife
A.Shchiokin-Krotova, translator and teacher.
Oil on canvas, 79x65 cm. The Russian
Museum, St.Petersburg.
Still Life. Flowers in Tureen.
1951.
Oil
on canvas. Abramtzevo Museum, near Moscow.
Portrait of Alexandr Gabrichevsky. 1952-1953.
Oil
on canvas, 118x109 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Landscape with an Elder.
1954.
Oil on
canvas, 90x70.4 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Khot'kovo. Monastery.
1954. (Moscow district)
Oil on
canvas. Abramtzevo Museum, near Moscow.
Potatoes. 1955.
Oil
on canvas, 69x85 cm. Private collection, Moscow.
Still Life with a Small Red Pot.
1955-1956.
Oil on canvas, 61x79 cm. Saratov Art Museum.
A Fichus Plant. 1956.
Oil
on canvas, 85x65 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Through the Branches. 1957.
Watercolor
and gouache
on paper. Abramtzevo Museum, near Moscow.
Self Portrait in Red Fez. 1957.
Oil
on canvas, 87x60 cm. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Robert Rafailovich Falk was one of the most cultured and widely educated people of his time. He was a highly gifted painter, an accomplished piano player, spoke several languages, was a professor of painting, a lecturer on the theory and the history of art. But his major qualities were his spirituality and unbending moral integrity.
The name of Robert Falk is well known around the world, although was practically never mentioned in Russia, until recently. The artist was completely run down in the 40s and the 50s. During the "struggle against formalism" and " cosmopolitism" (that's what the anti-Semitic campaign was called back then), Falk has never even attempted to humor the authorities in his art. His work was not exhibited for many years, museums and official organizations wouldn't buy them, and he was denied the opportunity to make a living even as a school teacher for drawing. He would have starved, had it not been for his courageous wife, Angelina Vasilievna Schekin-Krotova, and the occasional sale to private collectors.
Look closely at his last self portrait: all the spiritual complexity, all his heroic persecuted life on the move can be read there on the wise face of this old, weary man, who has never surrendered.
Robert Rafailovich Falk was born in1886 in Moscow.
He studied in Moscow at the studio of Yuon and Dudin, also at the Mashkov Private School (1904-1905), and the MUZhVS (Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture) under Serov and Korovin (1905-1912, with interruption).
From 1906 he took part in exhibitions including World of Art, The Golden Fleece, Jack of Diamonds, Izdebsky’s Salons, AKhRR, OMKh.
Personal exhibitions : Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (1924); The Scientists House, Moscow (1927); Zac Gallery, Paris (1929), Gallery Van-Leer, Paris (1937); The Writers House, Moscow (1939); the Central House of Arts Workers, Moscow (1939); exhibition of watercolor and gouache in the Museum of Regional Studies, Samarqand (1943). 1958 - postmortem personal exhibition in MOSKh (Moscow Organization of Soviet Artists).
Falk was a member of the Jack of Diamonds group (1910-1911), of the World of Art group (1917), of the IZO (Fine Art Section of the peoples Commissariat for Education of the Russian Republic, 1918-1921), of the INKhUK (Institute of Artistic Culture, in 1920), of Moscow Painters Society (1925), of the AKhRR (1926-1928).
The artist has married Elizaveta Potekhina (1909), and their son Valery was born in 1916.
In 1910-1911 the artist traveled to Italy.
In 1918-1921 he worked in Moscow Collegian of arts and artistic industry of NARCOMPROS (Peoples Commissariat for Education). Falk designed many of plays for theatres of Moscow, Berlin, Paris, Minsk (1922-1941).
Then he married Kira Alexeyeva, K.Stanislavsky’s daughter (1920-1922). Their daughter, Kirilla Falk (Baranovskaya by marriage) was born in 1921.
Falk served as a professor of painting at the VKhUTEMAS/VKhUTEIN (High State Artistic and Technical Workshops / High State Art Technical Institute) in1918-1928, as the decan of the faculty of painting; during the time of World War II - at the Art College in Samarqand (1941-1942), and at the Moscow Institute of Decorative Art (1945-1952).
From 1928 till 1937, Falk has lived and worked in France. In 1930 he has visited Berlin.
After his return from Paris, the artist once again lived and worked in Moscow. In 1939 he met his last wife, Angelina Shchiokin-Krotova, a linguist, translator and teacher. In the years of the World War II (1941-1943) they have been evacuated to Bashkiria (Sterlibashevo) and later to Samarqand (Central Asia).
In 1943 Valery Falk was killed at the Stalingrad front.
After he has return again to Moscow in 1943, and until 1956, Falk could only design 3 plays for Moscow theatres. He has had no other commissions. He was forgotten. But he has lived and worked on his paintings till the last day of his life.
In October 1958 the artist died in Moscow, at the age of 72.