Katzman, Evgeny Alexandrovich

He was born on June 26 ( July 8 in a new style) in Kharkov in 1890 in the family of a craftsman. Later, a family with two children moved to Saratov . The elder brother Vladimir entered the Bogolyubovsky Drawing School, created at the Radishchev Museum, and Eugene also chose the path of the artist. During the riots of the First Russian Revolution, he was expelled from school for participating in a strike.

In 1906, he and his brother moved to St. Petersburg and he entered the Drawing School of the Society for the Promotion of Arts (OPH), where he studied for a year with N. K. Roerich and A. I. Shchusev . ^[1] In 1907, Vladimir was arrested and sent to the army, and Eugene was expelled from school for membership in the Marxist circle, becoming a teacher in one of the private art schools that prepared students for admission to the Imperial Academy of Arts . Leading three years of classes in the head class, he studied in a full-scale class.

In 1909, Katsman entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he studied in 1916 with K. A. Korovin and S. V. Malyutin . In 1916 he received the title of artist of the first degree in portraiture.

From 1918, he advanced to public art work (he was a member of the Central Committee of the All-Liberal Union of the first convocation). Together with A. Grigoriev and P. Radimov, he founded the AHRR in March 1922. For a number of years, Katzman was her secretary general. As Katzman wrote in his memoirs, the creation of the Association began with the fact that “a group of realist artists decided to contact the Central Committee of the party and declare that we put ourselves at the disposal of the revolution, and let the Central Committee of the RCP (B.) Indicate to us, artists, how to work". The art of the AHRR, with its simplified documentary, propaganda pathos expressed in an “understandable” realistic form, and subordinating itself to ideological doctrine, received the support of the Soviet government, which recognized the representative of the “revolutionary (“ official ”) art in the AHRR. This, as well as personal contacts of the leaders of the Association with the country's leadership, allowed the AHRR to occupy a monopoly position in the artistic life and influence cultural policy and the formation of an ideological climate, destroy the “left” art and drive its leading representatives out of the art arena under the pretext of combating “formalism” . The organizational and aesthetic principles of the AHRR were reproduced in the unified Soviet art institutes, the leadership of the association and in them retained their leadership position.

From the Declaration of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia: “Our civic duty to mankind is to capture the greatest moment in history in its revolutionary impulse, artfully documented. We will depict today: the life of the Red Army, the life of workers, peasants, revolutionaries and heroes of labor. We will give a real picture of events, and not abstract fabrications that discredit our revolution in the face of the international proletariat ... A revolutionary day, a revolutionary moment is a heroic moment, and we must now reveal our artistic experiences in monumental forms of the style of heroic realism ” ^[2] .

In 1926, he visited the delegation of artists of the Russian painter I. E. Repin in Kuokkale, which moved to Finland in order to convince him to move to the USSR. “The members of the delegation sent to Kuokkala subsequently recalled:“ “They are waiting for you in the USSR,” we said. “Your arrival will be a holiday for the whole country. You will be greeted with honors as my beloved artist.” “No, no, I’m not worth it, "Repin answered." And please release me from the honors. I’d better cry. " ^[3]

He was a participant in exhibitions for the fifth anniversary and decade of the Red Army .

The official portrait painter of the Soviet political elite. In his works he captured the leaders of the Communist Party, workers, writers, scientists, artists. He also depicted a new way of life. Katzman - author of the portraits of F.E. Dzerzhinsky (1923), M.I. Kalinina (1924), E.M. Yaroslavsky (1924), M.V. Frunze (1925), M.S. Olminsky (1927), S.M. Budyonny (1928), K.E. Voroshilov (1933), "V.I. Lenin in the Mausoleum", "Pres. SNK of the USSR V.M. Molotov ”,“ People’s Commissariat for Military Marine, Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR KE Voroshilov "," Deputy. People's Commissar M.N. Tukhachevsky "," Deputy. People's Commissar and before. RVS USSR Ya.B. Gamarnik "," Chief Inspector of the Naval Forces of the Red Army R.A. Muklevich "," Deputy. Pres Gosplan and chief referee of the USSR I.S. Unshlikht ”,“ Women of the Red Army and Socialist Construction ”,“ The commander of the N-th Division L. M. Le Havre ”,“ Comrade Savin ”,“ Comrade Olsky ", as well as portraits of II. Brodsky (1934), A.M. Pankratova (1947), Eismond Rod and others, portraits, paintings - “Walkers by Kalinin” (1927), “Kalyazin Laceworkers” (1928), “Reading the Stalin Constitution” (1939), “Lenin and Children” (1940), "Reading B. Polevoy's book" The Tale of a Real Man "" (1949) and others.

“In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the artist Katzman painted portraits of Stalin and Voroshilov, was kindly paid attention to them and became their trusted person. He was invited to a country cottage where orgies were arranged. There was something like Roman terms where naked Bacchantes brought food and reclined near the nobles, however, there were differences from Rome, showing the northern topography of the action and the Pahan taste of its main organizer: a large walrus phallus hung above the “terma” building. Fedo ovu-Davydov, who, in turn, mentioned this to someone even more deafly. The latter told Where it is necessary. Fedorov-Davydov was sent to Yaroslavl for a while, and Katsman was excommunicated. The mild punishment is explained by the early date of the event and what Katsman told: "Voroshilov scolded me: we trusted you, we brought you closer, and you turned out to be a talker and shit. You neglected the trust! Say thank you, I saved you from the anger of Stalin. But look, if you talk ... "" ^[4]

A somewhat conditional and emphasized linearity, characteristic of the works of Katsman of the 1920s, gave way to a more picturesque manner. His figures are often frontally statuary, in group compositions his gaze is directed somewhere in one direction, towards an object invisible to the viewer. From the sanguine drawing, the artist switched to pastel technique.

July 6, 1933 K.E. Voroshilov brought to the cottage to Stalin the main artists of the Soviet officialdom: Alexander Gerasimov, Isaac Brodsky and Eugene Katsman. Katzman left memories of a meeting with the leader. “By the way, the conversation somehow went about Zionism in art. I said that passion is the same everywhere - sexual. Stalin said:“ Fatsman is right. ”

Personal exhibitions of the artist: 1935, 1947, 1950 In 1947, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the creative activity of Katzman, who was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Arts , a personal exhibition was organized. In 1949, he became a member of the CPSU . In the 1950s and 1960s, the artist continued his work and in honor of the eightieth anniversary of his birth, a large exhibition was organized.

He died on July 31, 1976, was buried in the 40th section of the Vagankovsky cemetery . ^[five]

Wife - Katsman Natalya Mikhailovna (Ur. Rafalovich), sister of Sofia Rafalovich (died in 1925), wife of Kazimir Malevich, and Maria Rafalovich, wife of achrrove artist Dmitry Toporkov (1885-1936). In 1909, Eugene Katzman converted to Christianity to marry Natalia Rafalovich.

Daughters - Marina Evgenievna Katsman and Kira Evgenievna Katzman (1923-1991), married to Kirill Andreevich Rozanov. grandson Peter Kirillovich Rozanov (b. 1948).

The artist's works are in many museums in Russia, in particular in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces , the State Russian Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery .

Katzman's own prose essay - Notes of the Artist. M., 1962. ^[6]

• People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969).
• Corresponding Member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR (1947).
• He was awarded the medal "for valiant labor in the Great Patriotic War", the medal "In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow."

• Gransberg A. , E.A. Katsman, M. - L., 1950.

• Katsman Evgeny Aleksandrovich (1890-1976)
• Katsman Evgeny Aleksandrovich