Leht, Friedrich Karlovich

Born in 1887 in Dorpat in the family of the tradesman Karl Leht, the family soon moved to St. Petersburg. Since childhood, he showed a penchant for drawing. In 1902 he graduated from the Central School of Technical Drawing of Baron A. L. Stieglitz , in 1906 - the drawing school of the Imperial Society for the Promotion of Arts (with a small silver medal), in 1907 - the 12th St. Petersburg Gymnasium. In 1909-1914 he studied at the sculptural department of the Higher Art School at the Imperial Academy of Arts , after graduation he received an artist’s diploma with the right to enter the public service and teaching in educational institutions ^{[1] [2] [3]} .

In World War I, he worked as a draftsman, then as a manager at an aircraft factory. During the February Revolution, he was the commissar of the Kolomyazhsky District of Petrograd . He took part in the October Revolution , in 1919 joined the Communist Party , enlisted as a volunteer in the Red Army . In 1919-1921 he participated in the Civil War ^{[1] [2]} .

Since 1921 he lived in Moscow , worked in the department of fine arts of the People's Commissariat of Education in leadership positions: head of the section of fine arts of the Moscow Department of Education and the Commission for the Control of the Export of Art and Antiquities Abroad. In 1922 he became one of the founders of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia (AHRR), taught at the Central Art Courses of the Association ^{[4] [2]} .

In the 1920s, he was the director of the theaters K. S. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, one of the initiators of the creation of the musical theater Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko ; in 1927-1932 he worked as deputy director of the State Tretyakov Gallery . In 1932 he joined the Moscow Union of Artists . Since 1933 he headed the exhibition department of the All- Artist , was a member of the jury of the competition for the construction of the Palace of Soviets . I went on creative business trips around the country (the construction of the Bereznikovsky Chemical Plant , Ivanovo State District Power Plant , the Moscow-Donbass highway, etc.). Performed sculptural work related to the design of Moscow streets and city objects ^{[4] [2] [5]} .

During World War II, he was evacuated in the Kyrgyz SSR , held the post of head of the arts department of the Issyk-Kul region ^[5] .

After the war, he was engaged in pedagogical work, taught and held the post of dean of the painting faculty at the Moscow State Art Institute named after V.I. Surikov . In 1949 he moved to Estonia , lived and worked in Tartu . In 1949-1959 he was the director of the State Art Institute of the Estonian SSR, taught the theory of perspective , made presentations at scientific conferences. In 1951 he received the status of professor. He was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Estonian SSR, was awarded two orders of the Red Banner of Labor and medals ^{[6] [2] [7]} .

He died in Tartu in 1961. The ashes are buried at the Moscow Vagankovsky cemetery ^[8] .

Sculpture and monumental decorative painting

The graduation work of F. Leht, performed in 1914 at the Higher Art School of Painting at the Imperial Academy of Arts , was the sculpture "The Abduction of the Sabine Woman". In the Soviet period, the themes of his sculptural works were associated with revolutionary subjects and figures. In the 1920s, the artist took part in the implementation of the Leninist plan of monumental propaganda on the streets of Moscow. In 1922, he performed a large-scale statue of a worker , installed on Red Square on the fifth anniversary of the October Revolution and was there until 1924 (it was dismantled during the construction of the Lenin Mausoleum on the square).

In 1926, Leht's work won the competition for grave monument projects to N.E. Bauman , the monument was erected at the Vagankovsky cemetery . In 1932, fountains at the Moscow Hippodrome ^{[8] [6] [2] were} designed by the sculptor.

In the late 1930s, Leht performed the sculptural design of the portal above the stage of the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall , three panels and a ceiling painting for the pavilion of the Moscow Region at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (together with V. F. Bordichenko and B. V. Pokrovsky ) panel for the Northern River Station , etc. ^{[8] [6] [2]}

In the early 1940s, he made sketches of mosaic panels for the Stalin Plant plant (together with V. F. Bordichenko and B. V. Pokrovsky) and sculptures for the Izmailovskaya station of the Moscow metro ^{[8] [6] [2] [9]} .

Easel Painting and Graphics

The bulk of Leht's paintings and graphic works is devoted to industrial objects and landscapes and reflects the history of the construction of the era of the first Soviet five-year plans . Leht was among the first artists in the early 1930s on the instructions of the Main Art School who went on creative business trips for the construction of industrial facilities. His first business trip, which researchers call “the most fruitful,” was the construction of the Berezniki Chemical Plant , which the artist visited in 1930, 1931 and 1932. In Berezniki, Leht created more than 100 paintings, sketches and drawings that formed a series of paintings depicting the various stages of the construction of the plant, industrial buildings, portraits of builders, etc. ^{[6] [8] [2]}

Most of the works in the series are graphic sheets, according to art historians, characterized by “clear, dynamic, fast-moving lines”, which correspond to the style of signatures: each sheet is dated, the names of the works are “straight and capacious, like the lines of the drawing” (eg, “ Internal view of the gas generator. Control platform. Installation is completed "). Researchers note the predominance of “linear-graphic, rational beginnings” in Leht’s artistic language, the reportage nature of his works, the detail and elaboration of the drawing, the artist’s enthusiasm for the theme of the industrial landscape, and not a formal, emotional approach to the work ^{[8] [6]} .

The expressiveness of industrial architecture, the peculiar beauty of industrial forms fascinated the author, and even the predominant linear-graphic, rational beginning in the artistic language did not prevent Leht from filling the works with lyrics, emotional experience ^[6] .

The main canvas, made in oil technology, the researchers called "View of the current part of the Berezniki chemical plant" ^[8] .

Blue, lead and brown-red smooth strokes of the artist give rise to realistic images and at the same time, they feel the echoes of impressionism. The same handwriting is presented in watercolor “Glisser at the mouth of the Vishera River”, “Soda Plant” ... ^[8]

Eight works of the series were used to illustrate an article on the Berezniki Chemical Plant in the Ural Soviet Encyclopedia (1933) ^{[6] [10]} .

In the mid-1950s, Leht again turned to the topic of his first creative business trip, visiting Berezniki on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the soda plant and creating a series of watercolor works “Industrial Berezniki” (1956-1958), executed in a style stylistically close to early works ^{[6 ]} .

Like the works of the 30s, they are filled with indefatigable creation, but unlike the early extremely dynamic and, to some extent, design, late watercolors carry the soft light of a peaceful happy time ^[8] .

In addition to the Bereznikovsky Combine, Leht captured the construction of the Ivanovo State District Power Station , the Moscow-Donbass highway and other industrial facilities ^[5] .

Since 1909, Leht participated in art exhibitions. In 1917, his works were exhibited at the exhibition of the Community of Artists , in 1918 - at the Spring Exhibitions at the Academy of Arts , in 1919 - at the first state free exhibition of works of art in Petrograd . In 1929 he participated in the first traveling exhibition of paintings and graphics, in 1930 - in the expositions of works of revolutionary and Soviet themes and the exhibition "Socialist construction in the visual arts", in 1931 - in the "reporting" exhibitions on the results of creative business trips of artists to industrial and collective farms construction projects of the USSR ^[5] .

In the 1930s, he took part in Soviet anniversary exhibitions - “XV years of the Red Army” (Moscow, 1933), “Artists of the RSFSR for XV years” ( Leningrad - Moscow , 1932-1934). In 1929, Leht's works were presented at the USSR art and craft exhibition in New York , and in 1932 - at the exhibition of Soviet art in Königsberg ^[5] .

In 1931 and 1935 Leht's personal exhibitions (together with B. F. Rybchenkov) were held in Moscow, in the 1950s - in Estonia ^[5] .

The works of F.K. Leht are in the State Tretyakov Gallery , the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia , the Central Museum of the Armed Forces , historical and art museums of Perm , Yekaterinburg , Bereznikov , Serpukhov , Kyrgyzstan , Estonia and others. ^{[1] [8] [2 ] ] [11] [12]}

• Berezniki-Khimstroy in the works of the artist F.K. Leht / F.K. Leht. - M .: All- artist , 1931 .-- 38 p. - 1000 copies. (inaccessible link)
• Artist, painter and sculptor Friedrich Karlovich Leht : catalog / F.K. Leht. - M .: All-artist, 1933 .-- 7 p.
• Exhibition of works by artists F. K. Leht and B. F. Rybchenkov : [catalog] / F. K. Leht. - M .: All-artist: Red printer, 1933. - 10 p. : 15 l ill. - 1000 copies.
• Bereznikovsky chemical plant / rice. F. Lehta // Ural Soviet Encyclopedia . - Sverdlovsk; M .: Publishing House of the Uraloblispolcom, 1933. - T. 1. - L. 327—328 , 331-332-1 , 331-332-2 , 331-332-3 , 331-332-4 . - 30,500 copies.
• Khmelnitsky S. Postman of the revolution / S. Khmelnitsky; silt F. Lehta. - M .: Publishing house of children's lit., 1935. - 86 p.

• Aksyonova A. Reporter of the Soviet construction // Metallurgist: newspaper. - 2012. - Issue. May 18th . - No. 18 (3706) . - S. 8 .
• Shmatenok T. D. Friedrich Leht // Catalog of the art exhibition "Vanguard City". Berezniki, March 23 - May 31, 2013 / T. D. Shmatenok; Bereznikovsky Museum of History and Art I.F. Konovalova; Perm State Art Gallery. - Berezniki, 2013. - S. 4-5.
• Bernstein B. M. Theory of perspective construction of the shadow of the ball // Old Well: Book of Memories / B. M. Bernstein. - SPb. : Publishing House. N. Novikova, 2007 .-- ISBN 978-5-87991-075-9 .

• Leht Friedrich Karlovich (neopr.) . Maslovka. Date of treatment March 2, 2018.
• Estonian artist Leht Friedrich (Friedrich-Voldemar) Karlovich (neopr.) . Socialist Realism. Date of treatment March 2, 2018.
• Friedrich Leht (est.) . Estonian Museum of Art . Date of treatment March 3, 2018.