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Peasant Cutting Off a Hunk of Bread. 1820s
Venetsianov Alexei,
Oil on wood
30 х 23,5
State Russian Museum
Annotation
It is possible that it is this painting of Venetsianov that was mentioned in the Annual Reports of the Imperial Academy of Arts for 1828, 1829 and 1830 under the title Old Man with Bread, and that was shown under the same title at the exhibition of the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1830.
Author's Biography
Venetsianov Alexei
Venetsianov, Alexei Gavrilovich
1780, Moscow - 1847, Poddubie (Tver Province)
Founding father of Russian peasant genre painting. Painter, portraitist, etcher, lithographer. Son of a Moscow merchant, educated at private boarding school, worked as a draughtsman. Moved to St Petersburg (1802) and worked as a land surveyor for the crown properties and forestry departments. Studied painting independently, copied works in the Imperial Hermitage and drew pastel portraits. Academician (1811). Resigned from the civil service, moved to the country and painted genre scenes from life (early 1820s). Exhibited at the Imperial Academy of Arts and the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. Had many students, who formed the Venetsianov school in Russian art. Killed in a road accident at the Milyukov estate.