Russian Art
Pukirev, Vasily (1832–1890)
"The Unequal Marriage. Неравный брак". 1862
Notes: Painter, master of portrait and genre painting. Born to a peasant family. He worked as assistant to an icon painter in Mogilev. From 1847-1858 he studied at the Moscow School for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in the studio of S.K.Zaryanko. In 1855 he was awarded the small silver medal from the Academy of Arts for portraits made from nature, which he submitted to the Academy and received an unclassed art degree in portrait painting. From 1860, "for his respect to art and his knowledge of the arts", he becomes a member of the Academy, from 1863 a Professor of the Academy of Arts. From 1861-1873 he taught at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. V.V.Pukirev is a follower of the naturalistic school of S.K.Zaryanko. He is a typical representative of artists of the 1860s, a master of acute social scenes devoted to the moral aspects of the family and women’s rights in Russia. Having lived through a serious personal drama in the early 1860s, he created a painting entitled (The Unequal Marriage, 1862), which became a standard for critical realism in Russian art. This work aroused wide public resonance. "All Russian society understood this painting and fell in love with it. The Academy was forced to review Pukirev professor’s diploma quickly…", wrote V.V.Stasov. "The Unequal Marriage" was soon purchased by P.M.Tretyakov for his collection. Later the artist mostly worked in genre painting in contemplation of the social and moral aspects in the family. Sometimes the artist addressed agricultural themes and subjects from country life. After 1873 Pukirev’s health forced him to stop teaching. He died in an impoverished financial state. In the obituary written in memory of the artist A.I.Somov wrote that Pukirev left "a shining, though short, trace" of himself.
