Vladimir
Kuzmich Turbasov

He was born in Pskov. His parents were immigrants from a peasant community: the birthplace of the mother was the village bol'shoye Zagor'ye, grandfather was the landlord and the coachman was a serf.

The vocation of the artist was defined in the early years, when the boy began to draw portraits of family members and copy icons. The first professional skills have been obtained from the artist by P. M. Koreneva, a graduate of the Academy of arts, who was teaching a class in Urban drawing-technical school, located in pogankiny Palaty, where he was the only teacher. Of successful completion of classes indicates confidently done from life "portrait of a coachman" (1912) which now, like many other works "Pskov" period, in the collection of the Pskov Museum-reserve.

In 1913 the young man was accepted into the school of drawing Society for the encouragement of arts in Petrograd, where he taught outstanding Russian artists N. To. Roerich, A. A. Rylov, And I. Bilibin. Preserved drawings of 1914 do not belong to the number of educational works. Made during the holidays, for themselves, they were born of the experiences of life of his native province. Despite neprosojnosti, sketchy planned poses, turns of figures, it is unclear designated person in each picture is viewed by a living human character: that's hard sleep boy, ready at any moment to jump on the master shout ("Sexual boy in the tavern"); here are two intimate friend, dreaming beyond the book ("reading"); here's to the pain of a shy teenage girl ("portrait of a girl-a peasant woman")... among the best drawings of this time - "Sister sleep", in a bold diagonal composition which is successfully used as pure line and coal pencil, and smudge it in the shadows. Two sleeping chubby, snub-nosed girl of complete rest, mental and physical health.

Belong to that period landscapes in oil painting, written in the vicinity of Pskov during the summer vacation of 1914: "Sunny day", "sun", "the Graveyard jungle". Done quickly, almost cursorily, they nevertheless accurately convey the state of nature.

At the end of the school Society for the encouragement of arts Turbasov was drafted into the army. The October revolution and the civil war, he was met at the front without parting with a pencil and soldiers in the trenches, as evidenced by preserved drawings. Among them "portrait of a soldier" and "Portrait of a peasant woman", depicting the dignified images of ordinary Russian people.

Fulfilling creative activities Turbasov began in 1919, on his return to his native Pskov. The life of a quiet provincial town in those years, much livelier. Around art-industrial school and the Pskov Museum has gathered art lovers, creative young people, keen on the idea of creating a new culture. Turbasov involved in deployed in this environment exhibition activities. In 1920, together with other people of Pskov, he participates in "the Exhibition of paintings of Russian artists", where he exhibited the works of famous masters - Boris Grigoriev, A. Benois, K. Somov, M. Chagall. Several are shown in this exhibition of works Turbasov preserved one: "the Girl under the veil". According to the author, it was made in 1919 in the Pskov drama theater, where he worked as a painter. A light veil on the face accidentally looking at the "decorative shed" girls gave her femininity a special appeal and mystique. Turbasov immediately asked a stranger to pose for a bit and taking a broad brush, in one color, made from nature a portrait of her.

Spirituality of images are allocated in the same 1919 Italian pencil on yellow and pink cardboard "Portrait of the artist Daibera" and "Portrait of unknown". Thin grid of intersecting lines envelops the face of air haze, zaglubljajut them in paper space, filling a special human warmth.

Work on the chamber lyrical portrait of Turbasov continued in subsequent years. The composition and colour of each of them is dictated by the characteristics of nature. Extraordinary appearance of the model often attracts the artist perceived them as a reflection of the equally distinctive character. Examples of this are made in the 1820-ies and captured Pskov "portrait of a teacher N.. Kursovoy" and "portrait of the pianist graduated from the" "Portrait Bogushevskaya".

In the Pskov period, which lasted until 1929, creatively active nature Turbasov revealed in different aspects. Working as a set decorator in the people's house them. Pushkin, he was engaged in the advertising, manufacture and restoration of theatrical props and stagecraft, which he had more than a dozen.

Another area of his work - agitation and mass art. He made and painted the banner of the Pskov guard company (1920), created for various institutions in the city (and Home of the red Army) a variety of panels, booths, posters propaganda content. The idea of one of these works, "the Socialist competition to accelerate the construction of socialism," the artist explained in the following way: "the So-called "wheel" there is nothing like a stylized gauges... Each of the three workers, by clicking on their arms, gives energy to the plants..."

Since 1929 Turbasov lived in Leningrad. Here he joined the Association of artists of revolutionary Russia, and then to the Union of artists and participated in many exhibitions. However, the city of his youth never forgot. Not coincidentally, his solo exhibition, summing up a long life in art took place first in Pskov (1977), and only later, in the year of the 90th anniversary of the artist in Leningrad (1985). The best of his works - and those were landscapes, portraits and campaign sketches of the Pskov period - found its place in the collections of two museums: the Pskov Museum-reserve and the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

(author - N.Saltan, Sterkh 2001).