Grigory
Mikhailovich Shegal (1889-1956)

Segal Gregory M. (1889-1956) Soviet painter and graphic artist. Corresponding member of the Academy of arts of the USSR since 1954.


In early works were influenced to some extent. Author of paintings on historical-revolutionary and domestic themes. During the war years and the postwar period he painted landscapes, portraits. Corresponding member of the USSR Academy of arts. Born in the city of Kozelsk in Kaluga province, died in Moscow. Early left without a father – a talented and multi-talented self-taught – as a child he was forced to earn his bread. He studied at the Drawing school society for the encouragement of arts (1912-1916), A. A. Rylov and N. To. Roerich Academy of arts (1917-1918) in V. G. Zaleman and I. Bilibin at the VKhUTEMAS in Moscow (1922-1925) from A. V. Shevchenko. Participated in activities of the art Association "Moscow painters", "Society of Moscow artists", the Association of artists of revolutionary Russia (AHRR). Since 1923 he participated in art exhibitions. Participant of the exhibition "Jack of diamonds" (1924), in 1926, he participated in exhibitions AHRR. Solo exhibition was held in 1935.
Spending a lot of time traveling around the country, visiting construction sites the first five years, the artist became one of the founders of the genre of industrial landscape. He had been in Zlatoust and Karabash, Solikamsk and Novokuznetsk, acquainted with the Turksib, through all of Central Asia travelled to the Altai. Performed during these trips the scenery Segal called "essays", although the ideological and artistic value them immeasurably deeper. His works such as "Ural metallurgical plant", numerous landscapes of the Kuznetsk basin and Solikamsk (1929-1934), is the generalized images of the country, confidently walking into the future, living the new rhythms. Signs of new life often appear in genre compositions Segala 1930-ies. Many of them themed social revival before backward national Borderlands of the country, the theme of friendship of the Soviet peoples. Such, for example, the painting "the Way is clear", "Kazakhs-absicht" (1931), "New friend", with multi-figure painting "highland youth for conscription in the red army" (1932). In the 1930-ies he was first drawn to historical-revolutionary theme and creates two paintings, has been gaining popularity. The idea first originated in 1933, during a creative trip to the Urals. The basis of the picture "Shot of prevention of Kolchak in Kizel in 1919" (1933-1934) went to the actual tragic episode of the Civil war. The picture strikes a deep emotion, which the author seeks above all pictorial and plastic solution fabric. The second picture – "the Flight of Kerensky from Gatchina in 1917". She was prepared for the exhibition "XX years of the red army and Navy". The wizard deploys here the viewer is a genuine historical drama, each character is endowed with unique psychological characteristics, from the farcical figures of "Prime Minister" who wears a female dress, to the tragic image of an officer who is just beginning to understand the true meaning of outgoing events. During the war the artist was evacuated to Samarkand. Its great importance in the formation of the painting of the Central Asian republics during the war years. Throughout his creative life the artist is constantly working in the still life and landscape. He never ceased to turn to nature to the last day, worked lovingly and earnestly. On landscapes Segala is easy to see how varied his artistic vision, improved painting skills. Replaced bright, decorative works of the late 1920's, often marked with the influence of my favorite artist masters, came the pre-war Crimean landscapes, built on the transmission of subtle nuances of light and colour relations in nature, created as if to close a merger with her ("the Olive in the morning", 1938; "Silver day. Crimea", 1940). A major role in the evolution of landscape art Segala played impressions of the war years – months spent in the evacuation, visits to ruined the frontal areas. They gave birth in the soul of the artist's special sense of the value of life and natural love for his native land. In numerous landscapes of the postwar years, depicting the delicate nature of the middle band, Segal acts as the successor of the best traditions of Russian democratic art. He taught at the Moscow state art Institute. V. I. Surikov (1937-1941) and in Vgike (1947-1956), Professor (1940). The paintings are in the Tretyakov gallery, the Krasnoyarsk regional art gallery, the Kiev Museum of Russian art, the Tula art Museum, in private collections in Russia and abroad (France, Italy, Germany). Works: the Monograph "Color in painting". M., 1957.