The creativity of honored artist of the RSFSR Alexei Ivanovich Penkova multi-faceted, but Central to it is a painting. It was landscape, historical and genre painting, portrait, still life. Among the genres dominated the landscape, because the warehouse of his talent, A. I. Penkov – artist-lyricist and by nature, prone to reflection, who loved and who knew how to observe the subtle changes of nature. Equal position in his creativity into other genres, particularly portraiture, historical genre. He constantly appealed to the chart, and the various techniques and genres. For many years he studied sculpture. A. I. Penkov is the author of several monuments in different cities of Russia and abroad, where at the same time had to be sculptor and architect. In recent years, he enthusiastically engaged in monumental-decorative art.
Alexey Penkov their creativity and birth connected with the Tula earth. He was born in the village Terenina (now Shchekino district of Tula region) into a peasant family. Their first knowledge in art, he was obliged to mother Theodore Yakovlevna, received art education in St. Petersburg, the Stieglitz school (now Higher art-industrial school im. V. I. Mukhina in St. Petersburg).
In 1919 A. I. pen'kov entered vocational art school of the city of Tula and at the same time studied at the free art studios (VKhUTEMAS) under the guidance of P. D. Pokarzhevsky and G. M. Segala. After the reorganization of free art workshops at the art College of A. I. Penkov became a student of this College and graduated in 1924.
From 1924 to 1930 the young artist taught drawing in the schools of the city and was constantly engaged in painting. Unfortunately, the works of those years are not well preserved, some of them died in the war, but those who remained, and painting and graphics, allow us to say that in these years the young artist found his subject in art, his motives, which remained faithful to the end of life. And on the right A. I. Penkov's called the singer of the Tula region. In 30-ies started to develop his painterly style of the artist. Gradually became richer and thinner of his palette, the more picturesque they lay down brush strokes on the canvas, became more confident drawing. One of the best works of the 30-ies can be called a portrait of the artist's son "Slavik" (1936), which is now kept in the Tula Museum of fine arts.
Despite certain progress in painting, A. I. Penkov felt an urgent need to continue their professional education and in the 30 years he developed his skills at the Leningrad Institute of painting, sculpture and architecture at the faculty of painting under the guidance of artists of R. R. Frentz and A. A. Osmerkin. In 1934 A. I. Penkov returned to Tula and began to work creatively. Especially close to him was the theme of the landscape of his native Tula region and genre of the portrait.
The creative life of A. I. Penkov has always been closely connected with the public. In 1935 in Tula with his active participation was created the Association "Vsekohudozhnik" and it became part of his reign. After education in Tula in 1938 inter-regional creative Union, uniting artists from Kaluga and Tula, A. I. Penkov was elected Chairman of the Board of the Tula regional Union of artists. He was full of creative plans, but to implement them failed, as the Great Patriotic war.
In the summer of 1941 A. I. Penkov went to the front. He fought at Stalingrad, Kursk, near Kiev, on the Kalinin and the I-th Baltic front, having risen from soldier to assistant chief of staff engineering troops of the 6th Guards army received for the military services government awards. Becoming a soldier, an artist in the harsh environment found the opportunity for creativity. It is the war never left a sketchbook and a pencil, sketching the just ended battle, portraits of soldiers and commanders, their comrades-in-arms. The grief of friends, fresh mass graves gave rise to the artist the idea of creating a monumental sculptural monuments to the heroes. Designed by the artist and with his participation were constructed monuments of Victory, the monuments to fallen heroes in Nevel', Polotsk, Vainode, Siauliai. In 60-ies Alexey has immortalized the memory of Soviet soldiers who died for the liberation of Tula region from the Nazi invaders in the village of Aleshnya Leninsky district near the Museum-estate of V. D. Polenov in Zaoksky district.
In 1947, after demobilization from the Soviet army A. I. Penkov returned to his native city of Tula and was re-elected Chairman of the Union of artists, whom he had directed until 1958, then for many years was the chief artist of the art Fund. A. I. Penkov, the last heavy and a nice school, acquiring a large experience, actively involved in creative life. His work has been exhibited at regional, zonal, Republican exhibitions. Among them landscapes, portraits, genre pictures, still lifes. Among the works of postwar and subsequent years the following should be noted: "portrait of a noble miner N. With. Davydov" (1947), "the farm foreman Potapov" (1952), "Milkmaid Ushakova from the farm "Pahomova"" (1954), "Tractor P. I. Shurov" (1961), "Portrait of A. A. Sleptsova, hero of Socialist labor, the best Plowman of the country" (1972), which reveal the artistic talent of a psychologist, able to feel and convey with great spiritual tact the complexity of human lives and characters. Along with portraits of working people, his contemporaries A. I. Penkov wrote portraits of the persons included in the history not only of the Tula region, but also Russia for its inventions and discoveries. Among them "Portrait of the designer 3-linear rifle Mosin" (1950), "Portrait of the designer F. V. Tokarev" (1955), "Portrait of the designer of weapons of V. A. Degtyaryov" (1971), "Portrait of A. T. Bolotov, the first Russian scientist, agronomist" (1953).
The big development in the works of A. I. Penkov, since the mid 50-ies of the received genre of landscape. It is noteworthy that his landscapes are distinguished by extreme simplicity and simplicity of motive, but they are written with such poetic feeling, the professional skill that you begin, as it were, fresh attitude to the surrounding nature, to see it as subtle mood. Alexei Ivanovich cannabic attracted, first of all, in nature it is a living, breathing thing. He felt fine and passed her state: "March", "Golden autumn", "Noon", "Winter evening", "Spring in a birch grove" and many others. A whole series of landscapes made A. I. Penkov at Yasnaya Polyana: "Yasna Polyana", "the Road to Yasnaya Polyana," "House of Holly" and others. They are light in mood, sincere, full of kindness, human warmth, and the admiration of genius L. N. Tolstoy.
To the 600th anniversary of the battle of Kulikov A. I. Pankovym was written historical paintings: "Shelf positions", "After the battle on the Kulikovo Field", a triptych "Dmitry Donskoy". Archival documents, historical literature, repeated over many years, a trip to Kulikovo field – all this formed the basis of the works in which the artist with great fidelity to the historical truth, with subtle flair passed the events of the XIV century.
The theme of fortitude and courage, not once have preoccupied the artist reflected in his painting and sculpture, have been heard in the panoramically-diorama art and addressed by A. I. Penkov in the late 70's-early 80-ies. But this is not his first appeal to monumental art, some experience has already been accumulated by the artist. Shortly after the war he was invited to Moscow for registration of the exhibition hall in Bryansk, Kaluga, Ryazan and Tula regions at the all-Union agricultural exhibition and honorably fulfilled this task. 50 years of the A. I. pen'kov developed the layout gala podium for the town square, thumbnails of festive decoration of the main administrative buildings of Tula, and in more recent years the town in this festive days were made out on his sketches.
And here is a completely new kind of art – the diorama. One of the dioramas made for the local history Museum in Odoev Tula region to the 600th anniversary of the city "Odoev the XIV century in the period of the battle of Kulikovo" and the other for Museum of the town of Yasnogorsk, Tula region, "the Release of the station Revyakino Soviet troops in 1941". Both works are closely connected with his previous monumental works to emphasize the heroic in man, and both are characterized by high craftsmanship.
Throughout his life Alexey Penkov gave a lot of strength and energy not only creativity but also social activities. He is always at any moment was ready to help, give good advice to young artists. He possessed a rare capacity for work, was full of creative ideas, and his whole life was dedicated to the service of art.
(source: http://tounb.tula.net)
