A talented painter, author of paintings on historical-revolutionary and domestic themes, a great landscape painter Gregory M. Segal was a man of wide artistic interests, high culture and active life position. Way in professional activities was Segala long and complicated. Reading the biography of the master, unwittingly struck by his hard work, perseverance and determination. The future artist was born in 1889 in the town of Kozelsk. Early left without a father — a talented and multi-talented self-taught — as a child he was forced to earn his bread.
The only consolation for him was the reading awakens in him the instinctive desire to carry on the piece of paper produced in the soul images that are inspired by books and impressions of the surrounding world. Conscious desire to become an artist he appeared a little later, when he worked in the Smolensk apprentice in the engraving workshop.
Spending all of their meager earnings to class with the student teacher, Segal for three years prepared for delivery without attending lectures of examinations for matriculation, and having passed them, moved to St. Petersburg, where in 1912 he entered the Drawing school of the Society for the encouragement of arts. Here he studied with such prominent masters as N. Roerich, A. Rylov. In 1917-1918 Segal a short time engaged in the Academy of arts under G. Zaleman and I. Bilibin and completed his professional education lisch in 1925 at the higher art school, graduating from the workshop of A. Shevchenko and being already a Mature man.
He started his independent career in 1920-ies — the most interesting art of our time, Segal, like many other masters of this generation, stood at the cradle of Soviet artistic culture, along with where you grew up and matured his talent.
Since 1923, Segal began to participate actively in exhibitions. His work, he exhibited with the group "Jack of diamonds", was a member of the "Society of Moscow artists", and since 1926, constantly participated in exhibitions of the Association of artists of revolutionary Russia (AHRR) — unions, aims the main objective of the show today Soviet towns and villages, speaking for the new content in art. Desire to display on the canvas the everyday work of the country, building socialism, capture new heroes has become a major Segala from the first years as an independent artist. However, he never limited his quest by choosing only new themes and images, always in depth and thoughtful working over the picturesque qualities of his work.
While studying at VKhUTEMAS, Segal experienced a genuine shock from the paintings of the Impressionists and Cezanne, have been looking closely at their legacy. Equally strong impression he experienced from the meeting with the art of Rembrandt, Velazquez, Hals, Chardin. The influence of past masters can be seen in many early works Segala. But being strict and demanding of himself he could not settle for ready-made formulas and recipes. His work is a constant search for original and fresh language, the sound of which every year becomes more clearly heard in his works. Solo exhibition of works Segala, held in 1935, allowed to speak of him as a Mature painter, the artist fruitfully worked in various genres.
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 the artist 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," went to the real tragic episode of the civil war. On the realization of his plan, Segal worked for two years gathering material, carefully thinking through composition and dramatic "outline" of the canvas. The film, which received a high rating of M. Nesterov, striking deep emotion, which the author seeks above all pictorial and plastic solution fabric.
"The flight of Kerensky from Gatchina in 1917" — the second picture Segala returning us during the revolutionary years. 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 accomplishing events throughout his creative life the artist is constantly worked in the more intimate genres — still life and landscape.
Special and most are deeply weathered Chehalem theme in his work — nature. He never ceased to refer to it until the last days 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, a sound takes on the theme of homeland. They Segal acts as the successor of the best traditions of Russian democratic art. Creative activity Segala always combined with the teaching practice. He taught at the Moscow state art Institute named after V. I. Surikov, was a Professor of Cinematography. Summarizing your professional experience, Segal published a number of articles on art and the fundamental monograph "Colour in painting" (M., 1957), raising important questions of artistic skills and creative practice. The artist has earned him the recognition of the audience, the appreciation of art lovers. Gregory Segal was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of arts.
