Born in Yelets 25 Dec 1867 (6 January 1868).
He studied at the Moscow school of painting, sculpture and architecture (1882-89) by I. M. Pryanishnikov, V. Polenov and in St. Petersburg Academy of arts (1889-90). Member of the Moscow Association of artists (1893), LHR (1922). Taught in a private school of painting and drawing in Moscow (1892-1917) and the Academy of arts in Leningrad (1937-1940). Students: B. N. V. N. Yakovlev, P. M. Shukhmin. Wrote genre paintings in the spirit of the late Wanderers (mostly in the 1890s), landscapes, portraits. The most significant portraits of Soviet times (S. M. Budyonny, 1927, Kalinin, 1937 - both in the Tretyakov gallery), characterized by observation and veracity characteristics. Awarded the order of Labor red banner and medals. Father and teacher of the landscape artist Vasily Meshkov (1893-1963). Died November 26, 1946
People's artist of the RSFSR (1943). He studied at the Moscow School of painting, sculpture and architecture (1882-89), where under the direction of E. S. Sorokin, I. M. Pryanishnikov and V. D. Polenov especially formed his realistic art. From 1891 Bags joined the Wanderers. He wrote mostly portraits, with great skill passing individual psychological traits of the person, revealing its social character ("Self", 1884, portraits of A. S. Perfilieva, 1889, old woman, 1897, F. I. Chaliapin, 1907, surgeon P. I. Postnikov, 1911, etc.). Portraits Meshkov different sharp and precise drawing, expressive modeling of the face. Many of them are done in sanguine, the wonderful wizard of which were Sacks. At the same time the Bags appeared as a genre painter ("Dentistry", 1891, "Evening Serenade", 1893, "Blind artist", 1898, and mn. etc.) and the author is marked by subtle observation of landscapes ("Freezes", 1898, etc.). 1917 begins a new rise of art Meshkov; it is filled with new content. Bags takes a series of portraits (p. P. Chistyakova, L. V. Sobinov, 1917), wrote sketches for the painting "Lenin's Funeral". In 1922 the Bags came in AHRR. With attention Bags working on portraits of the leaders of the Communist party. He writes with great inner strength portraits of S. M. Budyonny and V. R. Menzhinsky (both 1927). In the early 1930s, working on the portraits of Stalin, Dzerzhinsky, Voroshilov. Deep honesty and warmth are the portraits of M. I. Kalinin (1929) and his mother M. V. Kalinina (1930). In 1924 the Bags he painted a portrait of Clara Zetkin, and in the 1930s created portraits of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Bags are often treated to images of Soviet culture (portraits of V. I. Kachalov and I. Moskvin, both 1932), workers, red army soldiers. In recent years, worked on the landscape. An important role in the history of Soviet art Meshkov played as a talented teacher. Bags was awarded the order of red banner of Labor and medals.
Literature
Vasily Nikitich Meshkov. Introd. article V. Yakovlev, M., 1951.
Yakovlev V. Vasily Nikitich Meshkov. People's artist of the RSFSR, 1867-1946, M., 1952.