The Mari artist Konstantin Egorov could have a rich creative future if he was born several decades later. But, as you know, times do not choose. His career ended on a takeoff in the tragic 1937.
A young talented artist from the Mari ASSR could create many more unique paintings. But he lived in a difficult time and in 1937 was sentenced to death.
Biography
Konstantin Fedorovich Egorov was born in the village of Ronga, Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. This happened in 1897. The father of the future artist was a teacher and clergyman.
The talent of young talent was discovered in childhood, in 1915 the child was sent to the Irkutsk art studio. He received his higher education in the specialty of the artist at the Art and Technical Institute of the city of Kazan.
When the Civil War began, Yegorov first fought on the side of the whites in Kolchak’s army, but then switched to the Reds.
Career
The artist made a great contribution to the development of the Mari Regional Museum. For this temple of culture, he created six paintings in which he recreated the life of ordinary people of his people.
Egorov has created many other works. He actively participated in the reconstruction of the country's economy, created thematic paintings.
Creation
In one of his paintings, he answered a significant episode that occurred in his native land. He depicted the scene of the meeting of the first steam locomotive. Then he displayed on the canvas a sawmill, an aviation festival.
The talented painter was also an excellent reader. So, he could long recite by heart Yesenin and Pushkin. Konstantin Fedorovich also sang beautifully.
Fateful year
1937 is notorious for being a time of brutal repression. Then they could arrest a man for nothing, and then, having fabricated the charges, they shot him without trial. The talented Mari artist suffered the same fate. The fatal role was played by the fact that his father, Yegor Konstantinovich, was a priest, and the artist himself served in the White Army for some time. The authorities became aware of the latter fact, and in August 1937 a resolution was issued on the arrest of Konstantin Egorov. Two days later, the verdict was read to him and carried out - they shot him.
Without interviewing witnesses, Yegorov was accused of anti-Soviet activity, the artist glorified Finnish culture, and he was credited with communication with the fascists of this country. His contemporary writer Kim Vasin said that when the painter went to be shot, he performed Mephistopheles aria from the opera Faust, which stated that Satan rules the ball.
The verdict of the NKVD troika was carried out in November 1937. Then began the mass destruction of the works of the original painter. According to eyewitnesses, Egorov’s paintings were thrown into a fire and burned. Only miraculously preserved several of his paintings.
