Viktor Popkov

Collection of the artist's family, Moscow
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Vitaly Manin, Popkov, Leningrad, 1989, no. 40, illustrated
Vitaly Manin, Viktor Popkov, Moscow, 1989, illustrated

Viktor Popkov is considered one of the most important Russian artists of the 1960s. His oeuvre might best be described as a meticulous blend of accurate representation and allegorical generalization, and his best known works were created in the so-called 'Severe' style, which developed in the late fifties and early sixties as an extension of Socialist Realism. In the 'Severe' style, artists recorded the true severity of life under Soviet rule by depicting real conditions and real people, and they emphasized their subjects with broad, expressive outlines, similar to those found in Russian icon painting. In his famous "Mezen Widows" series of the late 1960s, Popkov used the 'Severe' style to represent the devastating consequences of World War II on the people of small villages in Northern Russia.

Spring Day in Borovsk is a rare example of the artist's work in the last months of his life, before he was mistakenly shot to death by security guards. The painting exhibits Popkov's characteristic blend of reality and simplification--though generally abstract, the Borovsk skyline is clearly identifiable in the background. In the foreground, the snow has melted and life returns to the Russian landscape. Three women, perhaps widows, stand left of center as they examine the winter's aftermath.