Mikhail Savitsky artist biography

He went through the war, survived fascist captivity and miraculously survived. Already after Savitsky will tell his paintings about all this. Mikhail Andreevich exposed his canvases in many galleries in the world. But I never sold them abroad. Because he was sure: he should stay at home. Patriot to the core, he was the first to awarded the medal of Francis Skorina.

However, awards for a people's artist never had much importance. The main thing is work. It was possible to see the real Savitsky only in a workshop, in which in the fall there was a plate with fresh apples from his native village of Zvenyachi Tolochinsky district. Together with the student of the hero of Belarus, the artist and collector Igor Barkhatkov, we remembered the rules of the composition according to Savitsky, his difficult nature and borrowed at the guitar of 50 rubles.

First, I met Andrei, the son of Mikhail Andreevich. We crossed with him in bookstores. If in my student years I was a book fanatic, then Andrei, who was then 16-17 years old - a real book maniac. Here you could find very interesting books, albums. Andrei Savitsky bought them in dozens. This boy knew all philosophers. Communicating with him, I enriched as a person, he revealed to me Indian philosophy, introduced to Henry Toro, Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Andrei knew huge texts by heart, for hours he could read excerpts from Mahabharata. He later entered our institute. As for me, he did not need to go there. Maybe my father influenced, I don’t know. He should go to the philosophical or historical faculty. After all, before that he practically did not draw. At the Institute of Andrei, they did not like. Like, the famous dad shoved his son on the blat.

What to hide was so. At the institute, we began to intersect more often. The only person with whom one could talk about books, literature, history was Andrei. He was very different from the rest of the students with outstanding intelligence. But he painted a little and probably did not like to do it. Several times Andrei invited to see books to his home. Then I met Savitsky Sr.. Of course, I knew a lot about him.

My dad is an artist, Honored Artist Anton Stefanovich Margatkov. I remember, I went with my father to Russian creative cottages, where the famous artists of the Soviet Union gathered, and they always asked about Savitsky, for the Soviet artistic party he was the number of one. To organize such workshops became when I studied in the last courses. It was not easy to get there, the competition is huge!

At that time, all this was very expensive. Everyone dreamed of getting there. And I decided to submit documents. There were four young people, and we thought that talented. Mikhail Andreevich told us: well, bring your sketches. We bring. And he, without hiding disappointments, in response: this is not interesting, this was already brought more and more ... And he did not like everything.

He later asked us: how many drawings did you draw with a pencil? How many portraits? How much did you write naked nature? Dozens of canvases. And how many paintings were created at the institute in six years? After this issue, we all understood. We practically did not deal with the composition. And with whom then I talk, no matter what artists I meet, no one spoke about the composition like Savitsky.

In Soviet visual arts, he was one of the main composers. What is the composition of Savitsky? First, the artist should give birth to an idea. Universal, powerful, large. Then, in order to realize it, you need to find a plot from life, from a story that will help people understand this idea. And most importantly, a formal construction. What is it? As Savitsky said: you go around the exhibition and look in the distance - grief ...

You still do not see the details, but you already understand what is depicted. That is, with some lines, flowers, spots, the artist must convince the watchman that he wanted to show. So, before starting work, I wore sketches for six months, I shoveled tons of papers ... - It didn’t hurt you? Of course, partly hurt. But, on the other hand, we have never heard this before.

But they wanted to be the best! In no country, artists have never in any country. I traveled all over Europe, I know what I'm talking about. So that, after the institute, artists are provided to workshops and still pay for it. He did not have a pedagogical tact. He was not a teacher in nature, who could find an approach to anyone. He is on his wave. There were cases when I worked on the picture for a long time, and he said: it would not go, remove everything.

Mikhail Andreevich is a harsh man, with a difficult creative fate that passed the war ... He did not try to figure out the student, to find his strengths. Sometimes he chopped. The character is tough, he is always for his truth. He wanted to be better, constantly striving for this. You know, when he participated in art councils, it was tough. People brought pictures to the exhibition, and went in tears.

But the benefits of such lessons were big. He directed all his strength into creativity. He loved his works, like any artist. Maybe even more than your family.Although everything was not easy there. Whenever I came to the workshop, on a weekend or weekday, he always worked. I remember once on December 31 I ran at 8 o’clock in the evening for some kind of thing, and Savitsky stands at the canvas and writes.

He also had unique thinking.

Before the war, he performed in the houses of culture with numbers in which he demonstrated his unique ability to remember hundreds of numbers. His cousin Valentine told me about this. He constantly criticized someone, caused. But at the same time, he was not without humor, he loved to joke. The narrator is magnificent. Only the theme of the family was closed, but we did not climb.

He did not let anyone close. I remember such a story. Returning from the creative workshop, I passed by the Music store. Czech, Bulgarian. The scholarship, of course, spent a long time, there is no money. Where to get it?