Victor Ivanov in his studio with 'Smokebreak,' Moscow, 2006.
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Victor Ivanov in his studio with 'Smokebreak,' Moscow, 2006.
Victor Ivanovich Ivanov was one of the founders of the Moscow 'Severe Style' of the 1960's along with Tair Salakhov, Geli Korzhev and Petr Ossovski. He stands beside his painting 'Smokebreak' which is from his 'Women of Russia' series, of which the best known is the 'Women Harvesters' in the Tretyakov gallery.
The scene depicts three women and a man relaxing whilst taking a break from harvesting near Ryazan south of Moscow. Victor Ivanov came from Ryazan and spent his summers there in his house in the countryside. He has said he drew his inspiration from the people going about their daily lives in the villages. Ryazan now has a museum devoted to the work of Victor Ivanov.
