Figure 1.-- We know nothing about this Russian artist. His name was B. Cepob. We note one portrait of a curly haired little boy in a white outfit, painted in 1901. It is a brilliantly painted image.

We know nothing about this Russian artist. His name was B. Cepob. A reader tells us this is more likely Serov. The artist appears to be Valentin Alexandrovich Serov. His father was the composer Alexander Serov. Valentin was born in 1865. His father died when he was still quite young (1871). Valetin lived with his widowed mother (née Bergman) in Munich (1872-73) While there Valetin took art lessons from the artist K. Kepping. They then moved tp Paris (1874). Valentin would visited Ilya Repin's studio. He became fond of Valentine. Valentine and his mother lived for a while at Abramtsevo which was the estate of the industrialist Savva Mamontov and a noted cultural center (1875). There Valentine was exposed to a rich cultural mileau--artists, musicians and actors. He was educated by notable Russian artists. At a young age Valetine demonstrated impresive drawing kills. He was able to catch the likeness of an individual with speed and confidence. Here he would often compete in friendly facetious drawing competitions at Abramtsevo with older, established artists. Serov when he was 15 years old entered theAcademy of Arts. He studied under Pavel Tchistykov. While he was at the Academy he made a lifelong friend--Vladimir Derviz. He achieved success very early. His first exhibited works "Girl with Peaches" (Vera Mamontova) (1887) and "Girl in the Sunlight" (Portrait of Maria Simonovich) (1888) were greatly admired. The paintings seem stylistically akin to the French Impressionists, but at the time Serov was unfamiliar with them. He did a wnderful portrait of Princess Olga, the daughter of Tsae Alexander III (1893). We note one portrait here of a curly haired little boy in a white outfit, painted in 1901. It is a brilliabtlypainted image. The Cyrilic caption read something like, "Mika Moposob. Noptpet M. M. Moposoba, 1901".

Created: 12:26 AM 9/12/2006
Last updated: 3:18 AM 9/17/2006