Alexander Levchenkov and Maria Molodykh are a creative and family union of two artists - two individuals with a bright individuality of artistic talent each. Both of them are professional painters, they have undergone serious training from art school to graduate school, receiving the maximum education that modern art education in Russia can provide. However, the path of each artist in art is unique with the uniqueness of human destiny. Alexander, after art school, mastered miniature painting at the Fedoskino Art and Industrial School, and apparently it is from here that his love for details and the material world originates. He then studied at the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture named after I. S. Glazunov, specializing in the portrait workshop of Professor L. S. Khasyanova, where he also pursued graduate studies. For some time he taught, but the desire to completely "immerse" himself in creativity pushed other activities out of his life. Alexander's creative portfolio is so extensive that it is hard to believe that all this variety of large and small formats, different genres and even styles, was created by one, still young man. Perhaps, the portraitist was the first to "speak" in him, and the first significant results were noticed during his years of study at the academy in 2003-2005, when the artist created a series of portraits of artists - masters of Fedoskino folk painting. Since then and to the present day, the portrait genre continues to be the leading genre in the work of Alexander Levchenkov. And not only because in our time, as in the 18th-19th centuries, the portrait is in great demand in the art market as a "product". Rather, it is because people interest Alexander. And this is a rare.The art of portraiture is a gift in the modern selfish world. To write portraits, it is not enough to be able to convey external resemblance to the model. This is successfully done by a camera. It is important to feel the personality of the person being portrayed, to understand the character of the person, to see the best, significant, and to show what was seen to the audience. Alexander skillfully writes portraits: ceremonial and sentimental, in genre scenes or as a sample of salon painting of the early 20th century, in landscape and interior, in the traditions of European and even Japanese culture. Most of his works belong to the variety of genre portraiture, which implies a narrative about a person through the material world around him. The portrait of the famous circus artist and gramophone collector V. I. Deryabkin is at the same time a genre story in which the environment itself tells about the hero, his past and present. In the portrait image of V. G. Zakharchenko - the leader of the Kuban Cossack choir - musical instruments, a stage costume, soft light from a lamp in front of an icon in the corner - are also necessary to characterize the personality of the composer, as well as the piercing gaze, beautiful strong hands of the musician. It is easy to notice that Alexander tends to depict people of creative professions, especially artists or those people who have chosen a complex, significant life role.Private meeting. Portrait of Metropolitan Isidor of Yekaterinodar and Kuban, painted in the interior of the church, presents the viewer with a strong and even stern character of the ruler, a significant person vested with power and burdened with serious concerns. The modest attire contrasts with the splendor of the church environment, all attention is focused on creating an image of spiritual nobility and power. In the portrait of Fyodor Dostoevsky's great-grandson - Dmitry Andreevich Dostoevsky, we see a representative of the Russian intelligentsia with noble gray hair, holding a book in hand. Just by reading his last name, there is an instant "recognition" of a person never seen before, and many nuances "hint" at the character traits and the soul of the descendant of the great Russian writer. In children's portraits, Alexander's ability to show a world of unclouded emotions and bright joy is attractive. Sparkling eyes, special purity and clarity of images, usually presented in moments of play or contemplative dreaming, constitute the main charm of these works. Exquisitely elaborate costumed portraits executed by Alexander using theatrical props are remarkable. This picturesque genre has been known in Russia since the mid-18th century.A: when the person being portrayed is shown in some striking historical or theatrical costume, different from the common clothing of their time. For example, the portrait of Lena Lenin in the image of a noblewoman in a luxurious old-fashioned costume made of heavy precious fabrics, with a pearl headdress and a mirror in her outstretched hand, evokes associations with princesses from Russian fairy tales and at the same time hints at the status of the heroine of the portrait in modern life. A number of portraits in the style of salon painting from the early twentieth century not only demonstrate virtuoso mastery of various painting techniques and styles, but also a deep knowledge of art history, as well as an attentive, meticulous research approach to such "retro" images. For example, the portrait of the flirtatious coquette Anna, with a cigar in her artistically withdrawn hand, the young lady adjusts her hair, drawing attention to her face. The heroine is depicted as feminine and mischievous, in a stunning dress with iridescent silk folds, indicating a good knowledge of the Dutch painting tradition of the seventeenth century with its special attention to the textures of fabrics. In this painting, the artist created the image of a young intellectual with an independent character. Genre scenes from rural life are another facet of Alexander's talent: "Summer in the Village" (1998), "Village Postman" (1997), "9th of May. Harmonist" (2006) and others show the viewer the life of the Russian countryside at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with a gentle humor and great love for the people, whose lives are often devoid of urban conveniences and not at all sophisticated, but the people themselves are beautiful in their human feelings: hopes, joys, sorrows, and memories.The artist in these paintings is far from a critical attitude towards reality and from romanticizing village life. And there is no doubt that a significant part of the characters in these scenes bear a resemblance to real people - our contemporaries. A huge part of Alexander's work consists of portraits, painted as studies for large historical paintings. Many of them are perfect in execution and are independent works of painting. Female images - "Maria Temryukovna" (2009), "Girl with a Candle", "Peasant Woman" and male images - portraits of Kuban Cossacks, ancient Russian warriors are presented by the artist as a concentration of the best human qualities, as the quintessence of the spiritual strength of the people. The sketches are created as preparatory fragments for large historical canvases, which occupy a special place in the work of Alexander Levchenkov. Contemporary artists rarely work in the genre of historical painting. First of all, because it is almost always commissioned work on a given plot, in which there seems to be little room for creative self-expression, but plenty of knowledge, skills, and research are required. That is why still lifes and landscapes have become the most popular genres in modern art. Their small size fits practically any interior, both.The impersonality, without a "tie" to a specific situation or person, allows selling still lifes and landscapes in stores as any other interior decoration items. In the case of a historical painting, everything is more fundamental, more significant: the given plot, often from the past, a multitude of characters, a specific and always recognizable setting impose greater responsibility on the artist and require maximum professionalism. Alexander Levchenkov is one of the few contemporary Russian artists who confidently and competently solves complex compositional and pictorial tasks in historical canvases. This genre in painting is considered one of the most difficult. It reached its peak in Russia in the 19th century in the works of V. I. Surikov, I. E. Repin, and I. N. Kramskoy. In Soviet times, it was not in high demand due to the predominance of historical-revolutionary subjects in art, colored by the evaluative ideology of socialism. Only at the end of the 20th century did interest in the distant historical past of the country reemerge, and the current political situation forces us to build a retrospective for understanding the origins of the vital events of our time. Against this background, historical painting is gaining popularity again. The genre of historical painting does not exist in its pure form. It is impossible to paint a plot from the past without connection to specific historical figures, objects of everyday life, architectural landscapes.either in the historical or interior context. That is why working on a historical canvas requires an artist to not only "immerse" themselves in the fabric of past events, but also to have the ability to depict figures of the era, have a deep knowledge of material culture from different epochs: clothing, utensils, architectural styles, and specific architectural features of buildings at different times. All this is necessary to create an impression of truthfulness in both the depiction of historical characters and in the details of the setting. Here, the skill of Alexander Levchenkov as a portraitist brilliantly complements his attentive approach to objects that fill the space of human life. The study of everyday culture of the era through preserved museum samples, a personal collection of items from different times accumulated in the family of artists, is reflected in a countless number of sketches with objects, fragments of settings, portraits of different people: all of this constitutes a lengthy but necessary process of creating a large historical canvas. Historical painting today, as in the 19th century, is the pinnacle of a painter's skill and professionalism, as it combines all genres of painting. In Alexander's creative portfolio, there are paintings from different periods of Russian history: from the ancient Rus period to the present day. And paintings about contemporary significant events, such as "The Relay of the Olympic Flame in 2014", continue the tradition of Russian historical painting into the 21st century. Maria Molodykh, the partner of Alexander Levchenkov in life, was born into a family of artists and continues the work of the Skorikov dynasty. She admits that her childhood was spent in an artistic environment and constant learning, primarily from her parents. Today she is grateful for that.She remembers the parental "education" and the habit of creative work instilled in her since childhood. Maria is from St. Petersburg, she graduated from the V. A. Serov Art School, and then from the I. E. Repin State Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, where she specialized under the guidance of professors Yu. M. Neprincev and O. A. Yeremyev. The prevailing theme in her work is women, and it is mainly embodied in genre works. In these paintings, the artist's worldview, her understanding of the role of women in life as mothers and homemakers, sympathy for the experiences and emotions of her heroines can be clearly seen. A woman's destiny is manifested from childhood, and the connecting thread of fate passes through all the events of her life: here a girl reads a book to toy listeners ("Fairy Tales for Dolls"), plays hostess, playfully pouring tea ("Doll's Tea Party"), here chatty girls weave wreaths while chatting ("Girls in a Meadow"), a bride in a wedding dress, a young woman with sad eyes trying on jewelry in a neatly cleaned room ("Blue Beads"), a noblewoman in rich attire of the 17th century caresses a cat ("Noblewoman with a Cat"), the joys of motherhood and grown children, an old grandmother having tea by the fireplace ("Old St. Petersburg. My Grandma") - all these age milestones are typical for every woman in any era. These female roles are timeless, they have always existed, and it is good if they continue to do so.In the "Portrait of a Grandmother," the viewer is struck by a poignant, heartbreaking feeling, where beneath the everyday plot one can sense deep resignation and philosophical acceptance of the sunset of human life. Feminine, soft, loving, graceful girls, women, old ladies, are painted with warmth and penetration into the world of women's emotions and feelings, holidays and twists of fate. Some works are portraits, but each female image is both individual and collective, embodying the artist's ideas of the best qualities of a woman: sympathy, love and care, and most importantly – awareness of one's destiny. Particularly exquisite and beautiful in terms of color composition are paintings depicting noblewomen in historical costumes. The passion for adornments, characteristic of the female nature, is presented in Maria Molodykh's works as a natural inclination towards beauty and harmony. The heroines of the paintings "Casket," "New Earrings," "Father's Gift" in bright attire, with joyful faces, exuding health, physical and spiritual purity, themselves look like treasures in rich ornate settings. Young women, admiring their own beauty, are a symbol of the harmony that a woman brings into her life.The feminine characters in Maria Molodykh's work are characterized by festivity, poeticism, and inner integrity. The style of Maria Molodykh's painting is broad, without detailed miniatures, attracting with its freedom and openness. Her landscapes with genre scenes from modern life are marked by poeticism in the depiction of old Russian cities. Paintings such as "A Street in a Provincial Town," "Old Krasnodar. Watermelons," and "On Zarechnaya Street" evoke a bright feeling of a sunny day with sun glints on the buildings of simple architecture, a sense of the significance and usefulness of people's activities, creating a special mood of emotional uplift and unaccountable joy of existence. Alexander Levchenkov and Maria Molodykh are different artists, but family life led them to joint creativity. In the history of art, the work of several people on one piece is not rare. Alexander and Maria sometimes paint some paintings together, each working on their own stage of painting. Their joint work, enriching the style of each, has brought their creative handwriting so close that in some cases it is impossible to tell who exactly the painting is by without a signature. The simultaneous work of artists on the "ballet" theme led to the emergence of a large number of excellent paintings with images of the artists of the Y. N. Grigorovich theater. Maria was the initiator, as she had been drawn to this theme for a long time. The idea developed after the artists, as a family, attended several ballets by Grigorovich in 2015-2016. These performances brought them deep emotional.Maria and Alexander recount that they were literally amazed by everything: the theatrical performance itself, the costumes of the artists, the technical execution of the dances, the beautiful decorations, and, of course, the music all happily came together in that very synthesis of the arts that constitutes the essence of theatrical action. The pleasure and catharsis experienced during the performances pushed the artists to take decisive action - they went to the theater management for negotiations. As a result, conditions were organized for them to get acquainted with the backstage of the theater and the life of the ballet troupe. For a month and a half, Maria and Alexander attended rehearsals and performances, spent a lot of time behind the scenes, delving into the daily life of the artists, absorbing unique visual impressions, and of course, working a lot: they held several painting sessions with each of the artists, painted studies from life. As a result, ten portraits of the artists of Yuri Grigorovich's ballet and many genre paintings were created. Then there was an exhibition "Antre" at the F.A. Kovalenko Museum in Krasnodar, some of the works remained in the Krasnodar Musical Theater, and probably will soon decorate its foyer. Charming portraits of young dancers in modest working costumes, but with the constant white fluffy skirt, as an embodiment of female grace and beauty. Maria Molodykh in her works on the theme of ballet continues the "female theme". Her ballerina heroines are fragile and strong at the same time, tender and aware of their purpose as service to people and art. In these works, there is almost no environment, few surroundings.In his paintings, all the attention of the viewer Maria directs to the persona of the artist, often still a very young being who has recently parted with his childhood. Alexander, due to his male mentality, prefers to depict the external stage life of actors. Theatrical costumes, spectacular poses, bright colors create a sense of celebration. He shows ballet artists in the culmination moments of theatrical action, in moments of maximum revelation of the image of the executed hero. These paintings transport the viewer into a world of strong emotions conveyed through body language, movement, pose, and bright costumes. The regal vizier (E. Lantsuta), the sad Pierrot (A. Akimenko), the mischievous Nikiya in eastern attire (M. Fadeeva), the fiery toreador (E. Lantsuta), the shaggy and eccentric trumpeter (A. Lomakin) - are not just characters of theatrical productions, these are portraits of artists - people who, with the power of their art, transform into a different personality on stage. Alexander Levchenkov and Maria Molodykh are holistic creative personalities who were lucky enough to find their calling early on. They are successful like successful creative people: they set internal goals and achieve them, constantly improving their abilities, they are in search and equal to the great masters of painting of the past and present. The work of these artists continues the realistic line of Russian art, which goes from the Wanderers and famous Russian painters - I.N. Kramskoy, V.I. Surikov.V. D. Polenov and I. E. Repin continue in modern genre plots and portraits of our contemporaries - both people from the provincial countryside and colorful representatives of the creative and spiritual intelligentsia of Russia.
