Autumn landscape. Cardboard, oil. 52 x 73 cm.

06/16/188.02.1992.Pavel Arkhipovich Shmatikov in Smolensk was born.He lost his parents early.Grow up in a foster family.In 1917, the family moved to Vyazma, where Pavel Arkhipovich studied at an art school.The artist always gratefully recalled his mentor teachers A.I. Depshchi and V.I. Knyazev.In 1923, Shmatikov returned to his native Smolensk.Enthusiasm, creative impulse unites the intelligentsia of the city in the post -revolutionary years.Smolensk artists work in theaters, draw up a city, organize creative societies, art studios & Hellip;Pavel Arkhipovich begins to work as a decorator at the Drama Theater and, as it turned out, & ndash;For a long time: dozens of performances were designed by him.P. A. Shmatikov combined the work in the theater with the creative work of the artist-livingor.In 1926, a branch of AHRR (Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia) was created in Smolensk.According to the memoirs of Pavel Arkhipovich, he was in the youth section of this organization for a year, then he was taken as members of the association, participated at all exhibitions of this association.In 1934, Shmatikov became a member of the new art education & ndash;& laquo; All -artist & raquo;(All-Russian cooperative partnership & laquo; artist & raquo;), one of the tasks of which was to concern about the material situation of its members.After the decision of the Party Central Committee on the liquidation of all artistic organizations and the formation of a single Union of Soviet artists, work began on the creation of the union on the ground.As Shmatikov recalled, in Smolensk this work began in 1937.An initiative group was created, which was involved in this issue.It included: G. I. Skolimovsky, I. Z. Pushkarev, P. A. Shmatikov.In 1939, Smolensk artists were united in the Union of Artists of the USSR.Pavel Arkhipovich was first a candidate, and since 1941 he became a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR.In 1940, the next exhibition of members and candidates of the Union was held in Smolensk.To participate in it, artists-land from Moscow and artists of the cities of the region were invited.The exhibition was successful, as Shmatikov recalled.Artists began to prepare for the exhibition in Moscow.But peaceful life, all plans were violated by the war & Hellip;Pavel Arkhipovich left Smolensk on the night of June 28-29, when the bombing of the city with the Nazis was especially strong.Forever remained in the artist’s memory a huge red glow over the city against the backdrop of the dark sky.He remembered this while evacuating in the Urals with the Smolensk Drama Theater.Returning to Smolensk in the fall of 1944, continuing to work in the theater as a decorator artist, Shmatikov writes from memory a picture & laquo; Fascist barbarism.Smolensk from June 28-29, 1941 & raquo;, which is now represented in the military-historical department of the Smolensk Museum-Reserve.During this period, P. A. Shmatikov creates several paintings dedicated to the liberated Smolensk, including & ndash;The largest (more than 3 meters) on the second anniversary of the liberation of the city & laquo; Smolensk September 25, 1945 & raquo; which has long been exhibited in the foyer of the cinema & laquo; October & raquo;.In 1951, Pavel Arkhipovich, for health reasons, was leaving the service in the theater, but continues to work a lot as an artist-writer.The nature of the Smolensk region, the Baltic states, the Caucasus is captured on its canvases.He creates the cycles of landscapes devoted to places related to the life and activities of our great fellow countrymen & ndash;M.I. Glinka, N. M. Przhevalsky.In 1971, a large retrospective personal exhibition of works by Pavel Arkhipovich Shmatikov, which summed up almost 50 years of creative activity of a talented Smolensk artist, took place in the exhibition hall (on S. T. Konenkova Street).The artist died on February 18, 1992.