Leonid Solomatkin

Born 1837 in Sudzha, in what is now Kursk Oblast; buried June 6 (18), 1883, in St. Petersburg. Russian painter.

Solomatkin studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture from 1855 to 1860 and at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts from 1861 to 1866. He worked in St. Petersburg. Solomatkin was especially influenced by works by minor Dutch painters, which he studied at the Hermitage, and by V. G. Perov and the genre painters of the 1850’s.

Often creating several versions of the same painting, Solomatkin mainly depicted the life of the urban lower classes and existence in a decadent artistic milieu. His works are noted for closeness to real life and the grotesque depiction of characters typical of lubki (popular prints). They feature bold lines and warm, intense coloring reminiscent of folk art. Notable examples are Name Day of the D’iachok (1862), which depicts a name-day celebration for a minor church official, and The Wedding (1872), both of which are housed in the Tret’iakov Gallery.