A.M.Gerasimov about A.N.Jar-Kravchenko

The Soviet art is new, qualitatively excellent stage in development of world art. Spiritualised by ideas of communism, it in a new fashion displays the validity, мобилизуя people on struggle, on a labour feat. Fighting Marxist-Leninist outlook — here an ideological basis of creativity of the Soviet artists. The problem standing before the artist is very noble — to be the singer of time and convincing language of the fine arts to tell about great causes and fulfilments of the Soviet person building remarkable communistic Tomorrow. And the Soviet artists fairly serve the people.
One of such artists is the honoured worker of arts of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, the winner of the State award Anatoly Nikiforovich Jar-Kravchenko.
The artist since early student's years aspires to serve as the creativity to a huge constructive labour of the Soviet country. Still being the student of the Leningrad Academy of arts, Jar-Kravchenko with the companions leaves on industrial new buildings and in collective farms. Its drawings on pages of "the Leningrad truth», "Change", «the Evening red newspaper» were the present newspaper reportings, operative and actual.
In student's years its friendship with writers begins. He creates N.Tikhonov, K.Fedin, K.Chukovskogo, A.Prokofiev, A.Chapygina, B.Lavreneva's water colour and picturesque portraits, etc. in the Autumn of 1935 Jar-Kravchenko goes to Sochi to Nikolay Ostrovsky. In extremely simple under the composite decision a portrait the artist has displayed inexhaustible vital energy of the most favourite writer of the Soviet youth of Nikolay Ostrovsky. This portrait remained Ostrovsky's made from nature the unique portrait. Interestingly, as in the party-membership card of the writer the photographic reproduction from this portrait is pasted.
As degree work the artist writes a picture «Bitter the Girl and Death» reads the fairy tale «. The central image of a picture — A.M.Gorky — is full of high poetic inspiration.
In premilitary years the artist has executed also a number of other products. It had been created portraits of Heroes of Soviet Union — participants of fights on lake Hasan, a water colour portrait of teacher I.I.Brodsky, a portrait of the honoured artist of republic of George Orlova, the big portrait oil and some graphic portraits of the closest friend and colleague V.I.Lenin Vladimir Dmitrievicha Bonch-Bruevicha.
The artist has conceived to write the big epic cloth to the same time "Writers".
But here war has burst.
Having entered army, A.N.Jar-Kravchenko begins the new, difficult, fighting life full military alarms in flight parts of the Leningrad front. In short rest-hours between fights officer Jar-Kravchenko has created set of drawings, water colours, the sketches telling about immortal feats of war heroes, about severe heroic everyday life of defenders of Leningrad.
Here a portrait of fighter pilot Antonova, the first on the Leningrad front brought down the fascist plane, here and portraits of heroes тарана Zhukov, Zdorovtseva, Haritonova, here and Heroes of Soviet Union A.Sevastyanov, I.Shishkan, N.Svitenko, here and twice Heroes of Soviet Union G.Parshin and A.Pokryshev, here and the drawings which have embodied an immortal feat of Komsomol crew Black, of Gubin, Kosinova. A military series comes to an end with the Berlin sketches.
And as though well officer Jar-Kravchenko was at war, the considerable contribution to business of a victory of the Soviet people over fascism was brought by it as the artist. 540 drawings, 8 front albums, cards, booklets — such is the incomplete list of works of the artist. Direct participation in fighting operations has given to these works freshness, a spontaneity, emotional agitation and a saturation. The album and drawings are a passionate story of the eyewitness, one of bright pages of history of the Great Patriotic War.
Three fighting awards and two medals decorate a breast of the artist-patriot.

After demobilisation from army the artist starts realisation of the old plan — to creation of a portrait cycle of outstanding Soviet writers. In 1947 there was 1st album «Gallery of the Soviet writers» where 55 portraits of representatives of our multinational literature have entered. After issue of 1st album the artist continues work on images of the Soviet writers. In this time by it it is made over 300 portraits of writers. And as a result of almost thirty-year work on "a literary" theme in 1960 the picture «Responsibility on you has been finished!», written And. P.Jar-Kravchenko in commonwealth with the artist And. P.Zarubinym.
The artist has developed in a picture a difficult and noble theme — a meeting of great people of the present. The picture is written in a good realistic manner and testifies to the big talent of Jar-Kravchenko as portraitist.
Anatoly Nikiforovich tells the following about the work on a picture:
— In 1947 I stayed with writer Peter Andreevicha Pavlenko in Yalta where he then veins, and painted its portrait. Once to Pavlenko have come having a rest at that time in Yalta Margarita Aliger and Savva Golovanevsky. The friendly chat during which time Peter Andreevich has told about a meeting of writers on apartment at was fastened And. M.Gorkogo in 1932, on the eve of 1st congress of writers. The brilliant story-teller, Pavlenko has managed so figuratively to draw a picture of this significant meeting that this big conversation on destinies of the Soviet literature almost was in reality presented to me.
... Behind a window dark blue twilight, here and there in houses hardly glimmers sparks of Moscow. And here Alexey Maksimovich — the great initiator of the socialist literature — angrily smashes clannishness, passionately calls for consolidation of all literary forces. The new, Soviet literature was necessary to the young country. As value of this meeting writer Feodor Panferov subsequently has truly defined, Bitter bequeathed then a banner of socialist realism to young generation of the Soviet writers. Addressing to them, Alexey Maksimovich has told: «Responsibility on you!»
In a picture of 36 portraits. And each of them the image of the person, and expression of its essence is not simple.
Presently, when the person creates unprecedented values in the world, creation of an image of the Soviet person — the primary goal of our art. And here for Jar-Kravchenko an enormous sphere of action. The artist is inspired by grandness of the events occurring in our country, greatness of its plans, its fine future.

In this sense portraits from a series «Heroes of the Volgograd and Brotherly HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATION» are very interesting. These portraits — a live embodiment of an image, the truthful story about destinies of heroes.
A.P.Jar-Kravchenko has had the luck to be invited and to draw at XXII congress of the CPSU. Result of its hard work at congress was a series of drawings which figuratively, truthfully tell to us about historical congress.
Last years the artist many times had to happen abroad. And therefrom it brought remarkable portraits of our friends and thin, pathetic landscapes.
Having visited at Anatoly Nikiforovicha Jar-Kravchenko's exhibition, you leave with pleasant feeling. Art of the artist has grown up for these years. Some constraint observed in its early works has disappeared.
Handwriting of the artist became firmer, more confident, is more original. In its any portrait, a landscape, a composition the big humanity is felt. The big savoir vivre, optimism, poetry, deep respect for people penetrates all creativity of this remarkable artist.
The national artist of the USSR,
The winner of the State award
Alexander Gerasimov
Moscow, 27апреля 1962