As Russians became Soviets, there was an always changing list of what parts of history do we deemphasize. One group on the outs with the new order were Cossacks who lived near the Don River. Artist Vasily Surikov flourished under the Czar and created famous paintings. Yet dying in 1916 meant not taking sides in the upcoming civil war. This quirk of fate saved his reputation in Soviet Russia. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
This Painting shows Czarist Generalissimo Alexander Suvorov, crossing the Alps with Russian and Austrian troops escaping Napoleon. The artist Surikov painted it in on a European tour including Switzerland made possible by selling a painting to a Czarist aristocrat. The painting itself was then sold to the personal collection or Czar Nicholas II. This painting must have had many strikes against it to Soviet eyes, but talent won through.
Todays stamp is issue A422, a 20 Kopek stamp issued by the Soviet Union in June 1941. It was part of a five stamp issue in various denominations that noted the 25th death anniversary of painter Vasily Surikov. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $1.25.
Vasily Surikov was born poor in the semi autonomous area set aside for Cassocks, a people that tended to roam on horseback so didn’t fit easily into the feudal system. In school, Vasily was encouraged in his drawing by a local art teacher. After school he accepted work as a clerk in a government office. He was still drawing and the local governor was impressed and found him a patron. The Patron then arraigned for Surikov to travel to Saint Petersburg to study at the Imperial Academy of Arts. At the Academy, he was known as the composer for his great attention to a paintings composition. After his studies, it was off to Moscow to work on murals for the then under construction Cathedral of Christ the Savior and marry a local woman of French heritage. Selling paintings to rich patrons allowed Surikov several European tours and also a journey to Siberia where he painted his most famous painting, “Conquest of Siberia by Yermak Feyevich” Surikov believed he had Cossack ancestors in the battle fighting for the Russians and the painting earned him a membership in the Imperial Academy.
Surikov achieved greatly under the Czarist government but things went bad for his fellow Cossacks after the 1917 Revolutions. Though Cossacks had been slow to rally to the Czar during his last days, many joined the White Armies during the Civil War. Revenge was extracted after the White defeat. Over half of the Cossacks were killed or forced into exile and their semi autonomous region was abolished. The Cossacks then got their own revenge when many fought with the Germans after the 1941 invasion. Most were deployed to Yugoslavia where their style of fighting on horseback was still useful against partisans. The Cossack divisions of the German Army surrendered to the British in Austria, see https://the-philatelist.com/2019/01/03/croatia-1942-croatia-achieves-independence-by-aligning-with-bad-people-and-then-pays-a-huge-price/ . The British broke their promise to the Cossacks and turned over the prisoners to the Soviets to meet their fate. Russia in 2002 officially rehabilitated the Cossacks.
Dying in 1916 or natural causes in old age was good for Surikov in the Soviet period. His style of painting was in vogue. His estate in his home town became a museum to him. He also had a biopic picture, “Vasily Surikov” made by the prestigious Mosfilm studio in 1959 where he was portrayed by Eugene Lazarev.
Well my drink is empty so I will pour another to toast Vasily Surikov. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.