Russian Painting of the 18th - Beginning of the 20th Centuries
 
         Arrivals from the State Museum Fund from 1924 to 1928 by the decision of the museum department of the Central Administrative Board for Scientific, Scientific and Artistic, Museum and Nature Protection institutions of Narkompros have served as basis for acquisition of the Russian painting collection. They have been allocated to the Siberian museum from the closed down Rumyantsev museum and its funds where were stored art treasures from private collections of known collectors of Moscow: O. Tseitlin, A. Kasyanov, I. Sveshnikov, K. Soldatyonkov, F. Vishnyakov, F. Pryanishnikov, N. Mosolov, and also from collections of known Russian collectors - K. Somov, F. Yusupov, M. Tenisheva, D. Vysotsky, A. Rumanov, A. Sheremetev, I. Tsvetkov, I. Isadzhanov, Grand Dukes - Konstantin Konstantinovich and Nikolai Mikhailovich and others. Received in the autumn and in the beginning of winter of 1924 the collection of pictorial works by Russian artists has allowed opening of a picture gallery at the Western - Siberian Local History Museum.

         The review of a collection allows us to note the prevalence of landscape in the genre. The academic direction is represented by I.K. Ayvazovsky’s seascapes and by scenery landscapes by M.N. Vorobyev, V.P. Vereschagin, K.N. Filippov, E.E. Meyer, A.D. Zhamet, L.F. Lagorio. The democratic direction of a genre is reflected in works by I.I. Levitan, I.I. Shishkin, A.A. Kiselyov, N.N. Dubovskoys. Rather fully landscapes from the Omsk collection illustrate activity of the association “The Union of Russian Artists,” in particular such masters as I.E. Grabar, K.F. Yuon, L.V. Turzhansky, A.A. Rylov, V.V. Perepletchikov.

         The historical genre is represented, mainly, by canvases of masters of the academic school of second half of the 19th century V.V.Vereschagin, T.A. Neff, M.P. Botkin, V.A. Kotarbinsky, G.I. Semiradsky, A.A. Svedomsky, S.V. Bakalovich, N.A. Bruni, M.P. Klodt, K.E. Makovsky. In this section of the big value are sketches “Angels” for an orthodox cathedral in Warsaw by V.M. Vasnetsov and “The Deposition from the Cross” - the sketch for a mosaic of the Temple of the Resurrection on Blood in Petersburg.

         Among the genre paintings it is necessary to note works by A.G. Venetsianov and F.I. Baykov. Canvases by representatives of second half of the 19th century belonging to a brush of democratic direction representatives such as G.G. Myasoedov, N.E. Sverchkov, N.A. Yaroshenko, V.D. Polenov, enrich collection in the ideological plan and promote the fullest disclosing of the important stages of development of domestic art.

         A small collection of the portrait genre is represented by several insignificant canvases by a brush of unknown artists of the 18th century and by a number of portraits of the middle and second half of the 19th century (V.E. Makovsky, A.N. Kramskoy). Not numerous, but interesting are the portraits of the 1900s reflecting stylistic many-sided nature of creative works by artists of this period (V.I. Surikov “Head of a Monk,” “Portrait of Leonid Andreev” by I.E. Repin, “Artist’s Family Portrait” by V.A. Yakovlev, “Koreiz. Portrait of I.A. Yusupova” by N.P. Bogdanov-Belsky, “Portrait of Evgenia Lebedeva” and “Portrait of Z.N. Okunkova” by E.V. Goldinger and “Portrait of Artist Shavrin” by M.A. Yakovlev.)

         A significant part of the Russian painting collection is formed of works by artists who joined to new trends of art of an epoch at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries. In this line it is necessary to note, first of all, three monumental - decorative panels depicting flowers by M.A. Vrubel: “Roses and Lilies,” “Chrysanthemums,” “Yellow roses.” Unique among other Siberian art treasuries, only the Omsk museum has pictorial works by the outstanding master. Art searches of that time reflect works by V.A. Serov, V.E. Borisov, K.A. Korovin, N.K. Roerich, V.I. Denisov, V.M. Khodasevich, D.D. Burlyuk. The big diversity distinguishes a section of the Russian avant-garde of the 1910s. The Association “Jack of Diamonds” is represented by names of P.P. Konchalovsky, I.I. Mashkov, A.V. Lentulov, P.V. Kuznetsov, A.V. Kuprin. Of special value in this block are works by V.V. Kandinsky, N.S. Goncharova, M.F. Larionov. Unique section of a collection - nine works by one of the largest artists of the 20th century A.A. Javlensky.

         The originality of a local art life is characterized by works transferred from the Omsk Artistic - Pedagogical Technical School (Khudprom) in the 1930s. Among them works by A.N. Klementyev, G.I. Gurkin, K.F. Reichel, K.K. Kanevsky, Y.Y. Klever, A.E. Rokachevsky, portraits of brothers A.F. and V.F. Golubev which belonged to representatives of the Omsk intelligentsia from “Blue Hall” of the Western - Siberian branch of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society museum. The Siberian section of a collection is represented also by landscape etudes of the Omsk artist I.V. Volkov.