A Russian Comes to America: 6 Ways Fechin Inspired Me
Wandering the roads of Santa Fe, I found myself in a secluded retreat in New Mexico with a dozen other painters. We lived, ate and painted together for a week with a fabulous instructor, Carolyn Anderson. Very much a dedicated beginner, I took in as much as my brain could hold that week. Anderson starts her week with a discussion of other artists and their techniques that made them worthy teachers long after they left this art world. Carolyn introduced me to the world of Nicolai Fechin. His influence is part of her beautiful paintings and now also mine.
Fechin was born in 1881 in the Russian village of Kazan. He began his creative journey through the teachings of his father, a craftsman who worked in wood and metal. In 1895, he enrolled in the Art School of Kazan, graduating in 1895. He then entered the Russian Imperial Academy where he studied under Ilya Repin, another beautiful painter for another day’s discussion.
Fechin became an internationally known artist. When post-revolutionary Russia experienced political and economic turmoil, Fechin decided to take his family, leave his homeland and move to New York City. After a diagnosis of tuberculosis, he moved to Taos, New Mexico for the dry air. His story, much like his paintings is remarkable. My eyes were opened that week in New Mexico and here are some lessons I carry with me.
6 Ways Fechin Inspires My Paintings:
1) Get the paint on the canvas. Fechin’s work is powerful. He uses paint, often loaded on a palette knife, to create depth along with gesture and movement. I am drawn to how a painting looks on the surface. He creates through the brush and palette a soft yet intentional image.
2) You don’t have to say it all - silence is golden. Give enough information that the viewer can decide the subject for themselves. The brain can complete what is not fully formed. Basically if enough of an apple is rendered, the viewer can say “aha - an apple.” without every indention or value being painted.
3) Put it down and leave it alone. Fechin known for thick paint actually attains that layer by layer. I too paint in many layers. In my studio, I like to show that the magic occurs when you can see the different layers and how they work together on the canvas.
4) Do not become a slave to the object of the painting. I start my paintings either from a still life set-up, a model, or a photograph. Once I have the idea sketched in paint on the canvas it is time to let the canvas speak for itself. In other words, free yourself from the subject, let the movement of the paint create the art.
5) Keep it loose. I begin with the subject in abstraction, working around the entire canvas adding details until the subject emerges. The key and one that is beautiful in Fechin’s work is he would paint toward realism, usually the center of interest, and leave other areas loose and abstracted. I too fight the demon of not knowing when to stop painting. The more you paint, the easier it is to hear that voice.
6) Technique and skill are essential. Fechin recognized that subjects and manners of painting would come and go with fashion but that a painting with well placed skill would endure. This goal of creating Fechin-like work keeps me at the easel.
So then what of this Russian named Fechin who came to America? Fechin continued to make his mark on the art world until his death in 1955. Per his request, his daughter escorted his remains back to his homeland of Russia, to his town of Kazan where his first art school is now known as The Fechin Art School.
