The Portrait of Chaliapin is an oil-on-canvas painting by Boris Kustodiev, produced in 1921. Feodor Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer; possessing a deep and expressive bass
voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera
houses. He is depicted here wearing an expensive fur coat, which had
come from a Soviet warehouse containing items confiscated from rich
people during the Russian Revolution,
and which he had received in lieu of payment for a performance. The
background shows festivities at the traditional folk holiday of Maslenitsa.
Dressed in a smart suit and holding a cane, Chaliapin is portrayed as
having risen above his contemporaries. His favourite dog is at his feet
and, at the bottom left, his two daughters stroll on the festive square
in front of a poster promoting his concert. This copy of the painting is
in the collection of the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.
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