Golden autumn

Konstantin Ivanovich Gorbatov, a distinguished Russian impressionist painter, was born on May 17, 1876, in Stavropol, Samara Governorate, now known as Tolyatti. His artistic journey began in the early 1890s under the tutelage of Fyodor Burov and A. Egorov in Samara. Gorbatov's formal education in art commenced in 1895 at the Central School of Technical Drawing of Baron Stieglitz, followed by architectural studies at the Riga Polytechnic Institute in 1896, where he also honed his painting skills in John Clark's studio. Relocating to St. Petersburg in 1903, he enrolled at the Imperial Academy of Arts, studying under Alexander Kiselyov and Nikolai Dubovskoy from 1905 to 1911. His painting 'They Have Arrived' earned him the title of artist, a gold medal at a Munich exhibition, and a scholarship for international study in 1911. Gorbatov's artistic pursuits took him to Rome in 1912 as an Academy pensioner, later joining Maxim Gorky on Capri. His travels across Europe enriched his work, which predominantly featured landscapes and scenes from northern Russian towns and Volga villages. The political upheaval in Russia led to his emigration in 1922. Settling in Berlin by 1926 after periods in Italy and across Europe, Gorbatov became an active member of the Kuindzhi Society of Artists and participated in exhibitions by the Itinerants and the Society of Russian Watercolorists. Despite the challenges posed by the Nazi regime's artistic preferences, Gorbatov's works remained popular in Germany until his death in Berlin on May 24, 1945.