The city in his paintings. He is in the memory of the city

He was born under the southern sun and carried this light throughout his life. His paintings include acacias, moonlit boulevards and lilacs under the window. A revolution in art. 144 years ago, Mikhail Larionov was born in Tiraspol. He is an avant-garde artist who made his hometown famous far beyond its borders.

Residents of Tiraspol remember Larionov today. Flowers were laid at the memorial stone on the street of the same name. Deputies, city administration, artists, teachers, schoolchildren, and representatives of the youth wing of the Obnovlenie party came here. It is a name in a textbook for some. It is a reason to be proud of their city and its fellow countrymen for others.

Mikhail Larionov became an innovator whose name is known throughout the world. His works inspired the painter Valentin Serov. Larionov created scenery for the plays of the theater figure Sergei Diaghilev. He impressed the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. He always returned to Tiraspol at the same time – to his grandmother, to the quiet streets, to the southern lilacs. He painted his first pictures here – and the most sincere, perhaps.

The canvases "Window. Tiraspol", "Rose Bush after the Rain", "Lilac Bush in Bloom", "Night. Tiraspol" are visual memories of his hometown, which he preserved in paints. The name of the Tiraspol native is heard not only in museums, but also in the largest auction houses in the world. Thus, Mikhail Larionov's painting "Nude" (1902) went under the hammer at Sotheby's in London for $1.2 million (£862 thousand) in June 2021. Its purchase became one of the most high-profile events in online auctions of Russian art. The canvas belongs to a key period in the formation of the artist's signature style and is of great artistic significance, according to experts. Aivazovsky's painting was sold for a similar amount at the same auction on the same day. Mikhail Larionov's paintings are presented in museums around the world: in Paris, London, New York. A special place is occupied by the collection in the Tretyakov Gallery, which contains both early Tiraspol works and late avant-garde canvases. The memorial event was held as part of the My Great Countrymen project, which the Obnovlenie party has been implementing for over 10 years today. Its goal is to preserve and popularize the cultural heritage of Pridnestrovie. The project publishes booklets about outstanding countrymen, which are sent to schools, colleges and universities of the republic.

A banner with his painting will appear on the facade of one of the houses on Larionov Street in 2025. The townspeople themselves will decide which one they will choose.

Mikhail Larionov was an artist of color and light. 144 years later, his warm southern light is still with us today.