Orlova Vera

1904 — 1993

Vera Orlova was born in 1904. She spent her childhood and teen years in the old district of Tsaritsyno town. The image of the town and Volga landscapes sank deep into her heart and found their reflection in her artworks. Since her early years, Vera Orlova loved painting. In 1916 evening art classes opened in Tsaritsyno headed by the Stroganov school graduate Mikhail Shutov, who was a realistic art advocate. Thus, the start was given to the young artist’s career.

Later A. V. Grigoriev, the head of the artists’ society came to Tsaritsyn in order to organize a branch of the Revolutionary Russia Artists Association (AHRR). Orlova became a member in 1925 and started working in the studio of the well-known Russian artist V. E. Savinsky. In the same year she graduated from Stalingrad art college (Tsaritsyn art courses).

In 1930 Vera Orlova moved to Moscow and in 1932 she became a member of the Union of Artists and participated in large all-Union and all-Russian exhibitions. At that time Vera Orlova specialized in industrial paining ("Blacksmith’s shop of Stalingrad tractor plant", "Young foremen of Sharikopodshipnik" plant and others).

The genre was the artist’s major direction which allowed her to develop her talent. Among her most famous artworks are "Return" and "Fir-trees in the mountains", the latter being acquired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and sent to the Soviet embassy in Finland. In 1949 by the opening of the All-Union exhibition Vera Orlova created the canvas "Stakhanovite A.Shtyrova, machine multi-operator of "Tryokhgorny manufactory" named after Dzerzhinsky".

Vera Orlova’s art is rather versatile: it reflects the life of the Soviet people, bright portraits of her contemporaries and unique colors of Russian nature.

Artworks by Vera Orlova are presented in the collections of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Central Armed Forces Museum of Russian Federation, Perm State Art Gallery, Kirov Regional Art museum named after V. М. and A. M. Vasnetsovs, Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts, as well as in private collections both in Russia and abroad.