Friends!

In December 1889 in the wonderful city of Vinnitsa was born talented artist- Nathan Altman. He painted in a rather atypical style of cubism, was a sculptor, master of book graphics, cartoonist. His fate, like fates of many talented people, was very difficult. I'll tell you his story.

Nathan was born in the family of a Jewish merchant, unfortunately, when the boy was only 4 years old, his father died of tuberculosis. Subsequently, another main man that kept the family died – the grandfather. Nathan’s mother was sad, and after a while she ran away from the Russian empire, because she was afraid of Jewish pogroms. The boy was left to live with his grandmother. He had a difficult childhood, which was a daily struggle for a piece of bread. The only consolation was the desire to paint, which awakened in his soul.

In 1902, Nathan moved to Odessa, where he began to study at art school, which opened his way to a bright future. First, eminent teachers were able to see the talent of the boy, and secondly, there he met a classmate with whom later he moved to Paris.

There he was lucky to reach elite circles, he met Marc Chagall, Ossip Zadkine, David Shterenberg. In this company Nathan finally realized what he wanted to paint and how. According to legend, at this time a young man became acquainted with Anna Akhmatova, whose portrait he wrote later. This pattern is recognized as the best picture of the poet, it successfully combines her unique beauty and inner drama.

Jewish themes were special for Nathan. He always took his native ethnic elements. From Paris he returned to Vinnitsa and created a series of beautiful paintings "Vinnitsa caricatures" to bring a slightly sarcastic look at the city. Nathan finished his studies in Berdychivi, then - went to work to St. Petersburg.

There he again managed to enter the circle of creative young people, which raged another life. The famous poet Osip Mandelstam even dedicated a poem to him, which he called, deciphering the name, "a very old man."

Nathan Altman was impressed by the idea of ​​revolution. He was the first who made an order of executed sculpture - a bust of Vladimir Lenin. But the joy of regime passed very quickly. First, Nathan Altman went on tour with the Jewish theater, where he worked as a designer ... almostly seven years. When he returned and noticed Soviet machine in action, he was simply shocked. He saw all the artists that instade of creating something, portrayed Stalin's victories on giant canvases and realized that he could not do it. He completely immersed himself to the work in the theater and fell into despair when his friends the disappeared and were killed - Vsevolod Meyerhold was first, then - Solomon Mikhoels. Although he, in some way, was lucky , because repressions bypassed him, his works were effectively killed. He could not build decent new jobs.

Friends, to live in a cage ofsomeone's wishes and views - is almost the same as the die. Do not let anyone limit yourself, learn something every day and do what you love, because this is the meaning of life.