Sokolov Anatoly

Wandering Artist: Alexander Yakovlev in Vietnam, 1932

ЮГО-ВОСТОЧНАЯ АЗИЯ: АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ РАЗВИТИЯ, 2025, №4(69), 266-275

 
Annotation: Alexander Yakovlev (1887-1938) was a Russian painter and graphic artist. He was born in St. Petersburg and graduated from the Academy of Arts. In 1918-1919, he visited China, Mongolia, and Japan. It was then that the theme of the East became firmly established in the life and work of the Russian artist. In 1919, Alexander Yakovlev began living permanently in Paris and became a renowned artist. In 1931-1932, at the invitation of the Citroën automobile company, he took part in an expedition to Asia – "The Yellow Raid" (La Croisiere Jaune). In the spring of 1932, he arrived in colonial Vietnam, visiting Haiphong, Hanoi, Vinh, Hue, Tourane, the Cao Bang mountain region, and Saigon. In his works and sketches, the artist captured vivid images of Vietnamese life and customs ("Rice Field", "Concert in Hue"). Of particular interest are the portraits of officials of the imperial court (“Prince Byu Liem”, “Official Ton That Than”) and ordinary people (“Portrait of a Man from Cao Bang”, “Mother and Child”). These and other works by Alexander Yakovlev were recognized by the public and critics, as well as evidence of the first contacts between Russian and Vietnamese cultures that took place in the 1930s.

Keywords: Alexander Yakovlev, Indochina, Vietnam, Russia, France, "Yellow Raid", painting, the Citroën automobile company