1. Maria Yakunchikova's family was very musical: her father, Vasily Ivanovich, was an expert at the violin, while her mother, Zinaida, played the pianoforte.
10 Facts About Maria Yakunchikova
1. 2.
The Polenov residence was to become an important training centre for budding artists, and Maria Yakunchikova joined as well, taking evening lessons with Elena between 1886 and 1889.
3.
Maria Yakunchikova was associated with the Abramtsevo artists, especially her teacher Elena Polenova, whose revival of traditional handicrafts inspired her to embroider and to execute pokerwork.
4.
Maria Yakunchikova traveled to Austria and Italy in 1888; the following year she went to France and Germany, and from then on worked mainly in western Europe.
5.
Maria Yakunchikova remained in Paris throughout the 1890s, except for occasional trips to Russia to recuperate and gain inspiration for her work.
6.
Maria Yakunchikova started off with the technique of burning of wooden panels, which could then be illuminated by oil paint.
7.
From 1899, Maria Yakunchikova began exhibiting with the World of Art movement, continuing until her death.
8.
Maria Yakunchikova suffered from tuberculosis, which had been diagnosed in the late 1880s.
9.
Maria Yakunchikova's first son fell ill of the disease aged two, and although he survived, when her second son was born in April 1901, her health failed irreparably.
10.
Maria Yakunchikova died of the disease near Geneva in 1902.