Abramtsevo Colony

Abramtsevo Colony.
A name applied to a circle of Russian artists associated with the country estate of the patron Savva Mamontov (1841–1918) at Abramtsevo, about 60 km (40 miles) north of Moscow. Mamontov, who earned a fortune from railway building, bought the estate in 1870, and from then until about the end of the century he often played host to distinguished artists, some of whom stayed for several months at a time during the summer, enjoying the attractive surroundings as well as the stimulating company. One of them, Victor Vasnetsov, said of Mamontov: ‘There was in him a sort of electric current that ignited other people's energies. God gave him a special talent for stimulating the creativity of others.’ Among the other visitors were Repin, Serov, and Vrubel. Serov's celebrated Girl with Peaches (1887, Tretyakov Gal., Moscow), a portrait of Mamontov's 12-year-old daughter Vera, was painted at Abramtsevo. The estate is now a national museum.