Filip Andreyevich Malyavin studied icon painting before entering the Academy in St Peters- burg. There he developed a dynamic style characterised by broad brush strokes and a penchant for rural subject matter. In the years 1897−1899 he was the foremost painter in the studio of Ilya Repin. His paintings typically featured strapping country women depicted using unusual shades of colour. Malyavin’s fascination with colour led him into almost Fauvist self-indulgence akin to its treatment by Henri Matisse. His distinctiveness lies in his bold and luxuriant treat- ment of colour in stark contrast to veristic painting. This all combines to create a singular view of Russian village life. His temperament approach to painting also won him renown abroad. He was recognised in Venice and Paris where he mostly lived from 1922. In 1933 an extensive exhibition of his work was held in Prague, as a result of which many of his works found their way into Czech collections. Exhibitions also took place in the Balkans, England and Sweden. The Ostrava Gallery of Fine Art has a large collection of his paintings. While still in Russia he painted Lenin’s portrait in the Moscow Kremlin. He travelled to Paris in 1922 and settled there with his family. Malyavin died in Nice.