Sergei Mironovich Kirov (Kostrikov) (1886–1934): Communist arty functionary and member of he Soviet leadership. First secretary of the Communist Party in Leningrad (1926–34).

Following Sergei Kirov’s murder in 1934, a multitude of portraits and works on themes from his real and mythical biographies appeared in Soviet painting and sculpture. Alexander Samokhvalov painted a portrait of Kirov, Kirov on a Construction Site and his first ever large picture-panel — Sergei Kirov Receiving a Parade of Athletes. The artist had long dreamt of painting a multi-figure monumental picture resolved like a fresco. Work on the canvas lasted a long time. Striving to create a fresco-like effect, Samokhvalov experimented with colours, seeking decorative tones that would simultaneously be lifelike and natural. He finally chose a classical and solemn gamut of warm tones. The action takes place on Palace Square in Leningrad. The space is enclosed by the facade of General Headquarters with an enormous portrait of Lenin. The eyes of the athletes are rivetted on the figure of Sergei Kirov and other members of the Leningrad government on the rostrum. A group of girls break away from the main group to hand Kirov a bouquet of flowers.

The concept and painting of the panel reflect the main tendencies in the Soviet art of the 1930s. This was an aspiration towards monumentality and an image of the new Soviet citizen — a labourer, hero and romantic, morally and physically strong and handsome. Russian Museum: From Icons to the Modern Times. Palace Editions, St Petersburg, 2015. P. 349.