Where did Surikov study. Vasily Ivanovich Surikov: biography, career and personal life

Vasily Surikov's art is one of the pinnacles of Russian painting. He is characterized by the deepest spiritual connection with his homeland - Siberia, which largely determined the unique originality of his talent. Vasily Ivanovich Surikov was born on January 12, 1848 in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk into a Cossack family. With Ermak came from the Don his paternal ancestors, from whom he inherited a proud, freedom-loving character. The mother was also from the old Cossack family of the Torgoshin. Peter and Ilya Surikov, like Vasily Torgoshin, are mentioned among the participants in the Krasnoyarsk riot of 1695-1698.

Surikov was proud of his origin and wrote about it: "From all sides I am a natural Cossack ... My Cossacks are more than 200 years old." The artistic talent of his parents did not remain unnoticed for him either. His father, a passionate music lover, played the guitar superbly and was considered the best singer in Krasnoyarsk; mother, a wonderful embroiderer, had an innate artistic taste. The origin of the formation of Surikov's concepts of beauty was Siberia, with the severity, sometimes cruelty of morals, with the courage of people, the prowess of folk games, with the "ancient Russian beauty" of girlish faces, with majestic nature, with a living breath of history. "Ideals of historical types have been brought up in me by Siberia since childhood," he recalled. Surikov's first attempts to paint go back to early childhood: "... I am six years old, I remember, it was - I drew Peter the Great from black engraving. And the paints from myself: the uniform in blue, and the cuffs with lingonberries."

Main part

The first to notice the boy was N.V. Grebnev, a drawing teacher at the Krasnoyarsk district school, from which Surikov graduated in 1861 with a certificate of honor. On the instructions of Grebnev, he copied engravings from paintings by old masters, gradually comprehending the art of their time. "Grebnev taught me to draw, he almost cried over me," Surikov said with gratitude to his first mentor. To support the family after the death of his father, Surikov is forced to serve as a clerical scribe. Sometimes he had to, he later recalled, "to paint Easter eggs for three rubles a hundred"; once he made a custom-made icon "Theotokos Feasts". Surikov's drawings attracted the attention of the Krasnoyarsk governor P. N. Zamyatin, and he petitioned the Academy Council to enroll Surikov as a student. A positive review of the work came from St. Petersburg, but with the proviso that the scholarship would not be awarded. The wealthy gold miner P.I.Kuznetsov, an art lover and collector, who took on the costs of supporting the young artist, helped. In mid-December 1868, with Kuznetsov's wagon train, Surikov set off on a journey that lasted two months. Surikov was not sufficiently prepared for the exams at the Academy. He entered the school of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts under M.V. Dyakonov and in three summer months mastered a three-year course. On August 28, 1869, Surikov successfully passed the entrance exams to the Academy of Arts, he was accepted as a volunteer and enrolled in the head class. In the fall of the following year, he was already working on his first independent work, "View of the Monument to Peter I on Senate Square in St. Petersburg" (1870, State Russian Museum).

Surikov studied at the Academy successfully, took everything possible from his studies. The young painter had brilliant achievements in composition, and it was not for nothing that his comrades called him a "composer".

The development of the artist's natural qualities was largely promoted by P.P. Chistyakov, who educated many masters of Russian art. At the Academy, Surikov successfully performed a number of compositions on antique themes; this period also includes his painting from the Old Russian history "Prince's Court" (1874, Tretyakov Gallery).

In April 1875, the artist began his programmatic work for the Great Gold Medal: "The Apostle Paul Explaining the Dogmas of Christianity to Herod Agrippa, his sister Veronica and the Roman proconsul Festus" (Tretyakov Gallery). The composition of the picture does not go beyond the academic canons, but it already shows an interest in the psychology of the heroes. According to Chistyakov, "the antediluvian boob-paths failed the best student in the entire Academy of Surikov, because he did not have time to paint corns in the picture," and he did not receive the Big Gold Medal, which entitles him to travel abroad. Surikov graduated from the Academy with the title of class artist of the 1st degree. When, six months later, he "as an exception" got the opportunity to go abroad, he asked in return for permission to fulfill the order for painting the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Surikov performed preparatory work in St. Petersburg, only specifying the necessary details in Moscow. In June 1877, the artist finally moved to Moscow, making frescoes depicting four Ecumenical Councils over the course of two years. Surikov never wrote to order again.

In 1878, Surikov married Elizabeth Avgustovna Share, the granddaughter of the Decembrist P.N.Svistunov<Рисунок 1>... A happy family life and relative material security allowed the artist to "start his own" - to turn to the images of Russian history. “When I arrived in Moscow, I found myself in the center of Russian folk life, and immediately took my own path,” he later recalled.>

The walls of the ancient city seemed to be speaking. In his imagination, images of the past arose, the idea of ​​a picture appeared, which seemed to him "amazing". "The Morning of the Strelets' Execution" (1878-1881, Tretyakov Gallery)<Рисунок >really amazing. But not by the horrors of death, but by the power of characters, the tragedy of one of the turning points in Russian history. "I wanted to convey the solemnity of the last minutes, not an execution at all," Surikov writes about this canvas. Sagittarius going to death is full of dignity. They have lost this fight and do not ask for mercy. Among the crowd of people who "are excited like the" sound of many waters "", Surikov singles out impressive characters. The red-bearded archer is especially expressive, whose angry gaze, as if tracing the entire composition, collides with the gaze of Peter.

The architectural landscape with Vasily the Blessed, which "seemed bloody" to Surikov, is not just a historical background, it is compositionally linked to the movement of the masses. The artist conveys the "solemnity of the last minutes" not only in the proud beauty of the Russian people, but also in that picturesque palette that has absorbed the tones of the dawn sky, the colors of the clothes and domes of the cathedral, the patterned arches on the carts and even the sparkling of the rims of the wheels. Already in this picture, the remarkable merits of Surikov as a colorist were manifested, whose pictorial searches were determined by the thoughts and feelings that possessed the artist. "When I conceived them (" Streltsov "), - wrote Surikov, - all the faces immediately appeared in my mind. The painting was bought right at the exhibition by Pavel Tretyakov, and again the artist is working on what attracts him: "I conceived" Boyarynya Morozova "even earlier than" Menshikov "- now after" Streltsov ". But then, to rest," Menshikova " started". If in "Streltsy" the tragedy of the masses is shown, formed from the fate of individual people, then in the painting "Menshikov in Berezovo" (1883, Tretyakov Gallery)<Рисунок 3>Surikov focused on one strong character, in whose personal drama there was an echo of the tragedy of Russia. No matter how purely everyday episode the "knot" of action of his future picture was suggested to Surikov, the image created in it acquires historical significance ... The low hut, lit by the dim candlelight, the tiny mica window is covered with bizarre frosty patterns. The huge figure of Menshikov is cramped under these low ceilings, in this hut. This strong and domineering person is accustomed to a different scale of life. His three children are with Menshikov. All of them were to become the leaders of their father's ambitious plans. Should have ... The situation is dramatic. And Surikov's talent helped to capture in her the beauty and subtlety of the manifestation of human feelings, to convey them in the guise of the heroes of the picture and the coloristic system. "Menshikov of all Surikov dramas is the most" Shakespearean "in terms of eternal, inexplicable human destinies," wrote M. V. Nesterov.

The first sketch of "Boyarynya Morozova" appeared in 1881; directly to work on the painting, Surikov began three years later, having painted "Menshikov in Berezovo" and having visited abroad. This time Surikov turned to the image of the companion of Archpriest Avvakum - F.P. Morozova. And again, the tragic fate of a strong and passionate nature for the artist is inseparable from the fate of the people who opposed Nikon's church reforms. "I do not understand the actions of individual historical figures without the people, without the crowd," wrote Surikov, "I need to drag them out into the street." Moreover, his "crowd" is not faceless, but is made up of bright individuals.

Surikov wanted to show how Morozova awakens various feelings in people, at the same time being the focus of these feelings.

The strength of the emotional impact of all the components of the canvas is striking: shape, color, linear composition. The painting is national not only in terms of the plot, dating back to the events of the 17th century, but also in its type, architecture, characteristic winter landscape, in the interpretation of color, the sonorous clear power of which is akin to the bright worldview of the Russian people. Surikov was able to express in the magnificent painting "Boyarynya Morozova" (1887, Tretyakov Gallery)<Рисунок 4>spiritual firmness, dedication, courage and beauty of the Russian person. For the first time, the painting appeared at the Fifteenth Traveling Exhibition and received the most enthusiastic appraisal of its contemporaries. V.V. Stasov wrote: “Surikov has now created such a picture, which, in my opinion, is the first of all our paintings on the subjects of Russian history. haven't gone yet. " At the beginning of 1888, the artist experienced a severe shock: his wife died. Surikov almost abandoned art, indulging in grief. The painting "Healing of the Born Blind", first shown in 1893 at a traveling exhibition, testifies to the then state of the artist.

Heeding the advice of his relatives, Surikov and his daughters travel to Siberia, to Krasnoyarsk. “And then I switched from dramas to great joie de vivre,” the artist recalled. “I've always had such leaps towards joy. 1891, RM)<Рисунок 5>, which appeared after three historical canvases, the direct sources of the artist's enormous love of life are noticeable, which helped to overcome grief and adversity. V.I.Surikov endowed the heroes of his works with this love of life. In 1891, Surikov returned to Moscow. “I brought extraordinary fortitude from Siberia,” he notes. The artist starts working on a new canvas<Рисунок 6>"The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak" (1895, State Russian Museum). "Two elements meet" - these words of Surikov come to mind when you see the depicted grandiose battle scene. The people here appear in all the greatness of their feat. The movement of the troops is directed by the legendary Yermak; his figure immediately stands out and at the same time it is not separable from the Cossacks. Integrity, solidarity - a distinctive feature of the Cossack army. In contrast, Kuchum's army, which has been seized by panic, appears to be fragmented. Glorifying the courage of the Russians, Surikov also sees noteworthy features in the enemy camp, notes the original beauty of the "foreigners". Working from life on the creation of images of Khakass and Ostyaks, Surikov notes: "Let the nose be snub, let the cheekbones, and everything is harmonized ..." masses of people, but also by means of painting. According to Nesterov's definition, Surikov's painting is "strong, thick, sonorous, captured from the essence of the action, flowing out of necessity."<Рисунок 7>Suvorov's Crossing the Alps (1899, State Russian Museum), naturally, continues the theme of the military heroism of the Russian people, begun in The Conquest of Siberia. The appearance of the painting at the 27th traveling exhibition in 1899 coincided with the centenary of the Alpine epic.

Surikov began working on the painting in 1895, and in 1898 in Switzerland, at the site of the famous historical transition, he painted sketches for it. "The main thing in the picture is movement," the artist said, "selfless courage - those who obey the word of the commander walk." The landscape of the picture: the mountain peaks that rise upward, shrouded in a veil of clouds, now dark, now sparkling with a cold bluish sheen - allows the viewer to more sharply feel the difficulties of the transition, to feel the significance of the feat of Suvorov's miraculous heroes. Surikov worked for several years on his last large canvas, Stepan Razin (1907-1910, RM). The picture was not easy for him, and the artist returned to it after the work was shown to the audience. In 1909, V. I. Surikov wrote in one of his letters: "Regarding Razin, I will say that I am working on the same picture, I am strengthening Razin's type. I went to Siberia to my homeland, and there I found a dream about him come true."

The picture strikes with a sense of freedom. She is beautiful with mother-of-pearl tints of colors, air permeated with sunlight, general poetry. The beauty of nature, as it were, emphasizes the heavy thought of the chieftain, as if separating him from the intoxicating fun of the Cossacks. Obviously, Surikov's goal was to convey the inner state of this strong rebellious character. This is evidenced by his words to the artist Ya. D. Minchenkov: "Today I wrote to Stepan's forehead, is it true that now there is much more thought in him?"

The last historical image created by Surikov is the image of Pugachev; a sketch from 1911 has survived, depicting the leader of a peasant uprising as prisoners in a cage ... In 1912, at the exhibition of the Union of Russian Artists, Surikov's painting "A Visit to a Tsarevnaya Nunnery" (Tretyakov Gallery) was exhibited. The historical and everyday character of this canvas brings it closer to similar works by A. Ryabushkin and S. Ivanov. The art of Surikov as a portrait painter is significant. First of all, these are wonderful sketches for historical canvases and "Snow Town". The characters are deeply revealed in The Portrait of Dr. A. D. Yezersky (1911, private collection), The Portrait of a Man with a Sick Hand (1913, RM), Self-portraits (1913, Tretyakov Gallery; 1915, RM); Feminine images are surprisingly beautiful in his portrait works. Surikov died on March 6, 1916 and was buried next to his wife in Moscow, at the Vagankovskoye cemetery.

It is difficult to talk about a person who is fanned by legends and other things that accompany famous people. Vasily Ivanovich Surikov during his lifetime became a great artist and an amazing master of historical paintings. Who does not remember his canvases such as "The Morning of the Strelets' Execution" or "Boyarynya Morozova". These are far from his only works, it is simply pointless to list them. We all remember and know his canvases. But Surikov was interested not only in the historical genre, he worked perfectly as a landscape painter. In addition, he wrote a lot of sketches for many of his canvases. Some sketches remained sketches, because large canvases were never completed. And by the end of his life, Surikov suddenly became interested in portraits. He painted portraits before, but mostly they were historical portraits. But at this stage of his life, he suddenly returned to portraits of ordinary people or very ordinary personalities. But most importantly, he worked. But there was a period when he completely moved away from painting and did not touch paints. It happened right after he suddenly lost his wife. She died so unexpectedly that for him it was a blow and an unexpected loss. He stopped writing. You can imagine what it was like to him, the famous one, the one who wrote "Menshikov in Berezovo", and the same "Boyarynya Morozova" ... Depression in the most severe form overwhelmed the master. And then the love of the daughters came to the rescue. They helped him to endure the loss as best they could, and who knows, maybe it was this love for his father that brought him back to life, and, consequently, to painting. And he came back and came back triumphantly.

In his depression, he increasingly turned to the holy book of the Bible, read it and reread it, prayed in the church and was often seen on Vagankovo ​​sitting at the grave of his wife. But he returned to paints and the painting "Healing of Jesus Born Blind" was born. Soon after, he, together with his brother, made a Siberian journey and there the masterpiece "Taking the Snow Town" was born again. And his talent broke through this densest veil of oblivion that enveloped him after the death of his wife. But taking care of two daughters and working on canvases, one might say, gave him strength. In addition to the already named two masterpieces, he later wrote several more and almost all of them on historical themes. Of course, when creating the canvases, sketches and sketches were made. All of this is now kept in museums.

His last words before his death were the words: "I disappear ...". Maybe he thought so that no one would remember about his works and about him, or he meant that his path is over, and he disappears into oblivion, but the canvases, his work, remain. He left, they stayed. They are witnesses of his talent, witnesses of his love for the Motherland. Although the audience for which he wrote did not always accept his work favorably. The same “Taking the Snow Town” was simply not understood at first and was condemned in every possible way. Like, we were not expecting from Surikov, they say, we were expecting something amazing historical from him again. And no one then understood that in this canvas there was just a hymn to Russian expanse, a hymn to Russian intemperance. Critics appreciated this canvas much later, the public even later. But after all, they accepted it. And his painting Stepan Razin? How long he had been preparing for its development, how he was tormented in search of the main character. Surikov was looking for a pose for a long time, for a long time he was looking for how to portray this national hero. The same difficulties were with the canvas "The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak". The same torment, research, and finally, painstaking work on the images. The result is something amazing.

So, his image did not disappear. The significance of his work has not disappeared. on the contrary, it has enriched Russian art for centuries.

Alexey Vasin

The personal life of outstanding people always attracts the attention of readers, especially if it is full of juicy details, incredible stories, secrets and riddles. But today we will talk about personal life. artist Vasily Surikov, about which not so much is known. But the amazing story of his love will not leave anyone indifferent.

A bit of biography

The artist Vasily Ivanovich Surikov is from Krasnoyarsk, his ancestors were from the Don Cossacks who conquered Siberia with Ermak, after whose death they went up the Yenisei and founded the Krasnoyarsk ostrog. The artist was born in 1848 in the family of a clerical employee, who came from the old Yenisei Cossack family. And is it necessary to say that the character of the future painter, formed in the harsh environment of the Siberian region, was just as strong and unshakable. Years later, this power was embodied in the heroic images of his paintings.

Little Vasily early became interested in creativity, and he often got it from his mother for the painted furniture. The first lessons in painting were received by him at the district school. Later, the governor noticed the talented young man and decided to send him to study at the Academy of Arts in the capital itself.

However, 20-year-old Vasily Surikov, who came from Krasnoyarsk to St. Petersburg to enter the Academy, failed the exams miserably. One of the members of the selection committee, seeing the work of Surikov, said: "Yes, you should even be banned from walking past the Academy for such drawings!" Vasily did not go "Past the Academy" for long - only one year, and then successfully passed the entrance exams and became one of the best students. In 1875, after receiving a certificate, the Council of the Academy of Arts awarded Surikov the title of first-class artist, later for his creative work he was awarded a gold medal and the Order of St. Anna, III degree.

The love of an artist's life

Once, when once again Vasily went to a Catholic church to listen to the sound of an organ, he met his first and only love in his life - Elizabeth Share. The girl was from a French-Russian family. Her father, Auguste Chare, in his early years, having fallen in love with a Russian girl Maria Svistunova, moved from Paris to Russia, converted to Orthodoxy and got married. In their marriage, five children were born: a son and four daughters, who were brought up in the French manner.

Therefore, Lilya (as the relatives called the young lady) spoke Russian with a slight accent. She, like Vasily, was interested in music and painting. The girl was then nineteen years old, and Surikov was twenty-nine. And despite the fact that the young artist was ten years older, during their meetings he blushed and was embarrassed like a youth.

After graduating from the Academy of Arts, the aspiring painter received an order for four paintings for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. For some time, preparing sketches, Surikov worked in St. Petersburg, and then he had to go to Moscow. The lovers faced a long separation. However, on weekends, Vasily raced on the wings of love to Petersburg and, after spending several hours with his beloved, returned back.

The days of separation were agonizing, and the artist's crowded Moscow seemed deserted without his beloved girl. Therefore, after finishing work in the church and receiving a fee, Vasily decides to immediately marry. He proposes and he and Lilya get married. The painter decided not to inform his mother about his marriage, as he probably knew that a sophisticated French daughter-in-law would not be to the liking of a harsh Siberian Cossack woman.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/219410210.jpg "alt =" (! LANG: "Menshikov in Berezovo".

Barely recovered, the artist set to work. He painted many female images from his wife, calling her"идеальной моделью". Создал он несколько и её портретов. Но всё же основным творением можно считать полотно «Меншиков в Берёзове», где он изобразил свою жену в образе старшей дочери Меншикова, которая по замыслу сюжета была больна и умирала от оспы. В то время и у самой Елизаветы Августовны был тяжелейший приступ, и художник, глядя на измождённую жену, увидел в ней дочь Меншикова. Тогда его вдруг пронзило предчувствие: его Лиля смертельно больна. Но в тот момент эта мысль показалась ему такой страшной, что Суриков напрочь отогнал её от себя. Это было за пять лет до смерти Елизаветы Августовны.!}

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/1-9.jpg "alt =" (! LANG: Self-portrait of Vasily Surikov." title="Self-portrait of Vasily Surikov." border="0" vspace="5">!}

Then the Surikovs decided to visit Krasnoyarsk. Vasily missed his native Siberia very much, and he wanted his mother to get to know his daughter-in-law and granddaughters. However, the horse ride across the country lasted a month and a half in only one direction. And despite the fact that they traveled in the summer, the harsh Siberian climate affected the health of Elizabeth Avgustovna in the most unfavorable way.

And in the parental home, something happened that the artist was so afraid of. From the first day Praskovya Fyodorovna took a dislike to her daughter-in-law. But Lilya, fearing to upset her beloved, did not complain to him about her mother-in-law's complaints. The psychological atmosphere in the house also aggravated her condition, and she fell seriously ill after returning to Moscow. Now the artist did not leave his wife's bed, which was treated by the best doctors. But every day brought her closer to the end, she was getting worse. The death of his wife was a terrible shock for Surikov. She was only 30 years old. Subsequently, he strongly blamed himself for the rash step when he decided to take his family to Siberia.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/219411601.jpg "alt =" (! LANG: Vasily Ivanovich Surikov with his daughters Olga (right) and Elena and brother, Alexander, before leaving for Siberia. Summer 1889." title="Vasily Ivanovich Surikov with his daughters Olga (right) and Elena and brother, Alexander, before leaving for Siberia. Summer 1889." border="0" vspace="5">!}

Widowed at forty, the artist never married again. He gave all his unspent love to his daughters, whom he completely replaced his mother. He could not entrust any other woman with raising their daughters with Lily. When their mother passed away, the girls were nine and seven years old.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/219418424.jpg "alt =" (! LANG: The artist's daughter Elena." title="The artist's daughter Elena." border="0" vspace="5">!}

Surikov's mental pain and longing for his beloved wife subsided over the years, but a quiet sadness remained. The artist lived with her for 28 years. He wrote a lot, forgetting himself in his work, and created many portraits of women. And in each of them, the artist's brush involuntarily brought out Lily's unforgettable features.

And it is probably unnecessary to say that the artist bequeathed to bury him next to his wife. At the Vagankovskoye cemetery, he found his last refuge.

Afterword

Top row from left to right: Ekaterina Semenova (daughter of Natalia Petrovna Konchalovskaya from her first marriage), Natalya Petrovna Konchalovskaya (daughter of the artist), son of Mikhail Petrovich Konchalovsky from her first marriage Alexei, Esperanza (wife of Mikhail Petrovich Konchalovsky), Mikhail Petrovich Konchalovsky (son of the artist), Andron Konchalovsky. Bottom row from left to right: Margot (daughter of Mikhail Petrovich from his second marriage), Olga Vasilievna Konchalovskaya-Surikova (wife of the artist and daughter of Vasily Surikov), Pyotr Petrovich Konchalovsky, Lavrenty (son of Mikhail Petrovich from his second marriage), Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergei Vladimirovich Mikhalkov.

You can read about the fate of the artist's daughter Olga, who married the famous artist Pyotr Konchalovsky.

Continuing the theme of families of artists in which love and harmony reigned, read:

Vasily Surikov - Russian artist, author of paintings "Boyarynya Morozova", "", "Morning of the Strelets' Execution". Russian artist Vasily Surikov was born in Krasnoyarsk. The man's relatives belonged to the Cossack class. One of them was listed as the ataman of the Yenisei Cossack regiment. Ivan Vasilyevich Surikov, the artist's father, worked as a collegiate registrar. Praskovya Fedorovna Torgoshina, mother, was known as a housewife.

When Surikov was 8 years old, the family moved to Sukhoi Buzim in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The guy was sent to a parish school at the All Saints Church. Later, Vasily entered the district school, leaving his parents in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. A year later, my father died of tuberculosis. The mother had no choice, so the woman gathered the children and returned to Krasnoyarsk.

The family in those years owned a two-story house. Due to a lack of money, Praskovya Fyodorovna decided to lease the second floor to generate income. Surikov's love for drawing manifested itself in early childhood. While still in the Krasnoyarsk district school, Vasily Ivanovich began to take lessons. Nikolai Vasilyevich Grebnev was invited as the first teacher.

Surikov painted his first conscious picture in 1862. It was a watercolor painting. The teenager called the masterpiece "Rafts on the Yenisei". Now the canvas is in the museum-estate of V.I. Surikov in Krasnoyarsk. After completing his studies, the guy will go to serve in the provincial administration. Vasily Ivanovich got the job of a scribe. Unfortunately, further education was not affordable for the Surikov family, who lived modestly after the death of their father.

Once the artist's drawings were seen by the Yenisei governor P.N. Zamyatnin. Thanks to the efforts of the official, the talented author got a philanthropist who paid for Surikov's education at the Academy of Arts. The first attempt to enter an educational institution failed, but Vasily Ivanovich did not despair. He took a drawing course at the St. Petersburg school of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists.

In the fall, having passed again the exams at the Academy of Arts, he became a volunteer. It took another year for the talented guy to be transferred to the main group. Surikov became a diligent student of P.P. Chistyakov. For 6 years of study, the young man was awarded medals and cash prizes. Vasily Ivanovich worked a lot on the composition. Because of this, the students nicknamed Surikov the Composer.

Painting

The artist's creative biography began with the work "View of the Monument on Senate Square in St. Petersburg". Surikov painted the picture in 1870, and then sold it to P.I. Kuznetsov. It is interesting that the first version of the canvas is now located in the Krasnoyarsk State Art Museum, which was named after Vasily Ivanovich.

After 4 years, Surikov went to visit Kuznetsov, to the gold mines located in Khakassia. Thanks to the change of scenery, the painting The Merciful Samaritan was born. The work was a gift to the hospitable owner, but the canvas was also noted by the specialists. Vasily Ivanovich was awarded the Small Gold Medal.

The commissioned portraits did not inspire the artist, so Surikov refused such work. But he took such pictures regularly as a basis. Among the works of Vasily Ivanovich are graphic portraits of the Moscow guitarist F.F. Peletsky.

One of the drawings is on display at the Tretyakov Gallery. Surikov admitted that his passion for music, in particular for opera, helped in his work. Moreover, the artist learned to play the guitar from Peletsky.

The time of famous paintings is coming. Vasily Ivanovich wrote “The Morning of the Streltsy Execution” for 3 years. This picture became a pass to the world of great painting. The result of many years of work was the inclusion of traveling art exhibitions in the Association.

For the sake of further development, Surikov is going to go on a foreign trip. But the lack of money did not allow the artist to hit the road instantly. To solve material problems, Vasily Ivanovich sold P.M. Tretyakov's painting "Menshikov in Berezovo". Thanks to this, the author of the canvas visited Italy, Germany, France and Austria, personally examined the canvases of recognized masters, housed in the Louvre and the Dresden gallery.

In 1881, Surikov began to work on the painting Boyarynya Morozova. Love for composition led to the fact that each work began with a sketch. Sometimes it took Vasily Ivanovich several years to create the perfect sketch. Only after that the master transferred it to the canvas.

The personality of the noblewoman captured Surikov after the story of Olga Matveevna Durandina's aunt. But the work did not go well for a long time due to the lack of the required type. And now another aunt appears before Vasily Ivanovich - Avdotya Vasilyevna Torgoshina.

Visitors of the XV Traveling Exhibition, which took place in 1887, were the first to see the "Boyarynya Morozova". Immediately after that, Surikov moved to Krasnoyarsk for the summer. The artist finds inspiration in the solar eclipse that occurred on August 8. Now you can look at the sketch in the Tver Picture Gallery.

Portraits did not captivate Surikov, but in 1887 a coup took place in the mind of the creator. The man captured his mother on the canvas, later “My brother” appeared. After the death of his wife, in 1888, Vasily Ivanovich and his children moved to their native Krasnoyarsk for several months, where he began to create the painting "Taking the Snow Town". The work was completed by the author two years later.

Surikov transferred incidents from life to canvases. So it happened with this work. The picture shows the game of the same name. The idea of ​​creation belongs to the younger brother, whom Vasily Ivanovich portrayed standing in a koshevo. Later, experts appreciated the work of Surikov and awarded the canvas with a personalized medal. This event took place at an international exhibition in Paris.

Vasily Ivanovich went to Siberia, where he got acquainted with the life of the Voguls, Khakass, Ostyaks. The study of the life of peoples led to the creation of the painting "The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak Timofeevich". The work was painstaking and finished in 1895. Thus, Surikov worked on the canvas in Siberia, on the Ob River, on the Don.

Upon returning to Krasnoyarsk, the artist has the idea of ​​writing "Crossing the Alps". The image of the military leader Vasily Ivanovich wrote from the retired Cossack officer F.F. Spiridonov. The man worked on the family tree of the Surikov family. Three years later, the sketch was born, but many saw in it not Spiridonov, but the teacher of the gymnasium Grigory Nikolaevich Smirnov. Later, Surikov went to Switzerland to write sketches.

For the centenary of the Italian campaign of Suvorov, Vasily Ivanovich presents a complete picture. The canvas was shown in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and then it went to the imperial collection.

Two versions of Vasily Surikov's painting "Suvorov's Crossing the Alps"

Surikov's painting "Winter in Moscow" took three years to create. The work was officially completed in 1887, shortly before Vasily Ivanovich came up with the idea of ​​creating the painting "Stepan Razin". For almost 3 years the artist painted sketches in Siberia and on the Don, looking for a prototype.

At this time, Surikov had several more paintings in his work. In 1901, the master got acquainted with the Krasnoyarsk revolt, in which the ancestors of Vasily Ivanovich took part. Inspired by this period, the artist created the painting "Krasnoyarsk Riot of 1865". In 1907, Surikov was included in the Union of Russian Artists, but at the same time Vasily Ivanovich left the Association of the Itinerants.

The man listens to the opera and reads books. After acquaintance with the "Household life of Russian queens of the XVI-XVII centuries" by Zabelin, Surikov got the idea of ​​creating a painting "A visit to a princess in a nunnery" in Surikov's head. Vasily Ivanovich was inspired for this by the images of granddaughters.

A trip to Lake Shira prompted Surikov to paint the picture "Princess Olga meets the body of Prince Igor, killed by the Drevlyans". Unfortunately, this work remained only an idea of ​​the author.

In academic circles, the work of Vasily Ivanovich drew sharp criticism. The masters did not understand the "crowding" of the composition, of smeared faces on the canvases. But among the experts there were people who appreciated the artistic ideas of Surikov. Modern creators can study the paintings of Vasily Ivanovich from photos and originals.

Personal life

For a long time, Vasily Surikov looked closely at the granddaughter of the Decembrist Svistunov. A beautiful girl with big dark eyes was called Elizaveta Avgustovna Share. The artist could not resist the beauty of the lady, therefore, on January 25, 1878, the young people entered into a marriage. In the same year, the couple had a daughter, Olga, and two years later, Elena. The talented artist and his muse lived in a small apartment located on Zubovsky Boulevard.

The happiness was short-lived. After 10 years, Elizaveta Avgustovna died suddenly. Heartbroken husband constantly visited his wife in the cemetery, abandoned creativity. Surikov no longer wanted to work. But at some point, the paintings brought Vasily Ivanovich back to life.

Daughter Olga gave her father a granddaughter. In turn, the girl gave birth to two famous people in modern Russia - a film director and a screenwriter and director.

Death

The health of Vasily Ivanovich Surikov at the end of his life left much to be desired. Despite this, the artist goes with P.P. Konchalovsky to Spain to search for creative inspiration. At the same time, a drawing school opened its doors in Krasnoyarsk. Surikov's condition remained poor, but the artist leaves for his homeland to create landscapes.

A year later, due to the deterioration, Vasily Ivanovich was forced to go to Crimea for treatment. In March 1916, terrible news spread around art circles - coronary heart disease killed the talented Surikov. The grave of the Russian artist is located next to the burial place of his wife, at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. In 1959, a historical and biographical film was shot in memory of Vasily Surikov.

Artworks

• 1876 ​​- "View of the Kremlin"
• 1881 - "The Morning of the Streltsy Execution"
• 1884 - "Venice. Cathedral of St. Mark "
• 1887 - "Boyarynya Morozova"
• 1891 - "Taking the Snow Town"
• 1895 - "The conquest of Siberia by Yermak"
• 1899 - "Passage of Suvorov through the Alps"
• 1900 - Stepan Razin
• 1908 - “Crimea. Ai-Petri "
• 1910 - "Girl with braids"
• 1910 - “Seville. Alcazar "

Vasily Ivanovich Surikov was born in 1848 on January 12 (24) in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. Surikov's ancestors are considered one of the founders of the city. They took part in the famous revolt against the tsarist governor Durnovo. In honor of Surikov's grandfather, the Cossack chieftain, one of the islands on the Yenisei was named Atamansky. The artist himself was proud of his Cossack origin, he loved to talk about his brave and freedom-loving ancestors.

The artist's father was a civil servant. Praskovya Fyodorovna Surikova, the artist's mother, also came from the old Cossack Torgoshin family, whose name was given to a whole village on the Yenisei, opposite Krasnoyarsk. The Surikov family did not live well. They had their own small wooden house, built in the thirties. Childhood left an indelible impression on the artist's soul.

In 1854, Surikov's father was transferred by service from Krasnoyarsk to the village of Sukhoi Buzim, and the whole family went with him. “In Buzimovka,” the artist recalled, “I was free to live. The country was unknown. The steppe was unmeasured ... And there were a lot of bears. And Shrovetide festivities and Christos.

In 1856, the parents decided to send Surikov to the preparatory class of the 1st Krasnoyarsk school, settling in the apartment of his aunt, Olga Matveevna Durandina. At first, school life seemed unbearable to the boy. Corporal punishment was practiced at school, teachers were terrifying. Surikov yearned for his family. He decided to run to his family. On the way, he met his mother, who brought him back to school.

Gradually, Surikov got used to the school environment. He studied excellently, moved from class to class with awards, and in 1861 he brilliantly graduated from college. Drawing lessons taught by Nikolai Vasilyevich Grebnev were especially important for the future artist. His merit is that he was able to guess the talent of Surikov at the earliest stage of his development, fervently believed in him, worked a lot with his student. Skrikov recalled Grebnev with a feeling of living gratitude as his initial teacher. Grebnev gave Surikov to copy engravings from paintings by old masters. On Sundays, he took Surikov with him out of town, for sketches. Thanks to Grebnev, Surikov mastered the technique of watercolor painting, in which he subsequently achieved high perfection.

In 1859, Surikov's father died. After that, the family returned to their home in Krasnoyarsk. Life has become more difficult. Surikov had to enter the office in the office. The mother was in charge of the entire household. In addition to the sisters, the artist had a younger brother, Alexander. By family tradition, they all gathered at the table in the evenings. From childhood, Surikov was very curious, interested in life. Laconicism and accuracy of images are inherent in the language of Surikov. These qualities are clearly reflected in his painting.

Not a single work has come down to us from the early Siberian "pre-academic" period of Surikov's life, with the exception of several drawings made from engravings of various paintings "Annunciation" by V. Borovikovsky and "Angel with a censer" by T. Neffor.

In 1866, Surikov's sister Katya got married and settled with her husband in the village of Tes. At the end of the summer, Vasily Surikov went to visit them and worked there, painted 15 sketches from nature. But later the fate of the sketches is unknown.

The Krasnoyarsk society has already become aware of Surikov's outstanding abilities. Gold industrialist P.I. Kuznetsov volunteered to help the artist and sent him to St. Petersburg. There he entered the St. Petersburg Academy. Surikov's first independent work, without mentors, appears in 1870, depicting a St. Petersburg landscape, which greatly impressed the artist when he got acquainted with the city. “I walked for a long time, - recalled Surikov, - to Senate Square - I watched. There the lanterns were burning nearby, and there were glare on the square.” The painting was exhibited at the Academic Exhibition of 1870 and was acquired by the gold miner Kuznetsov.

In 1874, as a program for the Great Gold Medal, Surikov conceived to write "Cleopatra", but limited himself to one, though detailed, sketch. Obviously, even then Surikov began to feel the coldness of academic topics that had nothing to do with his inner world.

A year before graduating from the Academy of Arts, Surikov painted the picture "The Prince's Court" (1874). In it, he captured a scene from ancient Russian folk life. The prince makes reprisals against his subjects. Why the artist stopped on this topic is unknown, just as it is strange how he worked on it. In it, he touched upon the huge topic of breaking up the old way of life. The following year, Surikov wrote a programmatic work that won him the Great Gold Medal: "The Apostle Paul explains the dogmas of faith in the presence of King Agrippa, his sister Berenice and the proconsul Festus" (1875). Large work, about two meters wide, very magnificent work.

In the same year, Surikov graduated from the Academy. He received an order in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which was under construction in Moscow, to paint the four first Ecumenical Councils in four pylons. Surikov had to move to Moscow. After this work, Surikov became the undivided and sovereign master of his life, decisively rejecting further orders and official positions.

Around the same time, Surikov married Elizabeth Avgustovna Share. In his stern heart, there was always a deep affection for his family, wife, children, mother. This great love for loved ones was expressed in the painting "The Morning of the Streltsy Execution". The artist, as it were, personally experienced the terrible human tragedy depicted by him.

The joyful family life that began and the relative material security allowed the artist to devote himself entirely to creativity. In Moscow, Surikov's worldview finally took shape, the special character and style of his historical painting was determined. The artist's work was influenced by the works of the Russian artist Alexander Ivanov.

In 1883, another famous painting by Surikov "Menshikov in Berezovo" appeared. In the same year she was exhibited at the Traveling Exhibition. “Her appearance,” writes Nesterov, “once caused a great disagreement both among artists and among society. Clever, noble, fair, equally demanding of himself and others, Kramskoy, seeing“ Menshikov, ”seemed to be at a loss: having met, going down the stairs, going to meet Surikov, he stopped him, said that "Menshikov" saw that the picture was incomprehensible to him - either it was a genius, or he had not yet mastered it enough. She admires him and insults him with her illiteracy: " Menshikov will get up, then break through the ceiling with his head ... "

However, Surikov deliberately strove to achieve just such an impression of the grandeur of Menshikov's figure. After the dark range of "Menshikov", the painting "Boyarynya Morozova" amazes with its light, very complex tone. The depth of the compositional idea required five years of work from the artist. Even as a child, he heard a story from his aunt about the boyaryna Morozova, which he strongly remembered.

"Boyarynya Morozova" was also at the Traveling Exhibition, after which it settled in the Tretyakov Gallery and took there, according to its merits, a central place.

In the summer of 1887, Surikov and his family traveled to Krasnoyarsk, where he painted a portrait of his mother, which is also in the Tretyakov Gallery.

In early September 1887, the Surikovs returned to Moscow. The artist was burning with new ideas, which were not soon destined to come true. Surikov's poor health wife fell ill in February 1888, and after a two-month serious illness on April 8 she was gone. The artist took this loss unusually hard. He left art.

In the summer, Surikov's brother Alexander came to Moscow. He tried in every possible way to bring the artist back to life, to tear him away from oppressive memories and thoughts. At the end of August, my brother went back to Krasnoyarsk, and the artist was left alone. He again plunged into his heavy thoughts, into the care of his little daughters. He could not work. His mother and brother insisted that he move to Krasnoyarsk. Surikov obeyed this advice, sold the furnishings, destroyed part of the work, retaining only the most valuable ones. He arrived in Krasnoyarsk in May 1889 with his daughters.

During that period, he wrote only one work, "Healing the Man Born Blind by Jesus Christ," for which he expressed an unrelenting spiritual need. And in 1893 Surikov found it possible to show the picture at the Traveling Exhibition. The artist, who devoted all his work to historical dramas, saw that simple fun, courage and laughter also exist in the world. Life opened before him in an unprecedented breadth.

Portraits occupied a special place in Surikov's work. He wrote them in moments of rest. In them, he portrayed simple, ordinary people, not famous for anything, but well known to him and dear to his heart. Surikov's portraits, including self-portraits, are positively striking in their routine. All of them are written as if for a close family and friendly circle.

Surikov never took orders for portraits. But he often departed from the portrait image in his further, purely creative work.

Living in the winter of 1889-90s in Krasnoyarsk, watching the winter entertainment there, Surikov was carried away by the idea of ​​writing "Taking the Snowy City", depicting a favorite Siberian game in which the artist participated with passion in his youth. This game consists in the fact that a horse with a rider must break through a beautifully folded wall of a snow fortress, who is impeded not only by the high wall of the fortress, but also people surrounding the wall from all sides, trying to frighten the horse.

People who were close and familiar to Surikov also posed for the picture. The painting was born in 1891. A new theme arose in this picture - the theme of the broad Cossack nature, the theme of heroism and strength.

In the early autumn of 1890, Surikov moved from Kasnoyarsk to Moscow. He brought the completed Snow Town with him and in the spring of 1891 exhibited it at the Traveling Exhibition. It was bought by the collector V.V. von Meck, and then acquired by the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

In Moscow, Surikov began a new painting "The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak". It took a long time to write. The artist spent the summer of 1891 in Krasnoyarsk, where he collected material for "Ermak". In the winter of 1891-92, the painting was started.

In 1892, Surikov lived in Siberia again. This time he stayed in Tobolsk. Then he went to Minusinsk looking for material. Many studies of the Tatars were written there. Returning to Moscow, Surikov exchanged a small rented room for a spacious apartment. In December 1892, the artist interrupted for a short time from "Ermak" to prepare for the exhibition "Healing of the Born Blind". But already at the beginning of 1894, he told his brother: "Now I again set to work on Ermak ... I am glad that I wrote many sketches for him."

In 1893 Surikov went to the Don to see the Cossacks. There he painted sketches for "Ermak". In the summer of 1894, Surikov collected materials in Siberia, where he also painted sketches.

Many considered this to be Surikov's best work. Indeed, in Ermak, Surikov rose to an extraordinary height of historical insight, even for him.

Over the last two decades of his life, Surikov painted a number of portraits of people close to him and made many sketches of historical compositions. Only two historical paintings were completed: "Suvorov's Crossing the Alps" (1899), and "Stepan Razin" (1906). The latter was the most difficult for Surikov. Many times I changed my mind about the idea and sketches.

In 1911, Surikov turned his thoughts to another leader of the peasant uprising - Yemelyan Pugachev, having completed a drawing depicting Pugachev in a cage. Apparently, this sketch is the only one. Numerous sketches on purely historical themes remained in the artist's legacy, but none of them turned into a painting.

Surikov died in 1916 on March 6 in Moscow and was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery, next to his wife.