The second half of the 19th century in our country was marked by the creation of magnificent works of art, the authors of which were I. Repin, I. Kramskoy, V. Perov, I. Aivazovsky and many other Russian artists. Mikeshin Mikhail Osipovich in his youth also pleased painting lovers with his works, which are distinguished by dynamism and realism. However, real fame came to him thanks to his monumental sculptural works, which today adorn Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia.
Childhood
Mikeshin Mikhail Osipovich was born in the village of Platonovo (Smolensk province). His father came from the peasant class, but thanks to his business acumen, he managed to become a small landowner. Raising a son was mainly done by mother and grandfather - Dmitry Andreevich. It was they who taught him to play the piano, harp and guitar. In addition, the boy began to visit the local icon painter to learn the basics of his craft.
When the Mikeshin family moved to the nearest county town of Roslavl, Misha entered the parish school, then to the 3-year district school, and after that to the gymnasium.
During his studies, he showed himself to be an exemplary student. In addition, at the insistence of his mother, the boy was also engaged in drawing and music. However, he failed to successfully complete the gymnasium due to the scandalous incident. Shortly before the final exams, he entered the "secret order of misogynists," organized by classmates. Once members of this boyish “organization” gathered in the Mikeshin’s house. Michael did not know that one of his comrades brought vodka with him and poured it into glasses, where there was water for the initiation ceremony. As a result, the boys got drunk and got into a fight. This became known to the leadership of the gymnasium, which excluded the entire company with a “wolf ticket”.
Studying in Petersburg
There was no question of continuing education. In order not to sit idle, Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin got a job as a draftsman on the construction of the Moscow-Warsaw highway. However, he did not leave painting and took drawing lessons from a local artist A. Rokachevsky.
Head of highway construction A. Vonlylyarsky noticed the outstanding abilities of the young man and assisted him in a trip to the Northern capital and admission to the Academy of Arts. Mikeshin quickly overcame the initial stage of training and began to study in the class of battle painting under the guidance of B. Villevalde. Success came to the artist after the first year of training. In particular, his painting “Life Hussars at a Watering Hole” was liked by Emperor Nicholas I, who purchased it for his collection.
Moreover, the young artist was invited to the palace as a teacher of painting of the great princesses, and after he accompanied the youngest son of the tsar - Nikolai Nikolaevich - on trips to Poland, Crimea, Ukraine, Transcaucasia and the Caucasus.
Mikeshin Mikhail Osipovich: biography (1858-1896)
After graduating from the Academy of Arts with a large gold medal, the artist became interested in monumental sculpture. Luck smiled at him, and the very next year he won the competition for projects on the creation of the monument, which was supposed to be installed in Novgorod. The next 3 years he was busy working on this monument, which made it famous throughout the country.
Immediately followed by several proposals for the creation of monuments for installation in different cities of the country. Most of them appealed to citizens, and were also highly praised by specialists.
In 1869, Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin became an academician.
The fame of the country's best monumentalist, firmly entrenched in him, did not prevent the sculptor from looking for other areas of self-expression. In particular, in the years 1876-1878 he began to publish the journal "Bee", where he published his cartoons and memoirs.
Died M. Mikeshin in St. Petersburg in 1896.
Interesting Facts
Information about a person can be given not only by his biography. Mikhail Mikeshin was a man with diverse interests. In many ways, they were formed in childhood, thanks to parents. In particular, the sculptor's love for the depiction of battle scenes was associated with the collection of weapons that his father had recaptured from the French in 1812, when he fought as part of the militia, and later in the partisan brigade of A. S. Figner. Little Misha often took these sabers and rifles without demand, in order to play “war” with his peers.
Mikeshin's biography contains other interesting facts:
- In his first year at the academy, he made a living by sketching labels for goods.
- As a student, Mikeshin came every summer to the Smolensk estate of Vonlylarsky, where he painted the walls of the church of St. Alexander Nevsky.
- Today in Smolensk you can see 2 large granite vases made according to the drawings of Mikeshin for the estate of Vonlylarskikh.
- The sculptor owns sketches of playing card decks on historical themes commissioned by the Imperial Card Factory.
- Mikeshin was an Esperanto enthusiast and in 1892 founded the first Espero Society.
- The artist was famous among the Petersburg intelligentsia and people of art as a witty cartoonist.
Monument in honor of the millennium of Russia
This is his most famous creation, Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin created on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the calling of the Varangians to Russia. The Monument to the Millennium of Russia is a large-scale work depicting the great saints, sovereigns, princes, as well as military leaders and other prominent personalities who glorified Russia.
The sculptural composition consists of three tiers, symbolizing the unity and interconnection of Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality. The monument was inaugurated in Veliky Novgorod in 1862. In work on the monument, Mikeshin was assisted by I. Schroeder and V. Hartmann.
For the creation of the sculptural composition "Millennium of Russia" Mikeshin was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree, and also granted an annual life-long pension of 1,200 rubles.
Monument to Catherine the Second in the Northern Capital
Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin also created a monument in honor of the centennial of the accession to the throne of the most famous woman ruler of the Russian Empire. The monument to Catherine the Great was erected on Alexandria Square in St. Petersburg in 1873. He is a majestic bronze figure of the empress in a beautifully draped mantle, in full growth, with a scepter and a laurel wreath in her hands. At her feet lies a crown, and on the chest depicts the Order of St. St. Andrew the First-Called. On the upper tier of the pedestal of the monument, the sculptor placed 9 figures of the most famous figures of the Catherine era.
Monument to Bogdan Khmelnitsky
This monument, also authored by Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin, has been one of the symbols of the capital of Ukraine for over 120 years. It was installed in honor of the great hetman of the Zaporizhzhya army, which is one of the initiators of the incorporation of a significant part of the lands of the Dnieper and Little Russia into the Russian Empire. The grand opening of the monument was timed to the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. He portrays Bogdan Khmelnitsky sitting on a soared hot stallion. With one hand, the hetman tames his horse, and in the second holds a mace pointing to the northeast.
It is interesting that, according to the initial project of the sculptor, the stallion Bogdan Khmelnitsky pushed the nobleman, Jesuit and Jewish tenant from the cliff, in front of which were the figures of Little Russian, Chervonoross, Great Russian and Belarusian, listening to the song of the blind kobzar.
Monument to M. Yu. Lermontov
Mikeshin Mikhail Osipovich, whose sculptures were highly appreciated by contemporaries, is the author of the monument, installed in St. Petersburg, in the square in front of the main building of the Nikolaev Cavalry School. The creation of this monument was given to the famous master with great difficulty, as he became the object of criticism because of the choice of the stone for the pedestal, as well as the “inappropriate” clothes in which the bronze figure of the seated Lermontov was dressed.
Monument to Ataman Ermak in Novocherkassk
The creations created by Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin can be seen not only in the capital and in St. Petersburg. For example, on the Cathedral Square of Novocherkassk there is a monument to the ataman Yermak. The sculpture is mounted on a massive granite block. Ermak holds the crown in his right hand, which symbolizes the conquest of Siberia for the Russian Tsar, and in his left hand squeezes the camp banner.
Now you know what works Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin created. A brief biography of the famous sculptor and artist is also known to you. She is an example of how a young man from the hinterland became famous and reached the heights of the profession thanks to talent and hard work.