The artist Alexander Andreevich Ivanov is known for his paintings on biblical and antique themes. He worked in an academic art style, and his canvases amaze with their realism and composition. About the paintings of Alexander Andreevich Ivanov, his biography and unusual facts in it will be discussed in this article.
Biography
Alexander Andreevich Ivanov was born in 1806. His father was a professor of painting and worked at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Already at the age of eleven, Alexander enters the academy as an “outsider” student. He studied with the support and supervision of his father, as well as the Society for the Promotion of Artists.
In 1824, Alexander Andreevich Ivanov received a small gold medal for one of his paintings, and three years later, a large academy medal. Seeing the artist’s abilities, the society of trustees decides to send him abroad for the development and improvement of talent. However, before that, he was ordered to write a painting on an antique theme, which he finished in 1830. This is a painting called Joseph Interpreting Dreams.
Travel to Europe
Alexander Ivanov went to Europe, first to Germany, where he stayed in Dresden for a while, and then went to Rome. Upon arrival in Italy, the artist almost immediately begins to work and develop his talent. First of all, Ivanov copied Michelangelo Buanarotti's “Creation of Man” fresco located in the Sistine Chapel. He also improved his Bible writing skills and studied the gospel and the New Testament.
As the master himself said, it was during his stay in Italy that he had the idea to create a large-scale canvas about the appearance of Jesus Christ in the world. In the years 1834-1835 he painted the painting “The Appearance of the Risen Jesus Christ to Mary Magdalene”. After finishing work on it, the public of Rome very highly appreciated the result.
In 1836, the canvas was sent to St. Petersburg, where after rave reviews from critics and the public, the artist was awarded the title of academician of painting. This work became a kind of preparation for writing a large-scale canvas dedicated to Jesus.
Main creation
Inspired by the success, the artist takes up the writing of a new work - the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”. The master began to write it in 1837, and finished only after 20 years. The artist worked on a painting in Italy, where he simultaneously developed his skills, studying the work of Renaissance artists and stuffing his hand in copying them.
While working on the painting, Alexander Andreevich Ivanov wrote more than 600 sketches from life. It was not only large-scale, but also very painstaking work. The artist himself called the plot of the canvas "worldwide." The canvas has a deep meaning, in addition to the very appearance of the Savior in front of the people, there is a special symbolism in it, which shows humanity during such an important moment.
In the center is John the Baptist, who performs the rite of baptism in the Jordan, and also points out to all the approaching Christ. Several apostles are depicted next to the Baptist: Peter, Andrew the First-Called, young John the Theologian, and also Nathanael, who is called a doubter.
In the foreground, you can see the elders and young men, which in the symbolism of painting means an ongoing life. In the figure closest to Christ, one can catch a resemblance to the portrait of N.V. Gogol. A. Ivanov will create his separate version in 1841.
An interesting fact is that in a wanderer with a staff, which is located on the canvas near John, you can find out the features of the artist himself. Despite the fact that the picture has a rich multi-figure, in general, it is perfectly balanced. In addition to beautifully drawn faces and figures of characters, the work has an excellent color palette and realism.
The fate of the canvas
After completing work on the painting, the artist in 1858 decided to send it to St. Petersburg to a strict court of critics and art lovers. He also decides to go to the capital, and after delivering the painting she is exhibited in one of the showrooms of the Academy of Arts. The exhibition itself made a serious impression on the audience and caused a lot of positive and admired reviews.
A month after arriving in St. Petersburg, the artist died. A few hours after the news of his death, Emperor Alexander II purchased the canvas for 15 thousand rubles, which was a very impressive amount at that time. After the purchase, he donated the painting to the Rumyantsev Museum, but after a while it was moved from the Northern capital to Moscow and was located in the Pashkov house. The museum was forced to build a separate hall to demonstrate the canvas.
Currently, this painting by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov is in the Tretyakov Gallery, sketches and sketches for it are located there, as well as in the State Russian Museum.
Reason unknown
As mentioned earlier, A. A. Ivanov created a portrait of the great Russian writer N. V. Gogol. However, for unknown reasons, Gogol did not like the portrait. He is also silent about them in correspondence with his friend Pogodin. Most likely, we will not find out about the true reasons for the dislike of our portrait by a great writer.
It is known that the artist created two portraits of the writer, one almost identical to the other, with only a slight difference. Currently, one of them is in the Tretyakov Gallery, and the other in the Russian Museum. The portrait is distinguished by realism and naturalness, while it is devoid of any solemnity. It seems to be showing the real Gogol, and not a festive picture.
During his life, A. A. Ivanov created a huge number of works that are highly valued not only in Russia, but also in the rest of the cultural world. He was often called modern Raphael or Michelangelo. One can say for sure that this was one of the greatest masters of his time, who managed to leave a mark in the cultural and artistic world.