Among the most outstanding masters of Russian painting at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the name of Mikhail Vasilyevich Nesterov is deservedly mentioned. The paintings of this painter and graphic artist at the dawn of his creative activity were appreciated by the Wanderers and artists from the World of Art, and at the end of his life the Soviet authorities also noted him with awards.
He lived a life filled to the brim with intense creative work.
A long way of working
He was born in Ufa, in a merchant family, in 1862. The legend about the miracle that happened with the baby Mikhail, when he fell ill and was near death, has been preserved. His relatives had already ordered a requiem, and his mother laid on his chest the icon of the holy Orthodox, Tikhon Zadonsky. The disease receded, and the child recovered, and the artist lived for 80 years, worked until the last hour, and rarely felt the need to see a doctor.
Parents did not insist on the commercial future of their son, when it became clear that he had obvious drawing abilities. It is to them that the future master owes that he passed a magnificent school of draftsman and painter at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. One of his favorite teachers was the great Vasily Perov. Nesterov's first significant works - paintings on domestic and historical subjects - became similar in spirit to the paintings of leading artists from the Wanderers' Partnership and were highly appreciated by them.
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The tragedy experienced by Mikhail Vasilievich at the age of 24 affected the attitude to life and the choice of the main directions of creativity. At the birth of a daughter, the artist’s young beloved wife, Maria Ivanovna Martynovskaya, died. The shock experienced by him found expression in attempts to capture the image of the departed on the canvases. Since then, many female images created by the artist had the features of Nesterov’s deceased wife. The paintings “The Bride of Christ”, “Queen”, illustrations and paintings of temples made at that time allowed those who watched his art to talk about the special “female Nesterov” type created by the master.
The life of the saints who became the support for Orthodox people is another direction in the work of Nesterov. Paintings dedicated to the images of martyrs for true faith, among which the great old man Sergius of Radonezh, was beloved, the master considered his best works.
"Vision to the Youth Bartholomew"
Bartholomew - that was the name of Sergius of Radonezh to be tonsured. Once a youth appeared in a monastic form. The elder learned from Bartholomew about his desire to learn how to read and “blessed him to understand literacy and in commemoration of the grace of God gave him a particle of prosphora. ... And he surpassed in the letter of his brothers and peers. "
An amazing atmosphere was created on the canvas of Nesterov. The description of the picture of the meeting between the shepherd and the heavenly messenger is filled with unearthly light. The face of the holy elder is hidden by a robe and is not visible to the viewer. We understand the divine goodness emanating from him by the face of the boy more than by the dimly glowing halo. The main content of the canvas is a mystical mood, created among other things by stunning scenery. The autumn forest, the slope, the wooden church, the bend of the river - everything is familiar to the Russian gaze, but the artist fills this picture with the music of heaven.
Not everyone understood the artist Nesterov in this masterpiece . Pictures with such an unearthly meaning were not accepted to be exhibited at the exhibitions of the Wanderers. Democratically-minded art criticism condemned the ideological implication of the canvas, but Nesterov’s greatest artistry was seen by everyone.
"Nesterovsky" landscape
The natural environment on the canvases of the master plays a very large role. For a long time Nesterov dreamed of a joint exhibition with I. Levitan - they were connected by friendship and a similar look at Russian nature. Most often, he turns to the northern or middle strip of Russia: he does not have brightness and a riot of color, but the strength of the impression of his landscapes does not decrease from this. She is in spirituality, read in every tree, in every birch, written in the way that only Nesterov could do.
“Hermit” (1888), “Silence” (1903), “Holy Russia” (1905), “Philosophers” (1917) - in all the artist's paintings the Russian spirit, like Russian nature, is not aggressive, but it fills any contemplating soul. This particular look was the master’s most important contribution to Russian culture.
Honesty and work
Among those who after October 1917 remained in Russia and did not emigrate, was M.V. Nesterov. His paintings before the revolution did not answer the mood and content of the time, but the respect that the artist enjoyed for his work and talent was too great.
He continued to work - to paint and educate students, now more engaged in portraiture. He did not hide his beliefs, did not flirt with the authorities, so it is difficult to call his life devoid of problems, including material ones. Repression severely hit his daughter, whose husband was shot, and she herself was arrested.
He himself was defended by a big name and authority among colleagues in the profession, and constant occupations by his beloved business served as a reliable life support. In the end, even the authorities recognized his talent and hard work. The artist Nesterov, whose paintings depicting prominent figures of science and art, was highly appreciated by specialists and ordinary spectators, in 1941 received the Stalin Prize for the famous portrait of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov. Later he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
But the title that Nesterov cherished above all, sounds simpler, but much more significant - a real Russian artist.