Apollinarii Vasnetsov (1856-1933) was a Russian artist and scholar-archaeologist, younger brother of Viktor Vasnetsov. And unlike his brother, he believed that painting was not exactly what he wanted to do all his life, but rather a way to visualize scientific research. But Apollinarius drew really well, good artistic talent in the Vasnetsov family had many, just Victor became most famous for his marvelous fairy-tale paintings.
Golden-Headed Moscow
In his childhood Apollinarius tried to draw on anything he could, he painted all the walls with chalk, and when they took it away from him, he picked up a bar of soap. And he sincerely wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, but tragic circumstances intervened.
Ancient Veliky Novgorod
At the age of 13 Apollinarius was left a round orphan. By that time Victor Vasnetsov had entered the Academy of Arts, but he took care of his brother, took him out of the Vyatka Theological School, where Apollinarius had studied against his will and all his life remembered with longing the years spent there, and made an agreement with an Italian artist of Italian origin, Elviro Andriolli, to look after the boy, and at the same time to teach him. Two years later, Apollinarius went to St. Petersburg to Victor, expecting to enter the Academy of Arts. But to study there, it was necessary to obtain a certificate of secondary education. Apollinarius began to study hard and gradually became fascinated by this case, so much so that he decided to enter the Geological Institute, but Victor dissuaded him from this idea.
Mountain Lake
Apollinarius went to Vyatka, joined the Narodniks at a young age and caught fire with their utopian ideas. He got a position as a village teacher and went to the village, to sow reasonable, good, eternal among peasant children. But the reality turned out to be much more prosaic and harsh than the ideas of the Narodniks and Apollinarius himself. A year later, completely disillusioned, he returned to Moscow, although by that time Victor had arrived from abroad and brought Apollinarius into his circle of acquaintances.
Abramtsevo dales
Apollinarius often visited the Mamontov estate Abramtsevo, where the whole color of intellectual Moscow gathered. He made up for the lack of academic education from conversations and arguments, Repin, Kramskoy and Polenov explained to him the basics of painting, and Victor himself could teach him a lot. Apollinarius was accepted into the Society of the Peredvizhniki, and then, sensing the archaic nature of the Peredvizhniki and the reluctance of the old-timers to follow new trends in painting, Apollinarius became one of the founders of the Union of Russian Artists.
Taiga in the Urals. Blue Mountain
His landscapes are well regarded, some of them were purchased by Tretyakov himself. For new impressions Apollinarii travels all over Russia - he was in the Crimea, Siberia, the Urals, the Caucasus. In the 1900s Apollinarius has already received the title of academician of the Academy of Arts, opened a landscape studio there and educated many students. He was a great teacher, and remembering well the years spent in need, he supported his students financially in every possible way.
The messengers. Early morning in the Kremlin. Early 17th century
If Victor became famous for his fairy-tale paintings, then Apollinarius - amazing historical landscapes of old Moscow. And here his passion for archeology came in handy, he literally saw through the ground and through the centuries, so he succeeded in a truly complex genre at the intersection of painting and science. Thanks to Apollinarius, we can vividly visualize how Moscow used to look like. So the younger brother did not shame the honor of the family and lived a truly worthy life, albeit remaining in the shadow of the elder for history.
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