Nikolai Pimonenko (1862-1912) was an artist living in the Russian Empire who liked to paint pictures depicting the life and manners of the inhabitants of Malorossiya. One of them became the instigator of a thorough scandal, which spoiled Pimonenko a lot of nerves. What is this picture, because of what all the fuss was and how in general the life of this outstanding artist, we will tell in this article.
Brod
Nicholas was born into the family of the icon painter and carver Kornelius Pimonenko. In his youth he worked a lot on wood, but he was especially good at painting icons and drawing. It was felt that the boy's abilities are great, the main thing is not to let them disappear. Fortunately, his artwork was noticed by the teacher Nikolai Murashko, who put in a good word with a local patron of the arts and paid for his studies at the Kiev Drawing School. But the skills Pimonenko received did not seem enough: he managed to enter the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he studied in the class of landscape painter Orlovsky. And managed to make such a favorable impression that the latter decided to give away his daughter Alexandra for a capable student.
Matchmakers
However, soon problems began: the damp St. Petersburg climate had a disastrous effect on Pimonenko's health, he developed tuberculosis, and doctors strongly advised to change the place of residence. He had to give up everything and return to Kiev again.
Flower girl
There he taught at school Murashko, and at the same time wrote paintings, mostly various genre scenes from the life of Kiev citizens. But gradually decided to move from the image of urban life to the countryside, favor in those years, this theme was popular, thanks to the immortal works of Nikolai Gogol. Many of Pimonenko's paintings resembled illustrations from "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka", only this time they were painted from life and showed how they really lived in the villages of Little Russia.
Christmas Eve fortune-telling
One of the most famous was the painting "Christmas Eve fortune-telling", after which the original artist was also talked about in St. Petersburg. However, he could not return to this city, but regularly sent there for exhibitions his best canvases, for example, "Wedding in Kiev province".
Wedding in Kiev province
In the end, he even received the rank of State Counselor and all the ranks of a self-respecting artist. He joined the Wanderers' Society and was there on good account.
No kidding
He took subjects for some of his paintings from newspapers. One day he read a note that Jewish fanatics killed a girl who dared to marry a man of a different faith. It so impressed Pimonenko that he decided to depict this moment in his painting, however, prudently avoided some overly violent details.
Victim of fanaticism
The popularity of Pimonenko's artwork led to a scandal. The vodka manufacturer Shustov decided to use a reproduction of the painting "To Home" as a label for his vodka without telling the artist a word about it, and certainly without thinking about any copyrights.
To the house
However, itinerant artists began to send angry letters: "how could you let yourself in such a shameful and low deed: to sell the right to print his painting on vodka labels, thus disgracing our entire society.
Pimonenko immediately went to Moscow, met with Shustov, but he only offered a small fee and did not want to refuse to print vodka labels with the picture of the artist. Fortunately, justice prevailed: Pimonenko won the case, and Shustov had to withdraw all bottles with incorrect labels from sale.
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