Alexander Ivanov (1806-1858) - Russian artist-academic, who painted the epochal painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”, which everyone can see in the Tretyakov Gallery. But his work is not limited to this far from the most successful painting, on which he worked for 20 years, he had other, perhaps not so large-scale, but no less significant for Russian art works. We will talk about the work and life of Alexander Ivanov in this article.
The Appearance of Christ to the People
Alexander comes from St. Petersburg. Alexander's father, the painter Andrei Ivanov, taught at the Academy of Arts and very much hoped that his son would continue his work. Alexander received an excellent home education, good his father had the opportunity to invite to him professors from the Academy. At the age of 11 he began to study at the Academy of Arts. They taught there thoroughly and for a long time: 15 years, of which 9 in the educational school and 6 directly in the Academy. Sometimes there were exceptions, but rarely. The best students at the expense of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists could go abroad, usually to Italy, to improve their skills.
In general, all students of the Educational School lived under the strict supervision of teachers and educators, making sure that they did not do something bad. But for Alexander, thanks to the patronage of his father, was made an exception: he lived at home, practiced in his father's art studio and soon began to show remarkable success. Some teachers suspected that he helped his father, bringing to the right level of student sketches, but they could not prove anything, and no one wanted to quarrel with an influential colleague.
"Priam asking Achilles for Hector's body"
At the age of 18, Ivanov painted and showed at the Academy a picture on the eternal academic plot of Priam and Achilles, based on an episode from Homer's Iliad. But at the same time, he depicted the full range of human emotions, making the characters more lively and natural. The innovation was liked, and Ivanov was awarded a small gold medal.
Joseph in prison interprets dreams for Pharaoh's courtiers
Then there was the painting about Joseph interpreting dreams, which was awarded a large gold medal. It was praised by critics, and Ivanov became the main candidate for a trip abroad from the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. However, he had to paint another painting on the subject of Bellerophon. According to the artist's friend Mikhail Botkin, this was a kind of "lice test" - it was necessary to prove that Alexander himself, and not his father, painted the paintings. Time passed, but Alexander never started working on the painting. He had no time for painting: the young man fell in love with the charming daughter of a music teacher and seriously considered marrying her, even if this meant giving up his trip abroad. But thanks to his father's admonitions, he changed his mind, returned to the painting and gave up marriage in order to definitely get the coveted trip and build a brilliant career as an artist. Perhaps this was a mistake that determined his entire future destiny.
Bellerophon sets out on a campaign against the Chimera
In 1830 Ivanov went to Italy. He was given clear instructions, according to which he had to study the works of the old masters, make copies of frescoes by Michelangelo and only two years later to write his painting.
Ivanov decided to focus on the Gospel scene of Christ's appearance to Mary Magdalene, and by 1835 this painting was finished. It was highly appreciated by St. Petersburg critics and viewers, especially noting the successful depiction of the image of Jesus Christ. The painting was presented to Emperor Nicholas I, and Ivanov received the title of academician of painting.
The Appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection
True, Ivanov himself wrote that he was not at all happy with this title, since ranks had no meaning for him, but he could not refuse it, so as not to offend those who were honored. However, most likely, there were purely practical considerations here: along with the title, a significant increase in salary was also due. The artist could now fully concentrate on creativity, without being distracted by daily earnings, and, finally, he could realize his idea: to paint a truly titanic picture, which had not yet been seen in Russian painting. For this, he bought a huge canvas 7.5 meters long and 5.4 meters high and mounted it on a stretcher. Friends advised him to abandon the idea, but Ivanov did not listen to them.
Olive tree, Ariccia Valley
And so the enormous work began. In search of inspiration, Ivanov traveled around Italy, made many sketches of landscapes and local inhabitants. He even tried to ask the Society for funds for a trip to the East, but he was refused: "Raphael had never been anywhere except Italy, but he painted wonderful pictures." The artist's studio was even visited by Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich. Ivanov showed him a canvas with the outlines of the future masterpiece, and the Tsarevich left pleased with the visit, at the same time extending his allowance for another three years. Ivanov gave him several genre watercolors.
Ave Maria
But gradually the money ran out, and Ivanov did not want to earn money from commissions like all other artists. He even had to cut some expenses. He led an ascetic life: he got up at five in the morning and immediately began to work. For each character in the painting, he created several sketches, trying to achieve the ideal, so that he could put his creation on a par with the masterpieces of Raphael and da Vinci.
The Appian Way at sunset
However, his striving for perfection was not understood by everyone, and more and more people considered Ivanov a freak. Ivanov began to shun people, leading a withdrawn and reclusive life. He closed his studio for spectators, although previously willingly received guests. Do not add up and personal life: Ivanov fell in love with an Italian girl, but she preferred to marry someone else, not for the odd, by all accounts, the Russian artist. Ivanov began to avoid people more and more, he even had paranoid suspicions that he wanted to be poisoned.
Seven boys
Finally, in 1858, the painting was completed. Ivanov took it to St. Petersburg, which was an adventure in itself, since the enormous canvas did not fit anywhere. Patrons helped by paying for a separate open platform on the train. Finally, the painting was delivered to St. Petersburg, where it was exhibited in the Winter Palace. Formally, it was considered a success, Alexander II purchased it and he also appointed a solid stipend to the artist. Although more and more critics were inclined to believe that the painting was already hopelessly outdated. This is the last great creation of Russian academicism, with all the conventions and limitations inherent in the movement. Ivanov himself understood that the painting was not a masterpiece, rather just a solid work on a religious subject, and those 20 years could have been spent much more usefully. But what was lost can no longer be returned. He soon died of cholera and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery, remaining in history as that same eccentric artist who spent 20 years painting one picture.
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