Kuindzhi Arkhip Ivanovich Master of landscape painting Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi painting reproductions

Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi (at the birth of Kuyumdzhi; (15 (27) January 1841, according to another version 1842, the town of Karasu (Karasevka), Mariupol district, Yekaterinoslav province, Russian Empire - July 11 (24), 1910, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire) - Russian artist of Urum origin, master of landscape painting.

Arkhip Kuindzhi (translated from the Turkic Urum surname Kuyumdzhi means "goldsmith") was born in Mariupol (modern Donetsk region of Ukraine) in the Karasu quarter, in the family of a poor shoemaker. In the metric, he was listed under the name Yemendzhi - "working man." The boy lost his parents early and was brought up by his aunt and paternal uncle. With the help of relatives, Arkhip learned Greek grammar from a Greek teacher, then, after homework, he attended the city school for some time. According to the recollections of his comrades, he studied poorly, but even then he was fond of painting and painted on any suitable material - on walls, fences and scraps of paper.

The boy lived in great poverty, so from early childhood he was employed - grazing geese, served with the contractor Chabanenko on the construction of the church, where he was instructed to keep records of bricks, then served with the grain merchant Amoretti. It was the latter (according to another version, it was his acquaintance, the grain merchant Durante) who once noticed Arkhip's drawings and advised him to go to the Crimea to the famous painter Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky. In the summer of 1855, Kuindzhi arrived in Feodosia and tried to become an apprentice to the artist, but he was only instructed to grind paint and paint the fence. A little help in painting was provided to Arkhip Ivanovich only by a young relative of Aivazovsky, who copied the paintings of the master and then visited him. After two months of living in Feodosia, Arkhip returned to Mariupol, where he began working as a retoucher for a local photographer, but a few months later he left for Odessa, where he again took up retouching. Three years later, in 1860, the young man left for Taganrog, where until 1865 he worked as a retoucher in the photographic studio of S. S. Isakovich (Petrovskaya street, 82). At the same time, he tried to open his own photography studio, but to no avail.

In 1865, Kuindzhi decided to enter the Academy of Arts and left for St. Petersburg, however, the first two attempts were unsuccessful. Finally, he created the painting "Tatar saklya in the Crimea", written under the obvious influence of Aivazovsky, which has not survived to this day, which he exhibited at an academic exhibition in 1868. As a result, on September 15, the Council of the Academy of Arts awarded Kuindzhi the title of a free artist. However, only after applying to the Academic Council was he allowed to take examinations in major and special subjects to obtain a diploma. In 1870, Kuindzhi received the title of non-class artist and on the third attempt became a volunteer at the Imperial Academy of Arts. At this time, he met the Wanderers, among whom were I. N. Kramskoy and I. E. Repin. This acquaintance had a great influence on Kuindzhi's work, marking the beginning of his realistic perception of reality.

Passion for the ideas of the Wanderers led Kuindzhi to create such works as "Autumn thaw" (1872, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), for which he received the title of class artist, "The Forgotten Village" (1874, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), "Chumatsky tract in Mariupol" (1875, State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). These paintings were dominated by the social idea, the desire to express their civic feelings, so they were painted in dark gloomy colors. True, the last picture stood out among them and other Wandering landscapes with a more diverse range of colors and complicated color solutions, which somewhat relieved the feeling of heaviness and dullness and introduced a touch of sympathy for the depicted heroes into the work. All these works were exhibited as part of the exhibitions of the Association of the Wanderers and were a great success. They started talking about Kuindzhi and his work, and, believing in his own strength, he stopped attending classes at the Academy.

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Artist Arkhip Kuindzhi is a world-famous master of landscape painting, the author of amazing paintings with an amazing fate. However, his fate is very similar to the fate of most Russian artists of the nineteenth century.

Biography of the artist Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi

Arkhip Kuindzhi

There is no reliable information about the date and place of birth of Arkhip Ivanovich. Someone claims that the future artist was born in January 1841, according to other sources, this event took place in 1842.

Approximately the same "reliable" information is available about the name of the painter. In the metric about the birth of a child, the surname Emendzhi (translated as “working person”) appears, and later Emendzhi turned into Kuindzhi (translated from Urum - goldsmith).

This is the same version about the Greek roots of the artist. Rather, it is possible, with a high degree of certainty, to talk about Tatar roots.

The artist's brother took the name Zolotarev.

However, Arkhip Ivanovich himself always called himself Russian.

Now back to the childhood of the artist.

The artist Arkhip Kuindzhi was born into the family of a poor shoemaker. In early childhood, Arkhip Ivanovich became an orphan and lived in the family of his uncle. The family was very poor and the boy worked from early childhood - shepherd geese, worked in construction, served in a bakery.

He studied privately with a Greek teacher, and for some time attended classes at a real school. Subsequently, Arkhip's comrades recalled that he did poorly and the only subject that fascinated the boy was drawing. Kuindzhi drew not only on paper, but also on the walls of buildings, on the school fence, etc.

The baker Amoretti, for whom Kuindzhi worked, saw Arkhip's drawings and advised Kuindzhi to go to Ivan Aivazovsky in the Crimea and become a student of the famous artist.

In the summer of 1855, the future artist reached Feodosia on foot. Not close at all. Crimean landscapes simply fascinated Arkhip. But, Aivazovsky was not in the Crimea at that time, and Kuindzhi turned for help to Adof Fessler, who worked for Aivazovsky as a copyist. Fessler was sympathetic to Arkhip's desire to study and became the first real teacher of painting in the boy's life.

Kuindzhi stayed at Aivazovsky's house for several months: he studied and waited for the return of the famous artist. However, Aivazovsky did not see talent in a modest, shy boy and refused to take classes with Kuindzhi. Aivazovsky instructed Arkhip to mix paints and ordered ... to paint the fence around his house.

Disappointed and simply destroyed by such a cold reception, Kuindzhi set off on his way back to a bakery in Mariupol.

However, in Mariupol, Arkhip found a job as a retoucher with a local photographer. Arkhip worked in a photo studio for several months, saved up some money and moved to Odessa, where he again got a job as a retoucher, but already with an Odessa photographer. Then there was Taganrog and again the work of a retoucher. Arkhip even tried to open his own photography studio, but to no avail.

It took 10 years to retouch other people's photos, to experience the failure that befell him with Aivazovsky. And finally, in 1865, Kuindzhi decided to enter the Imperial Academy of Arts.

Petersburg met the future artist very coolly - two attempts to enter the academy ended sadly. It seemed that the failures would break Arkhip, but he did not leave painting and in 1868 offered his painting “Tatar saklya in the Crimea” for an academic exhibition.

On September 15, 1868, the Council of the Academy of Arts awarded Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi the title of a free artist.

However, the artist had to apply to the same Council for permission to take examinations for a diploma.

Two years later, in 1870, Kuindzhi received the title of non-class artist.

Three times the artist passed exams for the right to become a volunteer of the academy and, in the end, he achieved this right.

During this period, Arkhip Ivanovich became friends with I.E. Repin and I.N. Kramskoy. This meeting played a big role in the creative destiny of the artist - he was carried away by the ideas of wandering. And the result of this passion was the painting "Autumn thaw", "Forgotten village" and "Chumatsky tract in Mariupol". The last two paintings very quickly ended up in the Tretyakov Gallery, and for the "Autumn thaw" Arkhip Kuindzhi was awarded the title of class artist.

forgotten village

Chumatsky tract in Mariupol

autumn thaw

All three works were exhibited at the exhibition of the Association of the Wanderers and made a splash - they started talking about Kuindzhi and his works.

The artist, finally, believed in his talent, in his strength. And he stopped attending classes at the Academy.

However, Kuindzhi was not so carried away by the ideas of wandering to completely abandon the vision of his path in painting.

In the early seventies, the artist often visited the island of Valaam (it was a favorite place for St. Petersburg landscape painters) and painted two very interesting landscapes: "On the Island of Valaam" and "Lake Ladoga".

On the island of Valaam

Ladoga lake

You do not think that in a few years of creativity, only two landscapes were painted. "On the Island of Valaam" and "Lake Ladoga" became another stage in the artist's work - it was a breakthrough in the itinerant landscape, or rather a departure from the itinerant movement. Realistic nature with romantic elements. And wandering does not imply romanticism.

1873 was a very successful year for the artist. This is the success of the Valaam landscapes, and the exhibiting of the painting "Snow" at the exhibition of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. And again a huge success. In 1874, the painting "Snow" received a bronze medal at an international exhibition in London.

In 1875, the artist leaves for France, but is engaged, to a greater extent, not in painting, but in ordering a wedding tailcoat. From childhood, poor years, Arkhip was in love with the daughter of a wealthy Mariupol merchant, Vera Ketcherdzhi-Shapovalova. And then a miracle happened - the beauty (and her parents) agreed to this marriage.

After the wedding, the young people leave for Valaam. In this happy year, the artist painted "The Steppe" and his famous "Ukrainian Night". Art historians say that the romantic period in the artist's work began with the "Ukrainian Night". And I think that the romantic period began with the wedding and the appearance in the life of the artist of his Faith.

Ukrainian night

Steppe. Niva

In 1875, Kuindzhi was accepted into the Association of the Wanderers, but he was already far from the ideas of the Wanderers. He does not want to open the ulcers and interpret life. Kuindzhi has a different view of painting and its place - to show beauty and enjoy beauty.

In 1878, the young couple went to Paris for the World Exhibition. Kuindzhi's works delight Parisians and guests of the exhibition. Critics all over the world speak and write about the talented Russian artist.

Returning from the exhibition, Arkhip Ivanovich begins to write "Evening in Ukraine". He will paint this picture for 23 years.

Evening in Ukraine

In March 1879 A.I. Kuindzhi finally breaks off his relationship with the Association of the Wanderers. The reason for the break was an article by an unknown author in one of the newspapers. The author was very critical of the work of the Wanderers, but Kuindzhi was subjected to special derogatory criticism. It soon became clear that the author of the article was M.K. Klodt.

At the meeting, Kuindzhi demanded that Klodt be expelled from the ranks of the Wanderers, but the meeting refused to satisfy this demand. And then he left the Association. A.I. Kuindzhi.

And soon Kuindzhi arranged, in the Society for the Encouragement of Artists, an exhibition of just one painting. The painter thought out this unusual exhibition to the smallest detail: the windows in the hall were draped, and the picture (it was “Moonlight Night on the Dnieper”) was illuminated with a beam of electric light.

Moonlit night on the Dnieper

The exhibition was an unprecedented success and caused a real stir in the world.

Alas, the picture was painted with paints based on bitumen. Subsequently, it turned out that asphalt paints decompose and darken under the intense influence of light and air.

The painting was purchased by Grand Duke Konstantin, who simply fell in love with this landscape and decided to take it with him on a trip around the world. Under the influence of sea air and light, the composition of paints has changed ... And today we have the opportunity to admire not the pristine beauty that so impressed the audience 150 years ago, but only the echoes of beauty. However, art historians say that even today the picture is striking in its depth, power and beauty.

Inspired by the success of Kuindzhi in 1881, he arranges an exhibition of one painting for the Birch Grove. And again success.

Birch Grove

In 1882, the exhibition of the painting "Dnepr in the Morning" ended in failure. Public skepticism, cool reviews of art historians and critics.

Dnieper in the morning

In the same year, the artist arranges an exhibition of two paintings: "Birch Grove" and "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper". And for many years he retires in his workshop.

What happened and why did the artist choose voluntary seclusion at the height of his fame? There is no answer to this question.

In 1886, not far from the village of Kikeneiz (in the Crimea), the Kuindzhi family acquired 245 acres of land, built a hut on this site and enjoyed serene happiness. Some time later, a small family estate, Sara Kikeneis, appears in this place.

Many years later, the artist will bring his students to the estate in the open air.

In 1901, Kuindzhi renounced voluntary seclusion and showed, at first only to students and friends, and then to the public, four of his paintings: the completed "Evening in Ukraine", the new "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane", the third version of "Birch Grove" and already once unsuccessfully shown "Dnepr in the morning".

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane

The audience was absolutely delighted!

In November 1901, the artist arranges a large public exhibition of works. This was the last exhibition. More A.I. Kuindzhi did not show his works to the public.

After the November exhibition, "Rainbow", "Red Sunset", "Night" and other works of the artist were painted. But the public saw these paintings after the death of the painter.

If the artist did not exhibit his work, then what income did he live on?

At the very peak of his fame and financial well-being, Kuindzhi bought a large house in St. Petersburg (on Vasilyevsky Island), renovated it and turned the house into a profitable one, i.e. intended for renting apartments, as they would say now. This house gave the artist a very decent income. In 1904, Kuindzhi donated 100,000 rubles to the Academy for the issuance of 24 annual awards. There were other significant donations as well.

And the Kuindzhi family lived quite modestly.

In the summer of 1910, in the Crimea, the artist fell ill with pneumonia. At the insistence of the doctors, the wife transported her sick husband to St. Petersburg, but the doctors were powerless. In July 1910, the artist died. He was buried at the Smolensk cemetery in St. Petersburg.

And Vera Leontievna Kuindzhi outlived her husband by 10 years. She died in 1920 from starvation.

I have collected a small gallery of the artist's work. I hope that you will enjoy the work of the great Russian landscape painter.

Paintings by Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi

After the rain

Darial Gorge. Moonlight night

sunset effect

Sea. Crimea

Fishing in the Black Sea

Cypress trees on the seashore. Crimea

Elbrus in the evening

Elbrus. Moonlight night

Forest Lake. Cloud

View of St. Isaac's Cathedral by moonlight

Sunset in the steppe

Spots of moonlight in the forest. Winter

Flower garden. Caucasus

There are no talented artists in history who would have lived an ordinary, inexpressive life, full of happiness and success. This is because talent is always the same, always ahead of time, always in need of like-minded people. But against the general difficult and tragic background, Kuindzhi's life looks quite successful and happy. But this is only at first glance.

The son of the Greek shoemaker Kuindzhi Arkhip early became an orphan. Greek families are large, so the future artist managed to escape the shelter. He was brought up in his uncle's house and did not feel at least something deprived. He never received a systematic education, despite the fact that his guardians made efforts to ensure that Arkhip received an education. The boy was interested in only one thing in the world - painting, or drawing. His brothers on the school desk recalled that nothing could tear Arkhip away from his favorite pastime. As a basis for his artistic experiments, young Kuindzhi used everything that caught his eye: fences, walls, a sandy beach, billboards. There was no time for study.

The family where Arkhip Kuindzhi was brought up was large, but not at all rich. Therefore, the future great master was accustomed to work from a very young age. He worked at construction sites, in shops, bakeries. It was in the bakery that the owner, a friend of the guardian, drew attention to his passion for drawing. On his advice, Arkhip goes to the Crimea, to Aivazovsky, to ask for a student.

I did not see special inclinations in a young and impudent teenager and suggested that he paint the fence and generally help with the housework. Only the brother of the great marine painter descended to the training of Arkhip. He gave several lessons to the young Greek. Three years of stay in the studio of Aivazovsky did not pass meaninglessly. Kuindzhi (the name change was due to its Turkish sound, which did not make life easier for an artist in Russia) learned to mix paints and even create his own shades, which earned respect even from the great master.

At the age of 17, Arkhip was hinted that it was time to start an independent life. He did just that, getting a job in the workshop of ... a photographer! For five years, Kuindzhi painstakingly retouched the negatives of a famous photographer. The successes in this difficult task were so brilliant that Arkhip was strongly advised to think about opening his own photo studio. The businessman from Arkhip did not work out, but an idea was born ...

In 1865, at the age of 24, Kuindzhi left for St. Petersburg. He is trying to get into the art academy. Unsuccessfully. The next attempt was also in vain. For the third time, Kuindzhi went to the exams, taking with him his first independent painting. The selection committee, having carefully studied the canvas (the painting has not been preserved, only the name is known - "Tatar saklya in the Crimea"), came to the conclusion that the author could well be awarded the title of "free artist". The title provided opportunities, but did not provide income. It is known that Kuindzhi was admitted to the Academy only two years later.

The academy was not completed. As soon as Kuindzhi's skill was recognized by the public and criticism, Arkhip considered his education completed. The 70s of the XIX century became the heyday of the artist's work. Each new work was received with extraordinary admiration. Criticism choked with delight, the public poured into the exhibition.

It was at this time that the happy marriage of Kuindzhi to the daughter of a wealthy merchant, the triumphant joining of the Wanderers group, the search for new shades and ways of depicting light fell. It was the ability to convey light in Kuindzhi's paintings that attracted and surprised the most. The artist was the first to arrange mono-exhibitions in darkened rooms, achieving striking effects with the help of a beam of electric light directed at the picture.

Society expected only masterpieces from the master and nothing more. A decade of hard work exhausted the artist. His painting "Dnepr in the Morning" did not cause a stir, the criticism accepted the work very coolly. For Kuindzhi, this was a tragedy. The artist breaks with the "wanderers" and ceases to exhibit paintings. The retreat lasted 20 years...

All this time, Kuindzhi has been working hard, teaching a class at the Academy, but not exhibiting a single work. Researchers are still at a loss as to the reasons for such a long "silence". Various versions are put forward: from a banal creative crisis to an intense search for a new style. One thing is known, during this period the artist creates about two hundred sketches, which today are accepted as finished works and impeccable examples of Russian impressionism.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the "silence" is broken. The master exhibits several works at once and makes a splash. The last years of Kuindzhi's life are unusually eventful. He works at the Academy, often travels to the open air, and is actively involved in charity work.

Kuindzhi's generosity is admirable. He finances the working trips of young artists to Europe, establishes scholarships for students of the Academy, and creates his own fund. These were years of recognition, fame and prosperity.

Kuindzhi died of pneumonia, which he managed to pick up in the hot summer of 1910 in the Crimea.

You can see the landscapes of one of the brightest domestic artists of the XIX century. Get ready for the exhibition and read the article by art historian Inna Pulikova about five paintings that determined Kuindzhi's creative path.

"Autumn thaw", 1870-1872

Arkhip Kuindzhi was born in Mariupol in a poor family of a Greek shoemaker. The exact year of birth is unknown: different dates were indicated in Kuindzhi's documents - from 1840 to 1843. He was orphaned early and was raised by relatives on his father's side. Kuindzhi was fond of drawing since childhood, and one day his drawings were noticed by a grain merchant for whom Arkhip worked. He invited the young artist to go to Feodosia to Ivan Aivazovsky and provided him with a letter of recommendation. However, the famous painter did not take the boy as a student.

After working for some time as a retoucher in photo shops in different cities, Kuindzhi moved to St. Petersburg. Researchers disagree on whether he was an official student of the Academy of Arts, however, they confirm that in 1868 Kuindzhi presented his works at an academic exhibition. Then the Council of the Academy recognized him as worthy of the title of a free artist, and two years later - an out-of-class artist.

In the late 1860s, he met the Wanderers and wrote a number of works influenced by their idea of ​​depicting reality as it is. The genre landscape "Autumn Thaw", written in that period, brought him the title of a class artist.

"On the island of Valaam", 1873

In the early 1870s, many artists were attracted by the harsh and beautiful nature of Valaam Island on Lake Ladoga. Kuindzhi also visited there - romantic views of the Russian North appeared in his paintings “Lake Ladoga” and “Valaam”. At this time, he completely departed from the classical traditions and imitation of antiquity, the idealization of the image of nature. To a certain extent, this was facilitated by the growing popularity of the natural sciences and the scientific approach to the study of nature in Russia at that time. In 1873, Kuindzhi worked on the painting "On the Island of Valaam", rumors about which, before its completion, began to spread among St. Petersburg artists.

Ilya Repin wrote to Pavel Tretyakov about the still unfinished work of Kuindzhi: “... everyone likes her terribly, and no further than Kramskoy came to see me today - he is delighted with her”. It is quite possible that it was after the approving reviews of many artists that Pavel Tretyakov instructed his brother Sergei, who arrived in St. Petersburg, to purchase the painting “On the Island of Valaam”. She became the first work of Kuindzhi in the collection of the future Tretyakov Gallery. This painting, presented at the academic exhibition, was clearly stronger than the works of other artists, and Kuindzhi's fame grew exponentially.

Even Fyodor Dostoevsky in the magazine "Citizen" called "On the Island of Valaam" a national landscape.

"Ukrainian Night", 1876

Collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery

In 1876, the 5th exhibition of the Wanderers was held at the unheated Academy of Sciences: the Academy of Arts did not allow the Wanderers to gain popularity in its halls, and visitors looked at the paintings without taking off their hats and galoshes. At this exhibition, Kuindzhi presented the painting "Ukrainian Night", which literally stunned the public, artists and critics. The landscape amazed the audience with the way bright moonlight is depicted on the white walls of the mud huts against the background of the deep blue darkness of the night.

In the reviews of the landscape, a special term was even heard - “Kuindzhev spot”. Critics noted “news and an effect of unprecedented power ... In the illusion of moonlight, Kuindzhi went the farthest, even Aivazovsky”. The Russkiye Vedomosti newspaper wrote that a crowd constantly stands near the picture, whose enthusiasm has no end. One of the most influential art critics of that time, Vladimir Stasov, assessed the significance of this work as follows: “If he [Kuindzhi] wrote only his “View of Finland”, “Forgotten Village”, “Steppe”, “Chumatsky Trakt”, he would only be a good landscape painter, of which several more can be mentioned.” But it was after the "Ukrainian Night", according to Stasov, that he "went down his own, extremely original road".

"Birch Grove", 1879

Collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery

The works of Arkhip Kuindzhi continued to arouse admiration among visitors to his exhibitions. They argued about the laws of optics, moonlight, tried to understand how an amazing glow is created in his paintings. The Academy of Arts also recognized the success of the artist, but did not award him the title of academician, limiting himself to the title of artist of the 1st degree. In 1878, Kuindzhi, together with his wife Vera, went to Paris to the World Exhibition, where he presented several landscapes in the section of Russian art. The French press did not ignore them - the critic Edmond Duranty, who defended the Impressionists, wrote: “Kuindzhi is undoubtedly the most curious, the most interesting among young Russian painters. The original nationality is felt in him even more than in others..

Kuindzhi's works were highly appreciated by his colleagues. In 1879, the opening of the 7th exhibition of the Wanderers was deliberately delayed for a week so that the artist could complete the three large paintings promised to the organizers.

One of these paintings - "Birch Grove" - ​​made it possible to appreciate the new Kuindzhi, who masterfully worked with color in the spirit of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Alexander Benois also noted this, calling Kuindzhi "Russian Monet".

"Moonlit night on the Dnieper", 1880

Collection of the State Russian Museum

The painting “Moonlight Night on the Dnieper” was painted by Arkhip Kuindzhi at the time when he finally left the Association of Traveling Exhibitions: the need to fit into a specific program of this association fettered the artist. Kuindzhi's paintings were extremely popular. For example, in the winter of 1881, the author showed “Moonlight Night on the Dnieper”, which captivated the audience with silvery moonlight, to everyone right in his studio, opening it for two hours on Sundays. Then for the picture - an unprecedented case in Russia - an exhibition was organized in the hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, where only this canvas was exhibited.

The artist Yakov Minchenkov recalled: “... the exhibition hall did not accommodate the public, a queue formed, and the carriages of visitors dragged along the entire Morskaya Street.” The painting was acquired by the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, who took "Moonlight Night ..."- despite the persuasion of Turgenev - with him on a trip around the world. This did not benefit the picture - its colors began to darken.

In search of new spectacular color solutions, Kuindzhi experimented with paints, various pigments, and studied the effect of light on materials. His experiments, which aroused great interest among his colleagues, however, were not supported by other artists, who feared (and rightly so) the fragility of new color combinations.

In 1882, at the height of his success and popularity, Arkhip Kuindzhi stopped his official work as an artist and stopped exhibiting. All the works created in the remaining years (about 500 paintings) became known only after his death. Kuindzhi was financially independent, his paintings were sold, which allowed him to buy the Sara-Kikeneiz estate in Crimea for 245 acres. He traveled around the Caucasus, taught and took part in the complex process of renewing the Academy of Arts.

The last exhibition of Kuindzhi's works took place in 1901. After the death of the artist in 1910, according to the will, in which he took care of all the people close to him, his capital (453,300 rubles) and the entire artistic heritage, estimated at half a million rubles, were transferred to the Society named after A.I. Kuindzhi.

The persistence of a poor Greek boy, who, despite all the circumstances, became the pride of Russian painting, is amazing. A brief biography of Kuindzhi speaks of the extraordinary talent, determination and generous soul of the great painter.

Childhood and youth

Surprise is already such a detail that the exact date of Kuindzhi's birth has not been established. The biography begins with hesitation - either 1841 or 1842. It doesn't matter, but it's weird. In the same unusual way, the translation of his surname, which meant a goldsmith, will be reflected in all his activities as a painter. Arkhip was orphaned early. He was raised by poor relatives. Studying without diligence, he continuously drew on all scraps of paper that only came to hand.

Poverty and poverty forced him to graze geese, work as a brick accountant, and then for a bread merchant. But there was a thirst to draw, which led him to Feodosia. 14-year-old Kuindzhi, whose biography was just beginning, dreamed of becoming a student of the great I.K. Aivazovsky. But it did not work out - he was only entrusted with grinding the paints and painting the fence. He returned to his native Mariupol and became a retoucher - not painting, but something similar. Until the age of 24, he rushed along the Black Sea coast, working all the same.

Petersburg

At the Academy of Arts, no one was waiting with open arms for Kuindzhi. Biography in St. Petersburg began with unsuccessful attempts to learn high art. He was simply not accepted into the Academy. But three years later, he painted a picture that he exhibited at the Academy exhibition. Then he was finally noticed, awarded the title of a free artist, and even allowed to pass exams in his specialty. The biography of Kuindzhi, who received a diploma, was enriched by his acquaintance with the Wanderers. In 1875 he exhibited his work "Chumatsky tract in Mariupol".

It does not yet have that Kuindzhi, whom we all represent in more mature independent works. This is a realistic canvas, characteristic of the Wanderers: gloomy color, impassable dirt. Everything is inspired by the theme of the hopeless life of the people, which the Wanderers loved so much. But he was noticed, and, believing in himself and making a departure from the "Partnership", Kuindzhi, whose biography is still unstable, leaves for sketches to the north.

Development

He creates landscapes "On the island of Valaam", "Lake Ladoga", which attract the attention of the public. Arkhip Kuindzhi, whose biography is on the rise, can afford to marry a girl he has long loved. A year later, he exhibits a picture that struck not only the public, but even sophisticated fellow artists - "Ukrainian Night".

This is a turning point in creativity that is visible to everyone, an exotic innovation inherent only in him alone. Now Kuindzhi will begin to think about everything - both themes and the style of writing, independently developing his achievements, deeply studying paints, color and lighting effects, enjoying their wonderful game. In 1878, at an exhibition in Paris, where Kuindzhi arrived with his young wife, he amazed the French public with an exhibition of his works. He was recognized as the most Russian and most original painter. In the same year, he began work on which he would work for 23 years - “Evening in Ukraine”. In France, he studied impressionism and, under its influence, would later write three landscapes - "North", "Birch Grove" and "After the Rain".

Long overdue, like an abscess, the exit from the "Partnership of the Wanderers" took place, and after that Kuindzhi exhibits one painting - "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper". It was an explosion. No wonder the artist experimented so much with colors and lighting, which he made special at the exhibition, darkening the hall and highlighting his canvas with light. But ignorance of chemistry played a bad joke on the work - over time, the colors darkened, and now it does not make an initial impression, although it is still beautiful.

This is already a new stage in creativity, the artist-philosopher Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi was born. The biography speaks of his reflections on reality, on other ways of expressing it on the canvas. He seeks to comprehend the depth of the material world. Remember that it was once just a poorly trained, almost impoverished orphan who did not graduate from the Academy of Arts. To what heights of spirit, with talent and diligence, a person can rise!

Privacy

In 1881-1882, Kuindzhi organized two more exhibitions, at which he showed Birch Grove, which thundered loudly among art lovers, and Dnepr in the Morning. This work was received with great restraint. After that, the painter retired from public life for almost twenty years. The biography cannot give an explanation for the seclusion of such a famous person as the artist Kuindzhi. At the zenith of fame, he disappears from the field of view of the public and criticism.

Working alone

Kuindzhi works by creating new paints that must be stable and not change their appearance over time and under the influence of air. He writes more and more new works, looking for a different style direction. In 1886, he buys a piece of land in the Crimea, where, living with his wife and students, he works in the warm season, following the example of the Impressionists, in the open air and writes “View of the sea and coast. Crimea”, “Sea coast. View of the Crimea”, “Crimea. Yayla”, “Mountain slope. Crimea" and much more. This is a completely different Kuindzhi, filled with light, sun and a salty breeze of a calm sea.

Caucasus

In 1888, at the invitation of one of the Wanderers, Kuindzhi visited the Caucasus and brought fresh impressions and sketches from there, which he continued to work on in St. Petersburg. He reflected the majestic Caucasus by painting a series of paintings: “Elbrus in the daytime”, “Elbrus. Moonlight Night”, “Snowy Peaks”, “Snowy Peaks. Caucasus".

This is a brief enumeration of his works, in which he philosophically comprehends the grandiosity of the surrounding world. This is completely different, updated both technically and internally by Kuindzhi, when a romantic merges with a philosopher. Critics believe that it was the Caucasian period of Kuindzhi that influenced the works of N. K. Roerich in the Himalayas. After all, the Kuindzhi Caucasus is symbolic. This is the highest unattainable ideal, dazzlingly beautiful at the same time.

New exhibition

In 1901, the artist comes out of solitude and shows his friends and students the work begun twenty-three years ago - "Evening in Ukraine", as well as the works "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane" (1901), "Birch Grove" (1901). In general, by this time the painter had created about five hundred works. In the same years, he created views of Moscow from the Sparrow Hills. Taking a theme, he fully develops it, and then, turning to another, he also creates a cycle of paintings connected to each other, without repeating himself and surprising when you look at his works in sequence. Surprisingly diverse are not only themes, but also their color solutions.

The exhibitions made by Kuindzhi again led the public into an enthusiastic state, disputes and talk about him again began, but the artist closed again. The reasons for this behavior of Kuindzhi, a brief biography, like his contemporaries, cannot provide. Maybe the artist is tired of empty talk, because he is sixty years old. True, by our standards, this is not so much, but then they thought a little differently.

Last years

For ten years, Kuindzhi created all new canvases. The absolute masterpiece of that time is the painting "Rainbow". It is in the Russian Museum. Kuindzhi worked on this work for five years. Along a huge, not yet overgrown field, the road winds intricately. Above them stretched the sky, occupying two-thirds of the canvas, with a sparkling rainbow. Everything is extremely simple, but such simplicity is given by great skill, observation and thought. Already written "Red Sunset" and "Night" (1905-1908).

Death of an artist

While in the summer of 1910 in the Crimea, he fell ill with pneumonia. It is still a formidable disease, for a long time incapacitating a person. And then there were no antibiotics. With the permission of the doctors, the loving, caring wife transported the patient to St. Petersburg, but the efforts of the doctors did not help. A sick heart could not stand it, and he passed away in July 1910. Now his grave is on the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Charity

Coming out of the most unsecured lower classes of society, the artist, as soon as funds began to allow, began to engage in charity work, giving huge money for those times (one hundred, one hundred and fifty thousand rubles) to both the Academy of Arts and the Society of Artists. A. I. Kuindzhi for annual awards. He donated his estate in the Crimea to the same society. The artist himself and his wife were content with little, lived simply and modestly. After his death, she received the pension appointed by Arkhip Ivanovich, and the artist distributed his entire fortune among relatives and the Society of Artists.

Arkhip Kuindzhi went through such a difficult life path. A brief biography speaks of the extraordinary talent, determination and generous soul of the great painter.