Arkhip Kuindzhi: Biography and Creativity

Striking is the persistence of the poor Greek boy, who despite all the circumstances became the pride of Russian painting. A short biography of Kuindzhi speaks of the extraordinary giftedness, purposefulness and generous soul of the great painter.

Childhood and youth

The surprise is already such a detail that the exact date of Kuindzhi's birth is not established. Biography begins with hesitation - either 1841-th, or 1842 year. It's not important, but it's strange. In the same unusual way, the translation of his surname, which means a goldsmith, will be reflected in all his activities as a painter. Arkhip early orphaned. He was brought up by poor relatives. Studying without diligence, he continually drew on all the scraps of paper that only came to hand.

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

St. Petersburg

In the Academy of Arts, no one waited with open arms of Kuindzhi. Biography in St. Petersburg began with unsuccessful attempts to learn high art. He was simply not admitted to the Academy. But three years later he painted a picture, which he exhibited at the exhibition of the Academy. Here he was finally noticed, awarded the title of free artist and even allowed to pass the examinations in the specialty. The recipient of the Kuindzhi diploma was enriched by acquaintance with the Wanderers. In 1875 he exhibited his work "Chumatsky tract in Mariupol". In it there is still no Kuindzhi, whom we all represent for more mature independent work. This is characteristic of the Wanderers realistic canvas: 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 withdrawal 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 public attention. Arkhip Kuindzhi, whose biography on takeoff, can afford to marry a girl he has long loved. A year later he exhibits a picture that amazed not only the public, but even sophisticated art colleagues - "Ukrainian Night". This is a visible change in creativity, exotic innovation, inherent only to him alone. Now Kuindzhi will start to think about everything - and the topics, and the manner of writing, independently developing his achievements, deeply studying the colors, color and lighting effects, enjoying their wonderful game. In 1878, at an exhibition in Paris, where Kuindzhi came with his young wife, he astonished the French public with an exhibition of his works. He was recognized as the most Russian and the most original painter. In the same year he began work on which he will work for 23 years, "Evening in Ukraine". In France, he studies impressionism and under his influence will later write three landscapes - "North", "Birch Grove" and "After the Rain." For a long time brewing like an abscess, the exit from the "Wanderers' Association" took place, and after that Kuindzhi exhibits one picture - "Moonlit Night on the Dnieper". It was an explosion. It is not for nothing that the artist experimented so much with the colors and lighting that he made special at the exhibition, darkening the hall and highlighting his canvas with light. But ignorance of chemistry played a bad joke with the work - in due course the colors darkened, and now it does not produce the initial impression, although it is still fine.

This is a new stage in creativity, the artist-philosopher Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi was born. Biography speaks of his reflections on reality, about other ways of expressing it on the canvas. He seeks to understand the depths of the material world. Remember that it was once just a little trained, not finished with the Academy of Arts, almost a beggar orphan. Up to what peaks of spirit at talent and diligence the person can rise!

Privacy

In 1881-1882, Kuindzhi organized two more exhibitions, which shows "Birch Grove", loudly thundered among fans of painting, and "Dnepr in the morning." This work was taken very restrained. After that, the painter is almost twenty years away from public life. Explanations of the reclusion of such a famous person as the artist Kuindzhi, the biography can not give. At the zenith of fame, he disappears from the field of view of the public and criticism.

Working alone

Kuindzhi works by creating new colors that need to be stable and do not change their appearance over time and under the influence of air. He writes more and more new works, looking for another style direction. In 1886, he bought a plot of land in the Crimea, where, living with his wife and students, he worked in the warm season following the example of impressionists in the open air and wrote "View of the sea and the shore. Crimea "," Sea shore. A view of the Demerdzhi mountain. Crimea "," Crimea. Yaila "," Mountain slope. Crimea "and much more. It's quite different Kuindzhi, filled with light, sun and salty breeze of a calm sea.

Caucasus

In 1888, at the invitation of one of the Wanderers, Kuindzhi visited the Caucasus and brought back fresh impressions and sketches, which he continued to work on in Petersburg. He mirrored the majestic Caucasus by writing a series of paintings: "Elbrus in the Afternoon", "Elbrus. Moonlit Night "," Snow Peaks "," Snow Peaks. Caucasus". This is a brief enumeration of his works, in which he philosophically interprets the grandeur of the surrounding world. This is completely different, updated and technically, and internally Kuindzhi, when the romantic merges with the philosopher. Critics believe that the Caucasus period of Kuindzhi influenced the work of N. K. Roerich in the Himalayas. After all, the Caucasus Kuindzhi is symbolic. This is the highest unattainable ideal, dazzlingly beautiful in this.

New exhibition

In 1901, the artist comes out of seclusion and shows his friends and students the work begun twenty-three years ago, "Evening in Ukraine", and works "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane" (1901), "Birch Grove" (1901). In general by this time the painter created about five hundred works. In the same years, they performed views of Moscow from the Vorobyovy Gory. Taking the topic, he completely develops it, and then, turning to the other, also creates a related cycle of paintings, without repeating and surprising when you look at his works in sequence. Amazingly diverse are not only the themes, but also their coloristic decisions.

Kuindzhi's exhibitions once again led the audience into an enthusiastic state, discussions and discussions began again about him, but the artist closed again. The reasons for this behavior Kuindzhi brief biography, like his contemporaries, can not provide. Maybe the artist was tired of empty talk, because he was sixty years old. True, by our standards this is not so much, but then they considered it somewhat different.

Last years

Ten years Kuindzhi created all new canvases. Absolute masterpiece of the time - the picture "Rainbow". She is in the Russian Museum. Over this work, Kuindzhi worked for five years. Along the huge, not yet corrupted field, the road winds quaintly. 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 the artist

Being in the summer of 1910 in the Crimea, he fell ill with pneumonia. This is now a formidable illness that permanently disables people. And then there were no antibiotics. With the permission of the doctors, a loving, caring wife took the patient to St. Petersburg, but the efforts of the doctors did not help. He could not stand the sick heart, and he passed away in July 1910. Now his grave is on the Tikhvin Cemetery, in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Charity

Coming out of the most unsecured lower classes of society, the artist, as soon as they began to allow money, began to engage in charity, giving away huge for that time money (one hundred and one hundred and fifty thousand rubles) and the Academy of Arts, and the Society of Artists. AI Kuindzhi for annual prizes. He gave his estate to the same society in the Crimea. The very artist and his wife were content with the small, lived simply and modestly. After his death, she received a pension appointed by Arkhip Ivanovich, and the artist distributed all his condition between his relatives and the Society of Artists.

Arkhip Kuindzhi passed such a difficult life. A brief biography speaks about the extraordinary giftedness, purposefulness and generous soul of the great painter.