Boris Grigoriev (russian: Бори́с Дми́триевич Григо́рьев; 11 July 1886 – 7 February 1939)
was a
painter,
graphic artist, and writer.
Biography
Grigoriev was born in
Rybinsk
Rybinsk ( rus, Рыбинск, p=ˈrɨbʲɪnsk), the second largest city of Yaroslavl Oblast in Russia, lies at the confluence of the Volga and Sheksna Rivers, 267 kilometers north-north-east of Moscow. Population:
It was previously known as ...
[Biography at artnet](_blank)
/ref> and studied at the Stroganov Art School from 1903 to 1907 with Dmitry Shcherbinovsky
Dmitry Anfimovich Shcherbinovsky (Russian: Дмитрий Анфимович Щербиновский; 13 January 1867, Petrovsk - 27 November 1926, Moscow) was a Russian Impressionist painter and art teacher; associated with the Peredvizhniki. ...
.[Grigoriev in Staratel Linrary]
Grigoriev went on to study at the Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the T ...
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
under Alexander Kiselyov, Dmitry Kardovsky
Dmitry Nicolajevich Kardovsky (Russian: Дмитрий Николаевич Кардовский; 5 September 1866 – 9 February 1943) was a Russian artist, illustrator and stage designer.
Biography
He was born near Pereslavl-Zalessky in th ...
and Abram Arkhipov
Abram Efimovich Arkhipov (russian: Абра́м Ефи́мович Архи́пов; – 25 September 1930) was a Russian realist artist, who was a member of the art collective The Wanderers as well as the Union of Russian Artists.
Biogr ...
from 1907 to 1912. He began exhibiting his work in 1909 as a member of the Union of Impressionists group,[ and became a member of the ]World of Art
''World of Art'' (formerly known as ''The World of Art Library'') is a long established series of pocket-sized art books from the British publisher Thames & Hudson, comprising over 300 titles as of 2021. The books are typically around 200 page ...
movement in 1913.[ At that time he also wrote a novel, ''Young Rays''.][''"America" by Boris Grigoriev'' publication by A Klevitsky]
«Новый Журнал» 2003, №231
After his return to Saint Petersburg in 1913[ he became part of the ]Bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
scene in St. Petersburg and was close to many artists and writers of the time, such as Sergey Sudeykin, Velimir Khlebnikov
Viktor Vladimirovich Khlebnikov, better known by the pen name Velimir Khlebnikov ( rus, Велими́р Хле́бников, p=vʲɪlʲɪˈmʲir ˈxlʲɛbnʲɪkəf; – 28 June 1922) was a Russian poet and playwright, a central part of th ...
and the poet Anna Akhmatova
Anna Andreyevna Gorenko rus, А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко, p=ˈanːə ɐnˈdrʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈrʲɛnkə, a=Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.ru.oga, links=yes; uk, А́нна Андрі́ївна Горе́нко, Ánna Andríyivn ...
, often painting their portraits.
Grigoriev was also interested in the Russian countryside, its peasant
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasant ...
s and village life. From 1916 to 1918 he created a series of paintings and graphic works, ''Russia'' (Raseja, russian: Расея), depicting the poverty and strength of rural Russia.[ The album started with Grigoriev's poem ''To her stepsons''.][ The album won a praise from influential art-critic ]Alexandre Benois
Alexandre Nikolayevich Benois (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Бенуа́, also spelled Alexander Benois; ,Salmina-Haskell, Larissa. ''Russian Paintings and Drawings in the Ashmolean Museum''. pp. 15, 23-24. Published by ...
. According to Benois, Grigoriev had shown the very essence of Russia in the period before the revolutionary upheaval.[ The leaderless workshop he organised in September 1919 led to the creation of the Society of Young Artists.]
However in 1919, Grigoriev travelled and lived abroad in many countries including Finland, Germany, France,[ the United States, Central and South Americas.][ Grigoriev lived for a time in Paris, where he attended the ]Académie de la Grande Chaumière
The Académie de la Grande Chaumière is an art school in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France.
History
The school was founded in 1904 by the Catalan painter Claudio Castelucho on the rue de la Grande Chaumière in Paris, near the Acad ...
.[ In Paris he was strongly influenced by ]Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically d ...
.[Grigoriev on site ''World of Marina Tsvetaeva'']
It was either at this time, or while he lived in New York – there are conflicting reports – that he had an affair with the young painter Martha Visser't Hooft, then Martha Hamlin.
In 1934 he published his poem ''Russia'' (Расея) in the American Russian-language newspaper Novoye Russkoye Slovo. The poem was a poetic reflection of his famous ''Russia'' series of paintings. He also wrote a poem, ''America'', which was not published until 2003.[
Grigoriev died in Cagnes-sur-Mer in 1939.][
]
Some works
Image:Grigoriev Meyerkhold.jpg, Double portrait of Vsevolod Meyerhold
Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (russian: Всеволод Эмильевич Мейерхольд, translit=Vsévolod Èmíl'evič Mejerchól'd; born german: Karl Kasimir Theodor Meyerhold; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre ...
, 1916
Image:Boris GrigorievOlonetskGrandad.jpg, An old man from Olonets
Olonets (russian: Оло́нец; krl, Anus, olo, Anuksenlinnu; fi, Aunus, Aunuksenkaupunki or Aunuksenlinna) is a town and the administrative center of Olonetsky District of the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located on the Olonka River to t ...
Image:Grigoriev Grilikhes.jpg, Portrait of Anna Grilikhes, 1917
Image:GrigoryevB Rakhmaninov.jpg, Sergei Rachmaninoff
File:Peasants in the field by B.Grigoriev (1920).jpg, Peasants in the Field, 1920
File:Boris Grigoriev, La Mère Agathe.jpeg, La Mère Agathe, 1925
Image:Boris Grigoriev Sunflowers.jpg, Sunflowers, 1917-1919
Image:Grigoriev Village.jpg, Village, 1918
Image:Boris Grigoriev Shalyapin.jpg, Feodor Chaliapin
Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin ( rus, Фёдор Ива́нович Шаля́пин, Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin, ˈfʲɵdər ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ʂɐˈlʲapʲɪn}; April 12, 1938) was a Russian opera singer. Possessing a deep and expressive bass v ...
, 1918
References
External links
Poem ''America'' and letters by Grigoriev (published by A. Klevitsky)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grigoriev, Boris
1886 births
1939 deaths
Painters from the Russian Empire
Alumni of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France
French expatriates in the United States
Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry alumni