Fyodor Andreyevich Bronnikov (russian: Фёдор Андреевич Бронников; 17 September 1827–14 September 1902) was a Russian-born history and

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

painter who spent most of his life in Italy.

Biography

He displayed an early affinity for drawing and received his first art lessons from his father, who was a decorative painter.Brief Biography
from the

Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary The ''Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopaedic Dictionary'' (Russian: Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона, abbr. ЭСБЕ, tr. ; 35 volumes, small; 86 volumes, large) is a comprehensive multi-volume ...

@ Russian WikiSource. At the age of sixteen, when his father died, he packed his bags and went to Saint Petersburg, hoping to enter 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 Thre ...

. After failing to gain admission, he became an apprentice in the workshop of , a well known woodcutter. His talent drew the attention of the sculptor Pyotr Clodt, who arranged for him to audit classes at the Academy.Brief biography
@ "Sunday Afternoon". In 1850, he was able to become a regular student, and worked with

Alexey Markov Alexei Mikhailovich Markov (; born 26 May 1979 in Moscow) is a Russian former professional track and road bicycle racer. Major results Track ;1996 : 2nd Team pursuit, Summer Olympics ;1997 : UCI World Cup ::1st Individual pursuit, Cali ...

. He graduated in 1853 and was awarded a stipend to study in Italy for his graduation painting, ''The Mother of God''. The following year, he settled in Rome and established his own studio on Via Vittoria, near the

Villa Borghese Villa Borghese or Villa Borghese Pinciana ('Borghese family{{!Borghese villa on the Pincian Hill') is the villa built by the architect Flaminio Ponzio (and, after his death, finished by his assistant Giovanni Vasanzio), developing sketches by Scip ...

. He painted a wide variety of canvases, including landscapes, village scenes,

scenes, historical works and, of course, portraits of the city's notable citizens. His health was poor, so he remained there after his stipend expired, to take advantage of the warm climate. He paid a long visit home from 1863 to 1865. While there, the Academy awarded him a professorship in

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

for his depiction of

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

reading his satires to

Gaius Maecenas Gaius Cilnius Maecenas ( – 8 BC) was a friend and political advisor to Octavian (who later reigned as emperor Augustus). He was also an important patron for the new generation of Augustan poets, including both Horace and Virgil. During the rei ...

. He also came into contact with a group of dissident artists who would later be known as the

Peredvizhniki Peredvizhniki ( rus, Передви́жники, , pʲɪrʲɪˈdvʲiʐnʲɪkʲɪ), often called The Wanderers or The Itinerants in English, were a group of Russian realist artists who formed an artists' cooperative in protest of academic restr ...

; which inspired him to paint a series of genre works on peasant life. Later, he became a member of the group and regularly sent paintings from Italy to show in their exhibitions. He was awarded the

Order of St. Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...

as well as being named an Academician and an honorary member of the Academy. During this period he created one of his best known works: ''The Cursed Field'' (1878), an indictment of slavery. He died near Rome and was buried in the Protestant Cemetery. Despite having lived in Italy for most of his life, he left over 300 paintings and drawings and the equivalent of 400

Ruble The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...

s to establish an art school in Shadrinsk. The school was not established until the Soviet period and the works were used as the basis for a museum.

Artistic method

A versatile artist Fyodor Bronnikov was a great master of portrait painting. His works of this genre, distinguished by a fine drawing, a striking resemblance to nature. Their peculiarity is also the psychological content of the portrait and the persuasiveness of the pictorial language. In the landscapes, the artist faithfully and penetratingly conveys a state of the world around. They are marked by colourful harmony and purity of colours. The artist developed his love for nature in his childhood years in the

Trans-Urals The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...

. It is not by chance that in letters to his relatives in

Shadrinsk Shadrinsk (russian: Ша́дринск) is a town in Kurgan Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Iset River ( Ob's basin) northwest of Kurgan. Population: History Shadrinsk was founded in 1662 as an agricultural and trade settle ...

he often recalls the beauty of his native places. "No boundless fields here as you have in Russia, no dense forests... and that's a pity. I love the vastness and our Russian fields, like a limitless sea," he shared his feelings with his countrymen. Most of his works are in Russia, but many have also been acquired by amateurs from the UK, the US, Hungary, Italy, and Denmark.

Selected paintings

File:Bronnikov-Artist.jpg, The Sick Artist File:Bronnikov-Wayfarer.jpg, The Wayfarer File:Bronnikov-Monastery.jpg, Sick Man at the Walls of a Monastery File:Bronnikov gimnpifagoreizev.jpg,

Pythagoreans Pythagoreanism originated in the 6th century BC, based on and around the teachings and beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras established the first Pythagorean community in the ancient Greek colony of Kroton, ...

Celebrate
the Sunrise File:Fedor Bronnikov 002.jpg, The Cursed Field
(executed slaves)

References

External links

Fyodor Bronnikov
@ WikiArt {{DEFAULTSORT:Bronnikov, Fyodor 1827 births 1902 deaths People from Shadrinsk People from Shadrinsky Uyezd 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire Russian male painters Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Italy History painters Russian genre painters Peredvizhniki Imperial Academy of Arts alumni Awarded with a large gold medal of the Academy of Arts Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Burials in the Protestant Cemetery, Rome

Biography

Artistic method

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links