![Ilya Ostroukhov by Sergey Malyutin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Ilya_Ostroukhov_by_Sergey_Malyutin.jpg)
Ilya Semyonovich Ostroukhov (Russian: Илья́ Семёнович Остроу́хов; 20 July 1858, in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
– 8 July 1929, in Moscow) was a Russian landscape painter and art collector, associated with 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 ...
.
Biography
![Ostrouhov Siverko](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Ostrouhov_Siverko.jpg)
He came from a family of well-to-do merchants.
[Brief biography](_blank)
@ Russian Paintings. In 1870, he enrolled at the "". While there, he became interested in zoology and began a correspondence with
Alfred Brehm
Alfred Edmund Brehm (; 2 February 1829 – 11 November 1884) was a German zoologist, writer, director of zoological gardens and the son of Christian Ludwig Brehm, a famous pastor and ornithologist.
Through the book title ''Brehms Tierlebe ...
. He also started an
entomological
Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...
collection that would later be donated to the
University of Moscow
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
, and wrote a short book called ''Angling for Fish'' (1877).
He did not take his first art lessons until 1880,
when he developed the desire to become a painter after seeing an exhibition of landscape paintings staged by the Peredvizhniki. Concerned that he was too old to begin attending art school, he sought someone to give him private lessons. An old acquaintance introduced him to
Alexander Kiselyov,
[Biographical notes](_blank)
@ RusArtNet. who at that time was working at a private girls' school and tutoring.
The following year, he felt confident enough to study with
Ilya Repin
Ilya Yefimovich Repin (russian: Илья Ефимович Репин, translit=Il'ya Yefimovich Repin, p=ˈrʲepʲɪn); fi, Ilja Jefimovitš Repin ( – 29 September 1930) was a Russian painter, born in what is now Ukraine. He became one of the ...
. That Christmas, he worked together with
Victor Vasnetsov
Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov (russian: Ви́ктор Миха́йлович Васнецо́в; May 15 ( N.S.), 1848 – July 23, 1926) was a Russian artist who specialized in mythological and historical subjects. He is considered the co-founde ...
, designing and creating decorations for a performance at the home of
Savva Mamontov
Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (russian: Са́вва Ива́нович Ма́монтов, ; 3 October 1841 (15 October N.S.), Yalutorovsk – 6 April 1918, Moscow) was a Russian industrialist, merchant, entrepreneur and patron of the arts.
Busine ...
. After that, he became a regular visitor to
Abramtsevo
Abramtsevo (russian: Абрамцево) is the name of several rural localities in Russia:
* Abramtsevo (selo), Dmitrovsky District, Moscow Oblast, a '' selo'' in Sinkovskoye Rural Settlement of Dmitrovsky District in Moscow Oblast;
* Abramtsev ...
, sketching the landscapes and architecture.
Meanwhile, he applied 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 Thre ...
, but was only allowed to audit classes. In the evenings he studied drawing at the
Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts
The Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (Russian: Императорское общество поощрения художеств (ОПХ)) was an organization devoted to promoting the arts that existed in Saint Petersburg from 182 ...
and took more lessons from Repin. Through 1884, he also spent some time in the workshop of
Pavel Chistyakov
Pavel Petrovich Chistyakov (russian: Павел Петрович Чистяков; 5 July 1832, Prudy, Vesyegonsky Uyezd, Tver Governorate — 11 November 1919, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian Imperial painter and art teacher; known for historical ...
.
In 1886, he was able to study with
Vladimir Makovsky
Vladimir Yegorovich Makovsky (russian: Влади́мир Его́рович Мако́вский; 26 January (greg.: 7 February) 1846, Moscow – 21 February 1920, Petrograd) was a Russian painter, art collector, and teacher.
Biography
Makovs ...
at the
. That same year, he presented two paintings at the fourteenth exhibition of the Peredvizhniki and would exhibit with them regularly after that; becoming a member in 1891.
Membership roster
@ the Peredvizhniki website.
The Tretyakov Gallery
He would also develop a close friendship with Pavel Tretyakov
Pavel Mikhaylovich Tretyakov (russian: Па́вел Миха́йлович Третьяко́в; 27 December 1832 – 16 December 1898) was a Russian businessman, patron of art, collector, and philanthropist who gave his name to the Tretyakov Gal ...
, who bought several of his early paintings. After Tretyakov's death in 1898, the Moscow City Duma
A duma (russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions.
The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were for ...
chose Ostroukhov as one of the trustees for the Tretyakov Gallery
The State Tretyakov Gallery (russian: Государственная Третьяковская Галерея, ''Gosudarstvennaya Tretyâkovskaya Galereya''; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered th ...
. From 1899 to 1903, he served as de facto head of the board, then was removed for spending too much on acquisitions.
Apparently upset by the affair, he retired to a spa in the Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
to recuperate. In 1905, after some contention, the Duma elected him chairman of the board. Everything went well until 1913, when a knife-wielding attacker slashed ''Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan
''Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581'' is a painting by Russian realist artist Ilya Repin made between 1883 and 1885. It depicts the grief-stricken Tsar of Russia Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son, the Tsarevich Iv ...
'', Repin's painting of Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584.
Ivan ...
. This gave Ostroukhov's opponents a chance to attack him. He resigned and, by mutual agreement with the Duma, was replaced by Igor Grabar
Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar (russian: И́горь Эммануи́лович Граба́рь, 25 March 1871 in Budapest – 16 May 1960 in Moscow) was a Russian post-impressionism, post-impressionist painter, publisher, restorer and historian ...
.
During this period (which also included a stint as organizer of the Russian exhibition at the Exposition Universelle (1900)
The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate developmen ...
and election to the Imperial Academy in 1906) he had virtually given up painting. It was not until 1916, when he spent some time with friends in Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, that he began to sketch again. Two years later, he held his last full-scale exhibition with the Peredvizhniki.
Collector
In addition to his work with the Tretyakov Gallery, he was a notable collector in his own right; beginning in the 1890s after he married into the wealthy family of tea merchants and acquired a large house as a dowry. He accumulated over 300 paintings (including Medieval icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
s) and 500 drawings; mostly by Russian artists, but Degas
Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings.
Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is espec ...
, Manet
A wireless ad hoc network (WANET) or mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a decentralized type of wireless network. The network is ad hoc because it does not rely on a pre-existing infrastructure, such as routers in wired networks or access points ...
, Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Re ...
and Matisse
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...
were also represented. One of its highlights was ''The Allegory of Faith
''The Allegory of Faith'', also known as ''Allegory of the Catholic Faith'', is a Dutch Golden Age painting by Johannes Vermeer from about 1670–1672. It has been in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since 1931.
This and '' Art of Pain ...
'' by Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer ( , , see below; also known as Jan Vermeer; October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque Period painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. During his lifetime, he was a moderately succe ...
. He had a library of over 12,000 volumes as well; including a copy of the ''Divine Comedy
The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...
'' from 1515 and a ''Decameron
''The Decameron'' (; it, label=Italian, Decameron or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old it, Prencipe Galeotto, links=no ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Dan ...
'' from 1757. In 1918, his collection was nationalized as a public museum and he was appointed curator for life.
By March 1929 when, as a former landlord, he found himself deprived of his voting rights, he was in very poor health and nearly blind. He died four months later. Shortly after, the museum was closed and his widow was limited to the use of two rooms in their home. She died in 1935. His collection was transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery. Later, the house was reopened as a branch of the "".
References
Further reading
* Sofia Vladimirovna Kudryavtseva, ''Илья Остроухов. 1858—1929'', "Popular Art Library" series, Художник РСФСР, 1982
* Yuri Alexandrovich Rusakov, ''Илья Семенович Остроухов'', "Masters of Russian Art" series, Изогиз, 1962
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostroukhov, Ilya
1858 births
1929 deaths
Painters from Moscow
People from Moskovsky Uyezd
Landscape painters from the Russian Empire
Tretyakov Gallery
Peredvizhniki
Art collectors from the Russian Empire
19th-century painters from the Russian Empire
Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni