Matthew Afanasyevich Chizhov (russian: Матвей Афанасьевич Чижов) (1838–1916) was a Russian sculptor.
Biography
Chizhov was born the son of a peasant mason on November 10, 1838 in the village of Pudov in the
Podolsky District of
Moscow Oblast. Chizhov's father had a small workshop and made tombstones for the Moscow German cemetery. Even as a small boy Chizhov made clay figurines of animals, and from the age of eleven he helped his father in his work.
Chizhov studied at Moscow's German School of St. Michael, then attended the
Stroganov School of Technical Drawing where he learned sculpting under the guidance of Brovskogo. Brovskogo recommended him to
Nikolai Ramazanov, a professor at the
, and advised Ramazanov to take the talented young man into the institution.
There, Chizhov began to systematically study sculpture and quickly showed his adeptness. In 1858, he fashioned a
high relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
sculpture, "Champions", for which the school awarded him a silver medal. Another high relief, "Agony of the Saviour", also won Chizhov a silver medal.
Ramazanov took on Chizhov as his assistant in the execution of works for the
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. Chizhov, working from the drawings and sketches of his mentor, produced for the cathedral the huge high relief sculpture ""Christ's Descent into Hell". He also produced for two other Moscow churches the high reliefs "Assumption" and "Saint Nicholas".
Chizhov was soon invited by
Mikhail Mikeshin to participate in the project to create "
Millennium of Russia
The Millennium of Russia (russian: Тысячелетие России, Tysyacheletiye Rossii) is a bronze monument in the Novgorod Kremlin. It was erected in 1862 to celebrate the millennium of Rurik's arrival to Novgorod, an event tradition ...
", a large monument erected in
Novgorod in 1863. Chizhov created the high relief figures "Heroes", "Enlightenment", and "Statesmen" for this monument.
Chizhov moved to
St. 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 ...
, where in 1863 he enrolled in 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 ...
, where he studied under
Peter Klodt and Nikolai Pimenov. Chizhov soon won two silver medals for sculpting from life and a small gold medal in 1865 for "
Kievan riding with a bridle in his hands through the camp of the
Pechenegs
The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პა ...
", a bronze copy of which exists at the
Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (russian: Государственный Русский музей), formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (russian: Русский Музей Императора Александра III), on ...
in Petersburg.
Chizhov's studies did not prevent him from performing a variety of private commissions and work for Mikeshin, including drawings for a model of the St. Petersburg monument to
Catherine the Great and the fashioning of parts of this colossal monument to the empress.
Chizhov was graduated from the Academy in 1867 with the title of Expert Artist of the First Degree and a large gold medal earned for a high relief of Christ's resurrection, copies of which are now located at the Academy and in the Russian Museum. He then traveled in Europe, visiting several cities in Germany, Austria, and Italy before settling in Rome, where he spent six years in continuous work.
Works
Of the numerous works executed by Chizhov during this period, the most noteworthy are:
*"The game of hide and seek" (at the Russian Museum)
*"First love"
*"The unfortunate peasant" (at the Moscow Public Museum)
*"Frolicsome girl", a graceful figure of a girl crossing a stream on a log (many copies were made of this popular sculpture;
one is at
Livadia Palace
Livadia Palace (russian: Ливадийский дворец, uk, Лівадійський палац) is a former summer retreat of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, and his family in Livadiya, Crimea. The Yalta Conference was held there i ...
)
All of these works were exhibited in St. Petersburg. The first two earned the artist, in 1873, the title of Academician. "The unfortunate peasant" earned, in 1874, a gold medal established by the Academy by the bequest of A. Rzhevsk and N. Demidov. "Frolicsome girl" won the Le Brun gold medal, third class, at the 1878
Paris World's Fair.
Back in St. Petersburg in 1875, Chizhov taught sculpture at the
Saint Petersburg Art and Industry Academy and was appointed as a sculptor and art restorer at the
Hermitage. In 1893 he was made a member of the Academy of Fine Arts.
![Odessa Catherine the Great](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Odessa_Catherine_the_Great.jpg)
In addition to the works already mentioned, some of Chizov's major works include:
*Busts of the
Emperor Alexander II
Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Fin ...
, created for the
Kharkov
Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine. Court of Justice and for the County Council of
Perm
Perm or PERM may refer to:
Places
*Perm, Russia, a city in Russia
** Permsky District, the district
**Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005
**Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005
**Perm Governorate, an administra ...
.
*Busts of Prince Peter Oldenburg (in the
Imperial School of Jurisprudence
The Imperial School of Jurisprudence (Russian: Императорское училище правоведения) was, along with the Page Corps, a school for boys in Saint Petersburg, the capital of the Russian Empire.
The school for would-be ...
) and of
Mikhail Glinka (in the foyer of the
Mariinsky Theater
The Mariinsky Theatre ( rus, Мариинский театр, Mariinskiy teatr, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic theatre of opera and ballet in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music th ...
in St. Petersburg).
*Busts of the artist Alexei Bogolyubov and F. G. Gromov (in
Saint Petersburg Art and Industry Academy) and
Nikolay Nekrasov
Nikolay Alexeyevich Nekrasov ( rus, Никола́й Алексе́евич Некра́сов, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɐlʲɪkˈsʲejɪvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈkrasəf, a=Ru-Nikolay_Alexeyevich_Nekrasov.ogg, – ) was a Russian poet, writer, critic and publi ...
(in the
cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent in St. Petersburg).
*A colossal statue of
Ludwig Knoop
Baron Johann Ludwig von Knoop (15 May 1821, in Bremen – 14 August 1894, in Bremen) was a cotton merchant and entrepreneur from the city-state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, who became one of the richest entrepreneurs in his time. He was created ...
in his monument at his
Krenholm Manufacturing Company
The Kreenholm Manufacturing Company (historical alternate spelling: Krenholm; et, Kreenholmi Manufaktuur; german: Krähnholm Manufaktur; russian: Кренгольмская мануфактура) was a textile manufacturing company located on th ...
's factory in
Kreenholm
Kreenholm (german: Krähnholm for ''crow islet'') is a river island in Estonia, located in the Narva River, within the city limits of Narva.
The island is in area, and is long and wide. The island divides the Narva Waterfall into eastern an ...
.
*A great bust of Alexander II and decorations on the pedestal for the monument the emperor in
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = ''Top:'' Town Hall, Former "Calisia" Piano Factory''Middle:'' Courthouse, "Gołębnik" tenement''Bottom:'' Aerial view of the Kalisz Old Town
, image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...
.
*A large statue of
Emperor Nicholas I
, house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp
, father = Paul I of Russia
, mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire
, death_date ...
for his monument in Kiev.
*A monument to Admiral
Pavel Nakhimov
Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (russian: Павел Степанович Нахимов, ; – ) was a Russian Admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy known for his victory in the Battle of Sinop and his leadership in the Siege of Sevastopol (1 ...
in
Simferopol
Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, it is ...
.
*A monument to Count
Mikhail Vilensky in
Vilna
Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...
.
*A monument to
Catherine the Great in
Odessa.
*Figure-group sculptures: "At the well", "The reading lesson", and others.
Chizhov died on May 28, 1916, in
Petrograd.
External links
Biography at the ''Prospector'' librarySpaso House exhibition catalog, includes a photo and description of "Frolicsome girl"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chizhov, Matthew
1838 births
1916 deaths
People from Moscow Oblast
Artists from Saint Petersburg
20th-century Russian sculptors
20th-century Russian male artists
Russian male sculptors
19th-century sculptors
Artists from Moscow
Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni