Stepan Stepanovich Pimenov () (1784 – ) was an artist and sculptor of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. He was closely associated with
Vasily Demut-Malinovsky
Vasily Ivanovich Demut-Malinovsky was a Russian sculptor whose works represent the quintessence of the Empire style.
Biography
He entered the Imperial Academy of Arts at the age of six and studied under Mikhail Kozlovsky for fifteen years. Upon ...
, with whom he worked on the decoration of buildings designed by Carlo Rossi and
Andrey Voronikhin
Andrey (Andrei) Nikiforovich Voronikhin (russian: Андрей Никифорович Воронихин) (28 October 1759, Novoe Usolye, Perm Oblast – 21 February 1814, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian architect and painter. As a representativ ...
. He was an academician of 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 ...
from 1807, and a full professor from 1814.
Born in 1784, Pimenov attended the Imperial Academy of Arts and distinguished himself there, winning several medals for his artistic compositions. Graduating in 1803, he was soon involved in an important commission, working with several other famous sculptors and artists on Andrey Voronikhin's project for the Kazan Cathedral. Making his name with two particular sculptures, Pimenov became an academician and went on to teach at the Academy. He combined his teaching duties with carrying out important commissions, and also worked as a designer at the Imperial Porcelain Factory. He co-operated with Voronikhin and Demut-Malinovsky once more on the decoration of the Mining Institute, and worked on
Andreyan Zakharov
Andreyan Zakharov (russian: Андрея́н Дми́триевич Заха́ров; 19 August 1761 – 8 September 1811) was a Russian Imperial architect and representative of the Empire style. His designs also alternated neoclassicism with ecle ...
's Admiralty building. He began an enduring relationship with architect Carlo Rossi in the late 1810s, producing works for the Yelagin and
Mikhailovsky Palace
The Mikhailovsky Palace (russian: Михайловский дворец, tr=Mikhailovskiy dvorets) is a grand ducal palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is located on Arts Square and is an example of Empire style neoclassicism. The palace cu ...
s, and the
General Staff Building
The General Staff Building (russian: Здание Главного штаба, ''Zdanie Glavnogo Shtaba'') is an edifice with a 580 m long bow-shaped facade, situated on Palace Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in front of the Winter Palace.
T ...
.
Towards the end of his life Pimenov continued to carry out large commissions, his works adorned the
Alexandrinsky Theatre
The Alexandrinsky Theatre (russian: Александринский театр) or National Drama Theatre of Russia is a theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The Alexandrinsky Theatre was built for the Imperial troupe of Petersburg (Imperial trou ...
and the
Imperial Public Library
The National Library of Russia (NLR, russian: Российская национальная библиотека}), located in Saint Petersburg, is the first, and one of three national public libraries in Russia. The NLR is currently ranked amo ...
. While working on compositions for
Vasily Stasov
Vasily Petrovich Stasov (Russian: Васи́лий Петро́вич Ста́сов; 4 August 1769 – 5 September 1848) was a famous Russian architect, born into a wealthy noble family: his father, Pyotr Fyodorovich Stasov, came from one ...
's
Narva Triumphal Arch
The Narva Triumphal Arch (russian: На́рвские триумфа́льные ворота, lit. ''Narvskie Triumfal'nyye vorota'') was erected in the vast Stachek Square (prior to 1923 also known as the Narva Square), Saint Petersburg, in 1814 ...
in the early 1830s, he came into conflict with
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 =
...
, supposedly over Pimenov's portraits of Nicholas and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. Nicholas criticised Pimenov's characters for the Narva Arch and he was forced to resign from the Academy in 1830. He was able to complete several of his commissions before his death in 1833.
Family and early life
Pimenov was born 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 ...
in 1784. His father, Stepan Afanasyevich Pimenov, was a civil servant with the rank of . He entered 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 ...
in 1795 at the age of 11, studying under
Mikhail Kozlovsky
Mikhail Ivanovich Kozlovsky (6 November 1753 – 30 September 1802) was a Russian Neoclassical sculptor active during the Age of Enlightenment.
Biography
Beginning his training at the Imperial Academy of Arts with Anton Losenko in 1764, he we ...
and . Pimenov received several awards during his studies, including a large silver medal in 1801 "for sculpting from life", a small gold medal in 1802 for his bas-relief composition "Jupiter and Mercury visiting Philemon and Baucis in the form of wanderers", and a large gold medal in the autumn of 1803 for his "Killing of Two Viking-Christians who refused to bow to Perun". In 1802 he took part in the competition to design a gravestone for his mentor, sculptor Mikhail Kozlovsky. It was won by a design by
Vasily Demut-Malinovsky
Vasily Ivanovich Demut-Malinovsky was a Russian sculptor whose works represent the quintessence of the Empire style.
Biography
He entered the Imperial Academy of Arts at the age of six and studied under Mikhail Kozlovsky for fifteen years. Upon ...
, with whom Pimenov would have collaborations and a friendly rivalry for many years to come. Pimenov received second place, his model in gypsum is now held by 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 ...
. He graduated from the Academy in 1803 with his degree certificate, an honorary sword, and the title of an artist of the 14th class. Pimenov's academic credentials gave him the right to travel and live abroad, though with the international upheaval of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
he elected not to do so, eventually spending his whole life in Russia.
In 1804 Pimenov joined
Andrey Voronikhin
Andrey (Andrei) Nikiforovich Voronikhin (russian: Андрей Никифорович Воронихин) (28 October 1759, Novoe Usolye, Perm Oblast – 21 February 1814, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian architect and painter. As a representativ ...
's project for the Kazan Cathedral, producing a bronze statue of
Vladimir the Great
Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych ( orv, Володимѣръ Свѧтославичь, ''Volodiměrъ Svętoslavičь'';, ''Uladzimir'', russian: Владимир, ''Vladimir'', uk, Володимир, ''Volodymyr''. Se ...
in 1807. Pimenov depicted Prince Vladimir as a militant and courageous leader, trampling on a pagan altar with a sword in one hand and a wooden cross in the other. With the successful completion of this commission, Pimenov was given the task of creating a statue of
Alexander Nevsky
Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand P ...
for the cathedral, which had originally been entrusted to . Pimenov completed this statue in 1811, depicting Alexander Nevsky after his victory, lowering his shield, removing his armor and turning to the sky. With the consecration of the Kazan Cathedral in 1811, Pimenov was awarded a diamond ring for his work. The Academy elected him an academician in 1807 for his sculpture of Vladimir the Great and he was employed as a teacher at the Academy from 1809, becoming a professor in September 1814. His teaching career lasted for most of the rest of his life, retiring in 1830. He held his post at the Academy alongside a position with the Imperial Porcelain Factory, which he joined on 15 June 1809, creating designs for vases, dishes and statuettes. His work included the Guryevsky service, featuring figures of Russian girls and boys in national costumes. He was also responsible for small genre porcelain figurines based on Russian peasants. These included "Girl with a Yoke" and "Boy-Waterman", similar in style to the paintings of
Alexey Venetsianov
Alexey Gavrilovich Venetsianov (russian: Алексей Гаврилович Венецианов; 18 February 1780–4 January 1847) was a Russian painter, renowned for his paintings devoted to peasant life and ordinary people.
Life
Alexe ...
. Among his later works for the factory were "The transition of Russian troops across the Danube" and "The patronage of Russia of Moldova and Wallachia", created in 1829 in response to the
Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histor ...
.
Commissions
In 1809 Pimenov was again working with Voronikhin on the design and construction of the Mining Institute. The entrance portico was to be decorated with two sculptural groups at the corners of the staircase. "The Abduction of Proserpina" was executed by Demut-Malinovsky, and "Hercules and Antaeus" by Pimenov. In 1810 he sculpted the tombstone of Prince for his grave in the
Donskoy Monastery
Donskoy Monastery (russian: Донско́й монасты́рь) is a major monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from the threat of an invasion by the Crimean Khan (title), Khan Ğazı II Giray, Kazy-G ...
in Moscow. He also took part in the competition to design a
monument to Minin and Pozharsky
The Monument to Minin and Pozharsky (russian: Па́мятник Ми́нину и Пожа́рскому) is a bronze statue designed by Ivan Martos and located on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, in front of Saint Basil's Cathedral. The statue ...
and created a number of busts. In 1815 he worked on the decorations for
Andreyan Zakharov
Andreyan Zakharov (russian: Андрея́н Дми́триевич Заха́ров; 19 August 1761 – 8 September 1811) was a Russian Imperial architect and representative of the Empire style. His designs also alternated neoclassicism with ecle ...
's Admiralty building, creating sixteen statues to serve as allegorical representations of elements and seasons - "Fire", "Summer", "Air", continents - "Asia", "America", and rivers - "Dnepr", "Neva". These statues were all lost in the 1860s when
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 ...
ordered them removed and destroyed, apparently due to their being in a dilapidated state. From around 1817 Pimenov began working with architect Carlo Rossi, eventually producing a number of sculptures for his projects. An early collaboration was on the
Anichkov Palace
The Anichkov Palace, a former imperial palace in Saint Petersburg, stands at the intersection of Nevsky Avenue and the Fontanka River.
History 18th century
The palace, situated on the plot formerly owned by Antonio de Vieira (1682?-1745), ta ...
in 1817, with Pimenov sculpting warriors for the facades. Between 1819 and 1820 he worked with fellow sculptors
Ivan Martos
Ivan Petrovich Martos (russian: Иван Петрович Мартос; uk, Іван Петрович Мартос; 1754 — 5 April 1835) was Ukrainian and Russian sculptor and art teacher who helped awaken Russian interest in Neoclassical ...
,
Vasily Demut-Malinovsky
Vasily Ivanovich Demut-Malinovsky was a Russian sculptor whose works represent the quintessence of the Empire style.
Biography
He entered the Imperial Academy of Arts at the age of six and studied under Mikhail Kozlovsky for fifteen years. Upon ...
and Ivan Prokofiev on a series of large plaster bas-reliefs to decorate the ceiling of the Academy of Arts. Pimenov was responsible for the bas-relief depicting "Painting".
Pimenov worked with Demut-Malinovsky and Rossi on several large commissions, producing works for the Yelagin and
Mikhailovsky Palace
The Mikhailovsky Palace (russian: Михайловский дворец, tr=Mikhailovskiy dvorets) is a grand ducal palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is located on Arts Square and is an example of Empire style neoclassicism. The palace cu ...
s from 1818 onwards. In the Yelagin Palace Pimenov created statues for the facades of the kitchen building: bas-reliefs for the greenhouse and high-relief figures for the lobby. For the Mikhailovsky Palace his work included the composition of winged figures of Glory, trophies in the timpanas of the main facade and numerous reliefs above the ground floor windows. He also produced decorations for the interiors, though only
caryatid
A caryatid ( or or ; grc, Καρυᾶτις, pl. ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "ma ...
s in the gallery and bas-reliefs in the White Hall survive.
In 1827 Demut-Malinovsky and Pimenov sculpted decorations for the arch of Rossi's
General Staff Building
The General Staff Building (russian: Здание Главного штаба, ''Zdanie Glavnogo Shtaba'') is an edifice with a 580 m long bow-shaped facade, situated on Palace Square in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in front of the Winter Palace.
T ...
. Pimenov was particularly responsible for the chariot of Glory on the
attic
An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...
of the arch. Pimenov's later work included the chariot of Apollo for the
Alexandrinsky Theatre
The Alexandrinsky Theatre (russian: Александринский театр) or National Drama Theatre of Russia is a theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The Alexandrinsky Theatre was built for the Imperial troupe of Petersburg (Imperial trou ...
between 1831 and 1832, and statues of Homer and Plato for the
Imperial Public Library
The National Library of Russia (NLR, russian: Российская национальная библиотека}), located in Saint Petersburg, is the first, and one of three national public libraries in Russia. The NLR is currently ranked amo ...
over the same period. In 1830 he had produced a similar composition to the General Staff Building's one for
Vasily Stasov
Vasily Petrovich Stasov (Russian: Васи́лий Петро́вич Ста́сов; 4 August 1769 – 5 September 1848) was a famous Russian architect, born into a wealthy noble family: his father, Pyotr Fyodorovich Stasov, came from one ...
's
Narva Triumphal Arch
The Narva Triumphal Arch (russian: На́рвские триумфа́льные ворота, lit. ''Narvskie Triumfal'nyye vorota'') was erected in the vast Stachek Square (prior to 1923 also known as the Narva Square), Saint Petersburg, in 1814 ...
, but by this time he had fallen out of favour with
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 =
...
, supposedly over Pimenov's portraits of Nicholas and his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. Nicholas criticised Pimenov's characters for the Narva Arch as being too thin, and ordered a new competition. Pimenov was forced to resign from the Academy, though he was still able to complete his design for the Arch, sculpting the figures of "Glory", and supporting characters in 1832.
Family and death
Pimenov died on at the age of 49 and was buried in the
Smolensky Cemetery
Smolensky Cemetery () is the oldest continuously operating cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He had a daughter and two sons. The eldest son, Nikolai, also became a noted sculptor. In 1936 the remains of both Stepan and Nikolai Pimenov were reburied in the
Tikhvin Cemetery
Tikhvin Cemetery (russian: Тихвинское кладбище) is a historic cemetery in the centre of Saint Petersburg. It is part of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and is one of four cemeteries in the complex. Since 1932 it has been part of the ...
of the
Alexander Nevsky Lavra
Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, in the belief that this was the site of the Neva Battle in 1240 when Ale ...
. In 1939 a granite altar-style tombstone was erected to the two Pimenovs.