Vasily Ivanovich Surikov (Russian: Василий Иванович Суриков; 24 January 1848 – 19 March 1916) was a Russian Realist

history painter 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 ...

. Many of his works have become familiar to the general public through their use as illustrations.

Biography

He was born to an old family descending from

Don Cossack Don Cossacks (russian: Донские казаки, Donskie kazaki) or Donians (russian: донцы, dontsy) are Cossacks who settled along the middle and lower Don. Historically, they lived within the former Don Cossack Host (russian: До� ...

s that had settled in Siberia.Brief biography
@ RusArtNet. His father was a Collegiate Registrar, a civil service rank that often served as

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

s. In 1854, as a result of his father being reassigned, the family moved to the village of Sukhobuzimskoye, where he began his primary education. In 1859, his father died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

so the family returned to Krasnoyarsk and were forced to rent the second floor of their house to survive financially. He began drawing while attending the district school and was encouraged by the local art teacher. His first formal work dates from 1862, but his family could not afford to continue his education and he became a clerk in a government office. This brought him into contact with , the Governor of

Yenisei The Yenisey (russian: Енисе́й, ''Yeniséy''; mn, Горлог мөрөн, ''Gorlog mörön''; Buryat language, Buryat: Горлог мүрэн, ''Gorlog müren''; Tuvan language, Tuvan: Улуг-Хем, ''Uluğ-Hem''; Khakas language, K ...

, who was able to find him a patron: , a local merchant who owned several small gold mines.Brief biography
@ Russian Paintings. In 1868, he rode on horseback to Saint Petersburg, but was unable to qualify for admission to 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 ...

, so he studied at the drawing school of 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 ...

. After a year there, he was allowed to audit classes at the Academy and became a full-time pupil toward the end of 1869. From 1869 to 1875, he studied with

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 ...

Bogdan Willewalde Bogdan Pavlovich Willewalde (russian: Богдан Павлович Виллевальде, german: link=no, Gottfried Willewalde; January 12, 1819, Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg – March 24, 1903, Dresden) was a Russian Imperial artist, academic, ...

and

Pyotr Shamshin Pyotr Mikhailovich Shamshin (Russian: Пётр Михайлович Шамшин; (10 January 1811, Saint Petersburg – 6 February 1895, Saint Petersburg) His great attention to

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

earned him a nickname, "The Composer". In 1875, he graduated with the title of Artist, first degree.

Career in Moscow

Vasily Surikov - Suvorov Crossing the Alps in 1799 - Google Art Project

In 1877, he received a commission to paint murals at the

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour ( rus, Храм Христа́ Спаси́теля, r=Khram Khristá Spasítelya, p=xram xrʲɪˈsta spɐˈsʲitʲɪlʲə) is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on the northern bank of the Moskv ...

(then still under construction) and he moved to Moscow. Unable to afford a house, he lived in rented apartments and hotels and visited Krasnoyarsk whenever possible. In 1878, he married Elisabeth Charais (1858–1888), a French woman who was descended from the

Decembrist The Decembrist Revolt ( ru , Восстание декабристов, translit = Vosstaniye dekabristov , translation = Uprising of the Decembrists) took place in Russia on , during the interregnum following the sudden death of Emperor Al ...

, , on her mother's side. They had two daughters. After that, he chose to remain in Moscow and began the series of historical paintings that would establish his reputation, starting with ''

The Morning of the Streltsy Execution ''The Morning of the Streltsy Execution'' is a painting by Vasily Ivanovich Surikov, painted in 1881. It illustrates the public execution after the Streltsy's failed attempted uprising before the walls of the Kremlin. It shows the display o ...

''. In 1881, he had his first exhibition 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 ...

, an artists' cooperative. In 1883, '' Menshikov in

Beryozovo Berezovo (russian: Березово) or Beryozovo () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. The name is derived from the Russian береза (''bereza''), "birch." Modern localities Altai Krai As of 2012, two rural localities in A ...

'' was bought by

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 Ga ...

for a sum that allowed him to take a European tour. In 1887, he added portraits to his repertoire, beginning with one of his mother. In 1888, his wife died, and he returned to Krasnoyarsk with his daughters for two years. There he painted his most lighthearted picture, ''The Capture of Snow Town''. This was followed by a visit to his ancestral home in Siberia. There, on the

Ob River } The Ob ( rus, Обь, p=opʲ: Ob') is a major river in Russia. It is in western Siberia; and together with Irtysh forms the world's List of rivers by length, seventh-longest river system, at . It forms at the confluence of the Biya (river), Biya ...

, he made sketches for one of his most familiar works, ''The Conquest of Siberia by

Yermak Timofeyevich Yermak Timofeyevich ( rus, Ерма́к Тимофе́евич, p=jɪˈrmak tʲɪmɐˈfʲejɪvʲɪtɕ; born between 1532 and 1542 – August 5 or 6, 1585) was a Cossack ataman and is today a hero in Russian folklore and myths. During the reign ...

'' (an event in which some of his ancestors had participated). This brought him a full membership in the Imperial Academy. In 1897, he visited Switzerland and painted ''

Suvorov Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov (russian: Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Суво́ров, Aleksándr Vasíl'yevich Suvórov; or 1730) was a Russian general in service of the Russian Empire. He was Count of Râmnicu Sărat, Rymnik, C ...

Crossing the Alps'', which was purchased by Tsar

Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...

. In 1907, he left the Peredvizhniki and joined the Union of Russian Artists. Three years later, he visited Spain, together with his son-in-law,

Pyotr Konchalovsky Pyotr Petrovich Konchalovsky (''also trans.'' Petr; russian: Пётр Петрович Кончаловский; 21 February 1876 – 2 February 1956) was a Russian and Soviet painter, a member of the Knave of Diamonds group. Biography Ear ...

. That same year, he and the architect Leonid Chernishyov opened an art school. Four years later, he had an extended stay in Krasnoyarsk, painting landscapes. Суриков Василий Иванович

By this time, he was suffering from chronic coronary disease. A trip to

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 ...

for treatment in 1915 failed to ameliorate the problem and he died early the following year after returning to Moscow. He was buried at

Vagankovo Cemetery Vagankovo Cemetery (russian: Ваганьковское кладбище, Vagan'kovskoye kladbishche), established in 1771, is located in the Presnya district of Moscow. It started in the aftermath of the Moscow plague riot of 1771 outside the cit ...

, next to his wife. In 1948, on the 100th anniversary of his birth, his estate in Krasnoyarsk became a museum. Two monuments have been erected there, in 1954 and in 2002. A biographical movie of his life (''

Vasily Surikov Vasily Ivanovich Surikov (Russian: Василий Иванович Суриков; 24 January 1848 – 19 March 1916) was a Russian Realist history painter. Many of his works have become familiar to the general public through their use as illus ...

'') was made by

Mosfilm Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...

in 1959, written by

Emil Braginsky Emil (Emmanuel) Veniaminovich Braginsky (russian: link=no, Эми́ль (Эммануэль) Вениами́нович Браги́нский, 19 November 1921 – 26 May 1998) was a Soviet/Russian screenwriter and an Honored Art Worker of the RS ...

and directed by , with

Yevgeni Lazarev Yevgeni Nikolayevich Lazarev ( be, Яўген Мікалаевіч Лазараў, Jaŭhen Mikałajevič Łazaraŭ; russian: Евге́ний Никола́евич Ла́зарев; 31 March 1937 – 18 November 2016), also credited as Eugene ...

as Surikov and

Larisa Kadochnikova Larisa Valentinovna Kadochnikova (russian: Лариса Валентиновна Кадочникова, uk, Лариса Валентинівна Кадочникова; born 30 August 1937, Moscow, USSR) is a Ukrainian actress. She appeared in ...

as Elisabeth. Numerous streets and squares throughout Russia have been named after him, as well as a crater on Mercury.

Principal works

Image:Surikov streltsi.jpg, ''

'' File:Vasily Surikov - Боярыня Морозова - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Boyarina Morozova'' Image:Surikov-Horseman2.jpg, ''The

Bronze Horseman The ''Bronze Horseman'' (russian: link=no, Медный всадник, literally "copper horseman") is an equestrian statue of Peter I of Russia, Peter the Great in the Senate Square (Saint Petersburg), Senate Square in Saint Petersburg, Ru ...

'' Image:SurikovMenshikovBerezovo.jpg, ''Menshikov in Beryozovo'' Image:SurikovSnowFortress.jpg, ''The Capture of Snow Town'' Image:Surikov_Pokoreniye_Sibiri_Yermakom.jpg, ''The Conquest of Siberia by

References

External links

Vasily Surikov Russian Web site. Biography, full galleries, memories, etc.
(in Russian)
Vasily Surikov. Picturesand Biography
@ Арт-Рисунок
Vasily Surikov Museum Estate, Russia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Surikov, Vasily 1848 births 1916 deaths People from Krasnoyarsk People from Yeniseysk Governorate 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire Russian male painters 20th-century Russian painters Russian watercolorists Peredvizhniki 19th-century painters of historical subjects Burials at Vagankovo Cemetery 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian male artists

Biography

Career in Moscow

Principal works

References

Further reading

External links