Vasiliy Vasilievich Griaznov (Belarusian:Васіль Васільевіч Гразноў; c.1840, place unknown — 27 February 1909,

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

) was a

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

painter, art teacher and

architectural historian An architectural historian is a person who studies and writes about the history of architecture, and is regarded as an authority on it. Professional requirements As many architectural historians are employed at universities and other facilities ...

Life and work

He graduated from the

Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Industrial and Applied Arts (russian: Московская Государственная Художественно-Промышленная Академия им. С.Г. Строганова) informally named S ...

with a diploma in

technical drawing Technical drawing, drafting or drawing, is the act and Academic discipline, discipline of composing Plan (drawing), drawings that Visual communication, visually communicate how something functions or is constructed. Technical drawing is essent ...

and landscape painting, then served as a

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for m ...

in the silver workshop of the . In 1864, at the invitation of , a trustee of the , he moved to Vilnius, where he devoted himself to the study of historical monuments. He also taught drawing and calligraphy in the public schools. After 1886, he taught at a girls' school. He made numerous trips throughout Lithuania and Belarus, seeking out monuments and landmarks, then taking photographs or painting

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

s. Some of his photographs were published in the Vilnius city calendar for 1887; although it had to be produced outside of Lithuania, due to a lack of the necessary technical equipment. His graphics were often exhibited in St. Petersburg at archaeological congresses. As these works were designed for practical use, relatively few have survived. A notable example depicts the Church of St. Michael, Synkavichy. Some were used as book illustrations. In the late 1860s, he was one of the first to investigate and describe the

Kalozha Church The ''Kalozha'' church of Sts. Boris and Gleb (Belarusian: ''Каложская царква, Царква Св. Барыса і Глеба'') is the oldest extant structure in Grodno, Belarus. It is the only surviving monument of ancient Black Ru ...

, following its partial collapse. He found traces of forgotten

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es, including a depiction of the

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

, and determined that the church once had a wooden

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

. Perhaps his best known discovery came about when he was searching through a church in Turov and came across a box of coal mixed with paper. When he spread out the contents, he found a manuscript from the 11th century which is now known as the .

Gallery

Horadnia, Kałoža. Горадня, Каложа (V. Griaznov, 1853-95) (3).jpg,

Horadnia, Kałoža. Горадня, Каложа (V. Griaznov, 1852).jpg, Kalozha Church Navahradzki zamak. Наваградзкі замак (1890).jpg,

Navahrudak Castle The former castle in Navahrudak, Belarus ( be, Навагрудскі замак, lt, Naugarduko pilis, pl, Zamek w Nowogródku) was one of the key strongholds of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, cited by Maciej Stryjkowski as the location of Mindau ...

Supraśla, Bazylanski. Супрасьля, Базылянскі (1890).jpg,

Supraśl Orthodox Monastery The Monastery of the Annunciation in Supraśl ( pl, Monaster Zwiastowania Najświętszej Marii Panny w Supraślu; be, Супрасльскі Дабравешчанскі манастыр; russian: Супрасльский Благовещенск ...

Vilnia, Spaskaja. Вільня, Спаская (V. Griaznov, 1870).jpg, Vilnia, Spaskaja Vilnia, Spaskaja. Вільня, Спаская (V. Griaznov, 1874).jpg, Vilnia, Spaskaja Vitulin, Michajłaŭskaja. Вітулін, Міхайлаўская (V. Griaznov, 1885).jpg, Vitulin, Michajłaŭskaja

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griaznov, Vasiliy 1840s births 1909 deaths Belarusian painters Architectural historians Watercolorists Belarusian emigrants to Lithuania Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry alumni

Life and work

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links