Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (russian: link=no, Алекса́ндр Андре́евич Ива́нов; July 28 (July 16 S, 1806 – July 15 (July 3 S, 1858) was a Russian painter who adhered to the waning tradition of

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism ...

but found little sympathy with his contemporaries. He was born and died in St. Petersburg. He has been called the master of one work, for it took 20 years to complete his magnum opus ''

The Appearance of Christ Before the People ''The Appearance of Christ Before the People'' (russian: Явление Христа народу ''Yavleniye Khrista narodu'') or ''The Apparition of the Messiah'' is an oil painting on canvas, measuring 540 cm × 750 cm, by the Russ ...

''.

Biography

Early Years and Education

Alexander Andreyevich was born to an art professor Andrey Ivanov. Aged 11, 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 Thr ...

and studied at his father's course together with

Karl Briullov Karl Pavlovich Bryullov (russian: Карл Па́влович Брюлло́в; 12 December 1799 – 11 June 1852), original name Charles Bruleau, also transliterated Briullov and Briuloff, and referred to by his friends as "Karl the Great", was a ...

. For his good achievements he was awarded with two silver medals, in 1824 he received a golden medal for the painting 'Priam Asking Achilles to Return Hector's Body'. In 1827 he was honoured with the Big Gold Medal of the Imperial Academy of Arts for 'Joseph interprets the butler's and the baker's dreams' and was promoted to the XIV grade artists. Ivanov's benefactors decided to send him abroad to study art, but required one more picture, thus he creates 'Bellerophon sent to a campaign against the Chimera'. In 1830 Ivanov departs to Europe, first in Germany, then to Italy.

Italian Years

Ivanov's first works in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

were copies of The Creation of Adam of the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...

and some drafts of Biblical scenes. He dreamed to create an epic painting of the Messiah coming to people, but first he decided to try himself on lesser scale picture. In 1834-1835 he finished 'Appearance of Jesus Christ to Maria Magdalena'. The painting had great success both in Rome and St Petersburg. The Russian Imperial Academy of Arts granted Ivanov an honorary academic degree in 1836. He spent most of his life in Rome where he befriended

Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

and was influenced by the Nazarenes.

The Appearance of Christ Before the People

Ivanov spent 20 years (1837–1857) in Rome, working on his greatest masterpiece 'The Appearance of Christ Before the People'.

Death

Ivanov died of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...

on July 3, 1858. He was buried in St. Petersburg at the

Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery ( rus, Новоде́вичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular touris ...

. In 1936, he was reburied with the transfer of the monument to the Tikhvin Cemetery 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 Alex ...

Influence and Critics

Critical judgement about Ivanov improved in the following generation. Some of the numerous sketches he had prepared for ''The Appearance'' have been recognized as masterpieces in their own right. The most comprehensive collection of his works can be viewed 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 St. Petersburg.

Gallery

File:Александр Андреевич Иванов - Явление Христа народу (Явление Мессии) - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

'' (1837–57) File:Alexander Ivanov - Christ's Appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection - Google Art Project.jpg, '' Noli me tangere'' Appearance of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

to Maria Magdalena, 1835 File:Alexandr Ivanov 025.jpg,

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...

interprets the butler's and the baker's dreams, 1827 File:Alexandr Ivanov 005.jpg,

Priam In Greek mythology, Priam (; grc-gre, Πρίαμος, ) was the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra. Etymology ...

Asking

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pe ...

to Return Hector's Body, 1824 File:Apollo, Hyacinthus and Cyparis singing and playing by Alexander Ivanov.jpg,

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

, Hyacinthus and Cyparis singing and playing, 1831-1834 File:Bellerofont otpravljaetsja v pohod protiv Himery.jpg,

Bellerophon Bellerophon (; Ancient Greek: Βελλεροφῶν) or Bellerophontes (), born as Hipponous, was a hero of Greek mythology. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles", and h ...

sent to a campaign against the Chimera, 1829 File:Aleksander Ivanov - Аппиева дорога (Via Appia) при закате солнца - Google Art Project.jpg,

Appian Way The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name ...

at Sunset, 1845 File:Cleansing of the Temple by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov.jpg, ''

Cleansing of the Temple The cleansing of the Temple narrative tells of Jesus expelling the merchants and the money changers from the Temple, and is recounted in all four canonical gospels of the New Testament. The scene is a common motif in Christian art. In this ac ...

'', 1824 File:Alexandr Ivanov 014.jpg,

Last supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

, 1850 File:Ivanov Vittoria Caldoni 1834.jpg, Vittoria Caldoni portrait, 1834 File:N.Gogol by A.Ivanov (1841, Russian museum) 2.jpg,

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

portrait, 1841 Stamp of USSR 1933

References

External links

*
Online gallery of Ivanov's worksPainting
'Priam Asking Achilles to Return Hector's Body' in The State Tretyakov Gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanov, Alexander Andreyevich 1806 births 1858 deaths 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire Russian male painters Neoclassical painters Russian watercolorists Painters from Saint Petersburg Burials in the Protestant Cemetery, Rome 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire Imperial Academy of Arts alumni Awarded with a large gold medal of the Academy of Arts Members of the Imperial Academy of Arts Burials at Tikhvin Cemetery