Nikodim Yurevich Silivanovich, or Nikodemas Silvanavičius (Belarusian: Нікадзім Юр'евіч Сілівановіч, 18341919) was a Russian painter and mosaicist, and a member of the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Imperial Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University, under the name ''Academy of th ...

Biography

He was born into a family of

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

s, in a village attached to the estate of a

Bernardine Bernardine is a Latinate diminutive of the given name "Bernard". It can be applied to men, notably Saint Bernadine, but is now much more often a female name. Bernadine and Bernadene are variant spellings of the female name. The nickname '' B ...

monastery, and was able to receive his basic education at a school for the nobility in

Maladzyechna Maladzyechna, or Molodechno, is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Maladzyechna District (and formerly of Molodechno Region from 1944 to 1960). Maladzyechna is located northwest of Minsk. In 2006, it had ...

.Жизнь и творческий путь незаслуженно забытого академика
"Life and Career of an Unjustly Forgotten Academician" compiled by Vitaly Kurdeko @ LiveInternet. After graduating, he became a tutor to the children of a local landowner. Finding the job rather boring, he would often sketch to pass the time. His employer noticed Nikodim's talent for drawing and provided the funds for him to study at the "Society for the Encouragement of the Arts", in Saint Petersburg.Prisimenant dailininką Nikodemą Silvanavičių
"In Memoriam Nikodemas Silvanavičius" by Dalia Tarandaitė (2005) @ Literatūra ir menas. In 1856, he passed the entrance exams for the

, where he studied with

Fyodor Bruni Fedele Giovanni Baroffi Bruni,. russified as Fyodor Antonovich Bruni (10 June 1799 – 30 August 1875) was a List of Russian artists, Russian painter and draughtsman of Swiss Italian descent, active during the Romanticism, Romantic period, best kn ...

Alexey Tarasovich Markov Alexey Tarasovich Markov (, 24 March 1802 - 12 March 1878) was a Russian painter, best known for his history paintings and church decorations, typical of the Neoclassical style. Biography His father was a watchmaker. He studied at the Impe ...

and Timofey Neff. He graduated in 1863 and was awarded the title of "free artist". For a short time, he lived in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, painting portraits, decorating churches and marrying the daughter of a local landowner. However, the suppression of Lithuanian culture that followed the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

made life there increasingly difficult, so he moved back to his hometown with his new wife, and the local

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...

commissioned him to decorate all the churches in its jurisdiction. He also created several icons, none of which have survived. For his work, he was awarded the title "Artist of the Third Degree" and returned to the academy in 1866 to learn how to make mosaics. From that point on, mosaics formed the largest portion of his artistic output and he worked on several major projects throughout Saint Petersburg. He later achieved the titles of "Second Degree" and "First Degree" and was named an Academician in 1876. The same year, one of works ("Prisoners") was exhibited at the

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition, officially the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876. It was the first official wo ...

in Philadelphia. He was awarded the

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus (, ), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It remained under the Congress Poland, Kingdom of Pola ...

, 3rd degree, in 1881.

His wife's illness

Shortly after, his wife was diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

.Dailininkas Nikodemas Silvanavičius
"The Painter Nikodemas Silvanavičius" by Dalia Tarandaitė (2005) @ Literatūra ir menas. Concerned that Saint Petersburg's climate was bad for her, he bought a home near

Birštonas Birštonas (, ) is a balneological resort and a spa town in Lithuania situated south of Kaunas on the right bank of the Nemunas River. Birštonas received its town rights 1529 and was appointed a town in 1966. The town is the administrative ce ...

, a health resort, where she lived with their son Josef, who had a paralyzed arm. He spent his summers and vacations there, roaming about, making sketches for paintings, and briefly operating a photography studio. By 1898, he was a Counselor at the Imperial Academy but, after his wife died in 1901, he tendered his resignation, citing eye disease and old age, collected his pension, and moved to Birštonas permanently, where he set up a workshop in his home. In 1909, he was commissioned the

Bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

of Vilnius to create fourteen scenes depicting the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

for the new Church of Saint Jude the Apostle in Birštonas. In 1911, an inheritance enabled him to buy a post-station to provide Josef with a source of income. During World War I, he lived in Saint Petersburg. His place and date of death are disputed, but he probably settled in

Prienai Prienai () is a city in Lithuania situated on the Nemunas River, south of Kaunas. In 2023, the city had 8,894 inhabitants. The name of the city is a derivative from the surname ''Prienas''. Pociūnai Airport is associated with the city. Histor ...

and died while on a visit to his native village.

Selected works

Nikodim Silivanovich. Soldier with a boy.jpg, Soldier with a Boy (1866) Портрет жены (Пелагея Силиванович).jpg, Portrait of his wife, Pelageya Мозаика Тайная вечеря Силиванович.jpg, Mosaic of the

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...

Saint Isaac's Cathedral Saint Isaac's Cathedral () is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Gre ...

(1879-1887) File:Пастух из Швенчёниса (Пастух из Свентянщины).jpg, Shepherd (date unknown)

References

External links

Детский пленэр, посвящённый Силивановичу
A day of

plein-air ''En plein air'' (; French language, French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein ai ...

painting for children in Vileika, dedicated to Silivanovich @ край
Художник и его потомок
"The Artist and His Descendant" by Anton Makarevich @ LiveInternet {{DEFAULTSORT:Silivanovich, Nikodim 1834 births 1919 deaths People from Vileyka district People from Vileysky Uyezd Belarusian painters Painters from the Russian Empire Mosaic artists

Biography

His wife's illness

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links