Ivan Shishkin is one of the iconic figures in the galaxy of Russian artists of the 19th century. Reproductions of his paintings surround us everywhere. Just what is his work "Morning in a Pine Forest", which is replicated in millions of copies on the wrapper of "Mishka Clubfoot" chocolates.
early years
Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin was born on January 25, 1832 in Elabuga - an ancient city located among dense forests on the high right bank of the Kama. The beauty of the local nature forever sunk into his soul, it filled with inspiration and served as a theme for landscapes when he became an artist.
His father belonged to a merchant family. He strove to give his son a decent education. As a child, Shishkin was an inquisitive and gifted child. He read many books and loved to draw. According to the recollections of his relatives, Shishkin loved to paint the walls and the fence.
He received his primary education at the district school, and at the age of 12 he was sent to the Kazan gymnasium. But young Shishkin did not like it there. After studying for four years, he came home on vacation and flatly refused to return to Kazan. Surprisingly, the father did not oppose his son's decision. Even then, it was clear that Shishkin's main interest was painting.
Creation
In 1852, Shishkin became a student at the Moscow School of Painting. Then he continued his studies at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. At that time, she was the only higher educational institution in the field of fine arts in Russia.
Shishkin did not limit himself to lessons at the Academy, he painted many landscapes from nature near St. Petersburg and on Valaam. Soon his creations were noticed. In 1861 Shishkin left for Europe. There, the artist painted the famous landscape "View in the vicinity of Dusseldorf".
He did not stay in a foreign land for so long: no European beauty could replace his homeland for which he longed greatly.
In 1870 Ivan Shishkin became one of the founders of the Association of Traveling Exhibitions. The purpose of this association was to introduce the inhabitants of the province to Russian art. He remained faithful to this Fellowship all his life.
Famous paintings
At the first exhibition of the "Itinerants" Shishkin presented the following paintings, which later became famous:
- "Pine forest";
- "Evening";
- "Birch Forest".
The work "Sosnovy Bor" deserves special attention. The artist Kramskoy called it one of the remarkable works of the Russian school of painting.
Perhaps the most famous painting by Shishkin is Morning in a Pine Forest. It was commissioned by Tretyakov for his gallery. Few people know that Shishkin did not write this masterpiece alone: he asked the famous animal painter Konstantin Savitsky to depict the bear family. Initially, there were two signatures under the painting. But Tretyakov ordered to wash off Savitsky's flourish.
Ivan Shishkin died on March 20, 1898. Death found him in the studio at an easel, when he was painting another forest landscape. The artist is buried in St. Petersburg.
