Venetsianov's most famous paintings. A

Creativity Venetsianov contributed to the interest in the national Russian landscape and folk images.

The everyday genre in Russian painting began to take shape in the 18th century, you can read about it. In the work of A. Venetsianov, this genre was further developed.

Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov (1780-1847)

A. Venetsianov. Self-portrait (1811). Canvas, oil. 67.5 × 56 cm State Russian Museum (Petersburg)
A.G. Venetsianov was born in Moscow into a merchant family descended from the Greek family of Veneziano. The future artist entered the service early: first he served as a land surveyor at the forest department, then he was transferred to St. Petersburg, to the post office. There he began to paint on his own: he copied paintings in the Hermitage, painted portraits of close people, including his mother. Then for some time he studied painting with V. Borovikovsky and even lived in his house as a student.

A. Venetsianov. Portrait of A.L. Venetsianova, the artist's mother (1801). Canvas, oil. 74 x 66 cm State Russian Museum (Petersburg)
Initially, Venetsianov worked mainly in the portrait genre. For the portrait he painted of the inspector of the Academy of Arts K. Golovachevsky with three students, A. Venetsianov received the title of academician.

A. Venetsianov. Portrait of the inspector of the Academy of Arts K. Golovachevsky with three students (1811). Canvas, oil. 143.5 x 111 cm State Russian Museum (Petersburg)
Golovachevsky is depicted surrounded by three boys. Each of them symbolizes a representative of painting, sculpture and architecture.
In the center of the composition is Golovachevsky's hand lying on the book. Generously open palm- a symbol of giving children the secret wisdom of knowledge. Golovachevsky turned slightly to the future architect with a large folder under his arm and listened attentively to him. His gaze is full of liveliness, strict kindness and cordiality.
The children's faces are painted with love, they are spiritualized and full of inner purity, which brings this picture closer to the portraits of V. Tropinin.

A. Venetsianov. Portrait of M. A. Venetsianova, the artist's wife (1810s). Canvas, oil. 67.5 x 52 cm State Russian Museum (Petersburg)
In 1819, Venetsianov left the service and settled with his family (wife Marfa Afanasyevna and two daughters, Alexandra and Felitsata) in the village of Safonkovo, Tver province. From this period main theme his work becomes a peasant theme.
A.G. Venetsianov died in an accident while riding horses on the road to Tver on December 4 (16), 1847 in the village of Poddubie, Tver province. The artist is buried rural cemetery the village of Dubrovskoye (now Venetsianovo) in the Udomelsky district of the Tver region.

Creativity A. Venetsianov

Venetsianov created a rather large portrait gallery his contemporaries, including prominent people of that time: N.V. Gogol, N.M. Karamzin, V.P. Kochubey.

A. Venetsianov. Portrait of N.V. Gogol. Lithograph 1834

A. Venetsianov. Portrait of N.M. Karamzin (1828). Canvas, oil. All-Russian Museum of A.S. Pushkin
But most famous A. G. Venetsianov was brought the images of peasants painted by him. "The Reapers", "The Sleeping Shepherd", "Zakharka" and many other paintings have been attracting viewers for almost 200 years with their freshness and sincerity. The main characters of the artist's paintings were his own peasants. Landscape and interior played a big role. The innovation of these paintings lay in the artist's ability to convey a special atmosphere of rustic simplicity and naturalness, the proximity to the land on which they lived and which they cultivated with their own hands. Sometimes Venetsianov was reproached for the fact that the peasants in his paintings were too smart, too idealized. But the artist himself wanted to see them so much, and he showed them to us like that.

A. Venetsianov "Threshing floor" (1823). Canvas, oil. 66.5 × 80.5 cm. State Russian Museum (Petersburg)
The artist depicts a threshing floor (a place where grain was threshed). The images of the peasants are painted with a sense of respect for their work and sincere sympathy. Cleverly conveyed perspective.
This picture was the beginning great job over the image of the Russian village. Venetsianov developed the form of a multi-figure genre painting on rural theme, in which often big role plays landscape or interior.

A. Venetsianov "Reapers" (1825). Canvas, oil. 66.7 x 52 cm State Russian Museum (Petersburg)
The artist was attracted by romantic life picture: mother and son admire the butterflies that perched on the hand of the reaper (we recognize their occupation by the title of the picture and by the tools in their hands). The boy perceives the world joyfully and childishly trusting. Mother was tired, but she did not remain indifferent to beauty. The idea of ​​the picture is obvious: the peasants can also feel the beautiful (in Karamzin - "even peasant women know how to love").

A. Venetsianov "The Sleeping Shepherd" (1823-1824). Wood, oil. 27.5 x 36.5 cm State Russian Museum (Petersburg)
The sleeping (or simply posing) shepherd boy is depicted against the background of a spatial landscape. Venetsianov managed to convey the perspective and unity of nature and man. In addition to the boy, in the picture we see a girl with a yoke and figures of fishermen, and all this is shown in complete harmony: both nature and people are calm, peaceful. This painting also became a new word in Russian painting - at that time they had not yet worked in the open air.

Other types of artist's work

A. Venetsianov also worked in the pastel technique on paper and parchment, was engaged in lithography, painted icons. His brushes belong to the icons for the cathedral of all educational institutions(Smolny Cathedral), for the church of the Obukhov city hospital. IN Last year In his lifetime, the artist worked on icons for the church of the boarding school for noble youth in Tver.

A. Venetsianov "Representation Mother of God for pupils Smolny Institute". Altarpiece for the Cathedral of all educational institutions in the name of the Resurrection of Christ the Savior (Smolny Cathedral) in St. Petersburg (1832-1835). Canvas, oil. 489 × 249 cm

Venetsianov School

A group of artists formed around Venetsianov, who were close to the peasant genre.
The art school in Safonkovo ​​lasted 20 years. During this time, more than 70 artists have been trained here, including N. Krylov, A. Tyranov, K. Zelentsov, A. Alekseev, V. Avrorin, A. Mokritsky, S. Zaryanko, G. Soroka, A. Venetsianova and others .
Let's talk about two of them.

Grigory Vasilievich Soroka (real name Vasiliev), 1823-1864. Russian fortress painter.

G. Magpie. self-portrait
In 1842-1847. he studied painting at the school of A. G. Venetsianov and was one of his favorite students. After training, Soroka had to be sent back to the master. Venetsianov asked the landowner Milyukov to give Grigory freedom so that he could continue his education at the Academy of Arts, but could not achieve this.
The young artist committed suicide.

G. Soroka "View in Spassky" (second half of the 1840s)

Alexandra Alekseevna Venetsianova(1816-1882) - daughter of Venetsianov. Artist, representative of the Venetsianov art school.

A. Venetsianov. Portrait of a daughter at the age of 13
Alexandra painted portraits, genre paintings, still lifes. Her work is in the State Tretyakov Gallery, Tver regional art gallery. Her art was called very sincere, although somewhat naive.
She left a book of memoirs about her father: Venetsianova A. A. Notes of Venetsianov's daughter. 1862 // Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov. The world of the artist. Articles, letters, contemporaries about the artist / Compilation, entry. Art. and approx. A. V. Kornilova. L., Art, 1980.

Alexander Venetsianov "Post station". Canvas, oil. 57 x 62 cm. Tver Regional Art Gallery

Alexey Gavrilovich Venetsianov - famous Russian 19th century artist century. His innovative work had a huge impact on the domestic painting of this century. He is credited with the development of a new, still completely undeveloped in Russian art genre of domestic scenes. It was he who first turned to the image simple peasants, their work and life. In addition, the artist founded his own school, many of whose representatives developed the traditions laid down by him.

early years

Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov was born in Moscow in 1780 into a merchant family. His father was recorded in church books as a Greek. The relatives of the future famous artist were from Greece. The boy's parents were engaged in the trade of berry and fruit bushes. However, a record has been preserved that they resold the paintings, which undoubtedly influenced the child, who, already during his studies in a private Moscow boarding house, discovered a craving for painting.

At first, his father did not approve of his hobbies, however, seeing his son's perseverance in learning to draw, he eventually reconciled. The biography of Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov was henceforth associated with painting, although he served as an official for some time in his youth. Information has been preserved that already in his youth he was taught painting by a certain master Pakhomych, so that by the time he moved to St. Petersburg, Alexei had the necessary skills as an artist.

Carier start

In the capital, Alexei tried to start making money with his art. However, his first attempts to declare himself in society as an artist were unsuccessful. Then he entered the service of an official for some time. However, Alexei Gavrilovich continued to take painting lessons from famous artist V. Borovikovsky, independently copied paintings in the Hermitage.

The first painting by Venetsianov was painted in 1801. It was a portrait of his mother, in which the basic principles of his painting style were laid down: softness and lightness of colors, lyricism of the image, simplicity and naturalness of poses, facial expressions.

The artist started as a portrait painter. He actively painted portraits of his loved ones, acquaintances, relatives and received recognition in this field. Venetsianov's painting “Portrait of K.I. Golovachevsky with pupils "brought him popularity. In 1811, he received the title of academician, which gave him the opportunity to devote himself entirely to his beloved work.

Portraits of the painter

Despite the success of this canvas, it is nevertheless somewhat inferior to other works by the artist, made in a more natural, simple manner, while the image of Golovachevsky is characterized by some didacticism, which, however, was explained by the status of the latter. The self-portrait of the artist turned out to be softer, sincere and soulful. In it, Venetsianov allowed himself to write in a very free manner, not constrained by academic rules.

Among the portraits of the artist, we should separately mention the image of his wife, imbued with that subtle lyrical spirit that would later become the main hallmark his works.

"Reaper"

In this decade, important changes took place in the life and work of Venetsianov. In 1819, he left the service, bought an estate in the Tver province, where he began to develop new genre peasant theme.

The first picture of Venetsianov, dedicated to simple everyday scenes, is called "The Reaper". The canvas was created in the mid-1820s. It is remarkable in that it opened new stage in the work of the author, who henceforth undertook to reproduce with maximum accuracy the pictures of rural working days and Russian nature. A young girl in a festive peasant dress is painted on the canvas. She has a sickle in her hands, which indicates her occupation.

The image is depicted by the artist with particular solemnity: the pose and facial expression of the girl breathe calmness and peace. Thus, a new stage in the artist's career was opened by the painting "The Reaper". Since then, Venetsianov began to actively develop the theme of genre peasant scenes in painting.

“On the arable land. Spring"

This work is considered, perhaps, the most famous and best in the work of the master. At least, his name is associated precisely with this canvas, written in the first half of the 1820s.

The peculiarity of this work is that it is realistic and allegorical at the same time. The fact is that many critics point to a clear disproportion central figure women in relation to the horses she leads with unusual ease, which is not entirely believable.

At the same time, Venetsianov's painting surprisingly accurately reproduces the beauty of Russian nature, which no one has depicted before him. At the time in question, artists preferred to paint italian landscapes, if it was required to depict the Russian open spaces, then they were limited to conditional sketches in the background. The author is truthful and big love showed the Russian field and those who work on it. Despite these disproportions of the peasant figure, with great warmth and Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov portrayed his model with love. “On the arable land. Spring "- a canvas glorifying the simple rural labor and the beauty of the countryside.

“In the harvest. Summer"

This picture is a kind of continuation of the above canvas. On it, the author showed a peasant woman on vacation while collecting hay. The composition is flooded bright light, which conveys the calm, peaceful spirit that this picture breathes. The artist again showed the color of Russian nature.

The main part of the canvas is occupied by a boundless harvest field, flooded with bright sunlight. The rest of the canvas is occupied by the view of a clear sky with light clouds.

Against this background, the figure of a peasant woman in a picturesque costume stands out especially well: a red skirt, a white jacket harmonizes perfectly with the surrounding landscape.

"Haymaking"

This picture shows a peasant woman no longer at work, but on vacation. In the center of the canvas (which was also painted in the mid-1820s) is the figure of a woman leaning against a large haystack. She feeds a small child and looks at the girl, who, in turn, watches her. This time, the author portrayed the peasant worker not as a carefree worker, but as a tired woman who, in addition to collecting hay, has to take care of her work at the same time. baby. Therefore, her face looks tired.

Like no one else could convey simple feelings simple rural workers of the Venetians. "Haymaking" is a picture that shows the viewer a typical scene of village life.

"Humno"

This work is also considered one of the the best works artist. It differs from the above paintings in that now the author's focus is on the collective labor of a group of peasants.

Venetsianov attached great importance realistic image observed phenomena, therefore, on the canvas, the labor process is transmitted almost from photographic accuracy. In the middle of the picture - working room peasants who for some time interrupted the processing of grain.

The picture is flooded with light that falls on the stage from both sides. The poses and faces of the peasants breathe calmness and peace, which is so characteristic of the artist's work. Thus, the beginning of the image of simple everyday life ordinary people put Venetsianov. "Humno" - a canvas that is made in best traditions Russian painting.

"Zakharka"

This work is a portrait of a simple village boy. His face is shown close-up, the author drew his clothes in great detail, while the background V this case shown very conditionally, since now the artist was primarily interested in psychological characteristic child. The expression on the boy's face is not childishly adult. Looking at his knitted eyebrows, stubborn and direct look, firmly compressed lips, the viewer immediately understands that he is accustomed to a harsh working life from an early age, as evidenced by the shaft of the tool that he squeezes in his hand.

No wonder Venetsianov showed the boy's clothes in such detail. Zakharka is dressed in a rough short fur coat, he is wearing a hat and mittens, which are clearly too big for a boy. This shows the viewer that he received these clothes from an adult relative. The picture differs from the above in that the artist turned to the analysis of the personality of the peasants. The author showed the spiritual firmness, intelligence and confident character of the boy, whose whole appearance suggests that he will have a difficult life path.

Social activity

Venetsianov dreamed of creating his own painting school. However, he never managed to get official approval for this, although his paintings were presented to the emperor. Then he opened a school on his estate, where he raised several dozen students. Among his pupils were serfs, many of whom, on his recommendation, received freedom from serfdom.

Mention should also be made of Venetsianov's attempts to create his own cartoon magazine. However, the very first issue with rather bold satirical sketches by the author was confiscated, and its copies were burned. Died famous artist in 1847 as a result of an accident and was buried in the Tver province.

Alexey Gavrilovich Venetsianov

A remarkable artist of the first half of the 19th century, who said a new word in the art of his time, a subtle painter, a talented teacher. He firmly established the theme of peasant labor in painting, sang the personality of the Russian peasant, showed his human dignity and moral beauty.

The creative path of Alexei Gavrilovich was unlike the path of his fellow artists who passed long term education within the walls of the Academy of Arts. Venetsianov was born in Moscow, in 1780, in the family of a merchant who bred fruit bushes and trees for sale. It is not known who were the first teachers of the future artist. “I boldly conquered my favorite pastime,” wrote Venetsianov; he was passionate about painting on his own. Venetsianov was educated in one of the Moscow pensions, then served as a draftsman-surveyor.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Venetsianov moved to St. Petersburg, where he already took orders for the execution of portraits. In St. Petersburg, he took lessons from the largest portrait painter of that time, V.L. Borovikovsky; the influence of the latter's work is very noticeable in the figurative structure of a number of Venetsianov's paintings. The novice artist devoted much of his time to copying paintings by famous masters in the Hermitage. In 1807, Venetsianov entered the service of the Department of Posts and soon undertook the publication of the satirical magazine "Journal of Caricatures for 1808 in Faces", consisting of sheets of engravings. But this publication at the very beginning incurred the wrath of Alexander I. The third sheet of the "Velmozh" was so sharply satirical that the government on the day of its publication banned the further publication of the magazine, and the published sheets were withdrawn. Venetsianov turned to the genre of caricature again in the era of the war of 1812.

In 1811, Venetsianov received recognition from the Academy as a portrait painter. For the presented "Self-portrait" he was awarded the title of appointee. The image of a working artist with a palette and a brush in his hand, peering intently into nature, conveys the poetry of concentrated, thoughtful work. In the same year, Venetsianov received the title of academician for the portrait of the inspector of the Academy of Arts K.I. Golovachevsky with three pupils of the Academy.

In the mid-1810s, Venetsianov bought an estate in the Tver province with the villages of Safonkovo ​​and Tronikha, retired and later most time lives in the village. Here began a new period in the artist's work. A completely different world opened up before him. peasant life and Russian nature. Venetsianov's interest in the life of the people is not accidental. The war of 1812, on the one hand, strengthened national identity, "was great epoch in the life of Russia”, in the words of Belinsky, showed what forces the Russian people possess. On the other hand, after the war, the question of the fate of the Russian peasant, who gave his life for the fatherland, but remained in a forced, slave position, arose with all its acuteness after the war. This question occupied a central place in the reform plans of the Decembrists.

Observing the work and life of peasants, observing nature, the artist comes to the conclusion that it is necessary to work on nature, to paint “the simplest Russian objects”, to paint ordinary people, truthfully conveying their relationship with each other and the environment.

A.G. Venetsianov. Beet peeling

The painting "Cleaning the beets" tells about the significance of everyday work. Slowly and seriously, the peasants go about their work. Essentially, we have a group portrait. The artist does not embellish anything, but soft picturesqueness, gentle and subtly harmonized tones give this pastel a peculiar beauty.

In the first works of the new period, Venetsianov seeks to master the perspective of the interior, the real ratios of light and shadow in it. In the painting "The Barn" his searches in this direction were manifested with particular clarity. With naive spontaneity, the artist seeks to capture everything he sees in front of him: a large covered threshing room, peasants in the foreground and in depth, working horses, various tools of peasant labor. The artist was not able to connect the figures with one action, he set himself a different task: to achieve the utmost fidelity to nature. By order of the artist, the inner wall of the barn was sawn out. This was done for the sake of the accuracy of his observations. With illusory clarity, linear cuts of logs and boards are conveyed in the picture, spatial plans, marked both by the scale ratio of figures and objects, and by the alternation of light and shadow.

In the painting "Morning of the landowner" Venetsianov shows the poetry of everyday human life, its modest environment. A part of the room of a poor house is depicted. A young landowner sitting at the table accepts work from peasant women who have come. The daylight pouring from the window gently envelops the figure of women, is reflected on the surface of the table, closet, on the floor. The appearance of peasant women is full of calmness and dignity: strong, stately figures, healthy faces, strong hands, beautiful clothes- red and dark blue sundresses, white muslin shirts. What attracts in the picture is the amazing picturesqueness of combinations of saturated tones, the freedom of the stroke itself.

To the first genre paintings Venetsianov, in which great attention given to the landscape, we can attribute a small canvas "Spring. On arable land" Colorful harmonies make us feel the spring air, feel the joy of the awakening of nature. We admire the beautiful, ideal in the artist's view, the appearance of a young worker, her graceful figure, light tread, elegant pink sundress. Her affectionate motherly smile is turned to a child playing with flowers. With what deep respect and poetry the artist painted a man of labor, a peasant serf! The landscape, subtle in mood, is captivating: the expanse of a freshly plowed field, tender grass, transparent green foliage, light clouds, high sky.

Man is in organic harmony with nature in the painting “In the Harvest. Summer"; a peasant woman in a scarlet sarafan sits on a high wooden platform and feeds a child, next to her is a sickle set aside for a while. The thick scarlet color of the clothes is beautifully drawn against the golden background of ripe rye. The plain goes deeper, strips of either illuminated or shaded land alternate, reflecting the "quiet play of clouds on earth." Measured smooth rhythm of lines and picturesque spots, a generalized silhouette female figure give rise to a feeling of epic tranquility, the majesty of eternal life and labor processes.

The artist created a whole gallery of peasant images: all those depicted were well known to him, he saw and observed them every day. All of them are different in appearance and character, but in all of them Venetsianov first of all reveals moral purity, makes one feel true human dignity.

Lyrically penetrating "Peasant Woman with Cornflowers". The pensive face of the girl is beautiful in its spiritual clarity. Slightly lowered shoulders indicate fatigue, large working hands lie on an armful of fluffy cornflowers. The blue, yellowish-golden tones of the sundress, apron, headband merge into a quiet harmony of colors, reminiscent of color combinations in nature.

A.G. Venetsianov. Girl with beetroot

Another in character is the "Girl with a Beetroot" - the young beauty turns her head energetically. Typically Russian face with regular features, it is filled with businesslike concern: eyebrows are shifted, lips are compressed, the gaze is fixed. The red sonorous spot of the handkerchief emphasizes the temperament of the face.

Warmly, with great enthusiasm, the peasant boy "Zakharka" was written. Grayish-brown tones, a variety of shades create a rich pictorial play. An inquisitive childish look from under frowning eyebrows is vividly captured. This boy is a real worker: with a hand in a huge mitten, he holds an ax on his shoulder. The whole appearance of Zakharka expresses the fullness of vitality and the charm of childhood.

At the exhibitions of the Academy, visitors are accustomed to seeing large compositions with scenes from mythology, history and the Bible full of dramatic action. Venetsianov, in his canvases, proposed completely new subjects for Russian art, applied new method work. “Finally, we have waited for an artist who turned his wonderful talent to the image of one Russian, to the presentation of objects surrounding him, close to his heart and ours - and he completely succeeded in this ...” - wrote Pavel Svinin, publisher of the Otechestvennye Zapiski magazine.

The role of Venetsianov in the formation of a new direction of the genre school of national painting is enormous. In the village of Safonkovo, the artist organized a school where he taught drawing and painting to students, taken mainly from serfs. There were about 70 people in total. Many of his students lived with him, he helped many to free themselves from serfdom. The artist was interested in every talent, the slightest manifestation of the ability to draw and paint. Subsequently, the students recalled their teacher with warm warmth. Venetsianov invested all his money in the school and at the end of his life he was left without a fortune. Among the students of Venetsianov are A. Alekseev, A. Denisov, S. Zaryanko, E. Krendovsky, N. Krylov, G. Mikhailov, K. Zelentsov, F. Slavyansky, JI. Plakhov, A. Tyranov, G. Soroka (Vasiliev) and others. Venetsianov's favorite student is Grigory Soroka, a man with a tragic fate, the author of the most poetic landscapes. Despite all efforts, Venetsianov was never able to achieve his release from serfdom. The students continued the work of the teacher, further developed everyday themes in Russian painting. New characters appear in their works, urban type - artisans, artisans. The work of these artists formed a trend in Russian art, called the Venetsianov school.

He viewed his work as a public duty. Possessing a breadth of views, Venetsianov inextricably linked art with enlightenment, he believed that it was called upon to promote the enlightenment of people. “The art of drawing and painting itself are nothing but tools that contribute to ... the enlightenment of the people,” he wrote. In order to expand the scope of his teaching activities, to establish his method of working in nature, Venetsianov sought to become one of the teachers of the Academy and for this purpose participated in a competition for a historical painting from the era of Peter I, organized in 1837. He painted a large canvas “Peter the Great. Foundation of St. Petersburg. However, he did not receive an award. The Academy of Arts, sensing a direction alien to it, tried to prevent Venetsianov from entering its walls.

A tragic accident interrupted the activities of Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov in 1847: he died while riding a sleigh.

The tasks that the artist set for himself were put forward by the entire course of development of the advanced culture of Russia, were associated with the formation of the principles of nationality and realism in it. In the work of Venetsianov, we will not find the disclosure of social contradictions, but the interest in the life of the people, the depiction of national subjects speak of the progressive nature of his art. It was born of the emancipatory ideas of its time.

The art of Venetsianov is unfading even now: it expresses a deep faith in the harmonious personality of a person, in the beauty of his work. Venetsianov's legacy has become an integral part of Russian artistic culture.

Introduction

The remarkable Russian artist Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov, at first self-taught and later a student of Borovikovsky, became one of the first portrait painters of a simple Russian person. His first painting "The Barn" (1822-1823) stunned St. Petersburg with its chosen theme.

This canvas laid the foundation for a whole direction in painting, prominent representatives which became Kramskoy, Repin, Surikov, Perov, Vasnetsov, Shishkin.

Aleksey Gavrilovich not only created a whole gallery of portraits of a Russian person ("Morning of the Landowner", "Sleeping Shepherd", "That's Father's Dinner", "Reapers", "Peasant Woman with Cornflowers", etc.), but became the organizer of an art schools for the lower classes - peasants, artisans, philistines and created his own, "Venetian school".

The purpose of the abstract is to analyze creative way Russian painter A.G. Venetsianov.

Brief biography of A.G. Venetsianova

One of the founders household genre in Russian painting, Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov was born on February 7, 1780 in Moscow into a poor merchant family. The artist's father traded fruit and berry bushes. There is evidence that paintings were also traded, and this could contribute to the manifestation of interest in art in the young Venetsianov. In a private Moscow boarding house future artist receives the first drawing lessons. After graduation, he served as a draftsman. In 1801 he painted a portrait of his mother, showing that he had undoubted creative experience and the desire to convey not only external resemblance, but also inner world person.

In 1802 he arrived in St. Petersburg and advertised in the newspaper that the artist, "writing off objects from nature with a sheet", was ready to take orders. In 1803 - 1806, according to some researchers, he was in Moscow, according to others, he studied in St. Petersburg with V.L. Borovikovsky, which is more likely, judging by V.'s changed painting style. Troshchinsky, in free time studied painting at the Hermitage. In 1808 V. tried to publish a magazine. Caricatures, but the publication was destroyed by censorship: the sheet “Velmozh” aroused anger, where Venetsianov depicted an ugly creature resting on a bed, while his waiting room was full of petitioners: a widow with a child, an invalid with medals, etc. In 1811 V. Za submitted to the Academy of Arts "Self-portrait" and "Portrait of K.I. Golovachevsky with students "became an academician. During the Patriotic War of 1812, V. was among the authors of flyers, folk pictures praising the valor of the Russian peasants and ridiculing the Frenchmania of the Russian nobility. In 1815, Venetsianov married, four years later he retired, settled in a small estate, where he worked hard and happily.

Alexei Gavrilovich Venetsianov (1780-1847) - Russian painter, master of genre scenes from peasant life, teacher, member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, founder of the so-called Venetian school.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST

Alexei Venetsianov was born on February 7 (18), 1780 in Moscow. Father Gavril Yuryevich, mother Anna Lukinichna (nee Kalashnikova, daughter of a Moscow merchant). The family of A. G. Venetsianov was engaged in trade, they sold currant bushes, tulip bulbs, as well as paintings. A. G. Venetsianov served as a land surveyor at the forest department.

Alexei studied painting first on his own, then with V. L. Borovikovsky. In his youth, he painted lyrical portraits of his mother (1802), A. I. Bibikov (1805), M. A. Fonvizin (1812).

From 1807 he served in St. Petersburg as an official.

In 1811 he was recognized as "Appointed", that is, a candidate for academician. In the same year, Venetsianov received the title of academician.

During Patriotic War In 1812, together with Ivan Terebenev, he created caricatures of the French and gallomaniac nobles. He also studied genre scenes from noble and bourgeois life. He was a member of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists.

In 1819, he left the service and settled with his family: his wife Marfa Afanasyevna and two daughters, Alexandra and Felitsata, in the village of Safonkovo, Tver province, devoting his efforts to the development of the "peasant" genre. There he organized his own art school where more than 70 people have been trained. V. A. Zhukovsky took an active part in their fate.

In 1829 he received the title of court painter.

Venetsianov died in an accident while traveling on the road to Tver on December 4 (16), 1847 in the village of Poddubie, Tver province. Venetsianov was buried in the rural cemetery of the village of Dubrovskoye (now Venetsianovo) in the Udomelsky district of the Tver region.

CREATION

Since childhood, he discovered the ability and love for drawing, but information about his initial art education not preserved. Special interest he was showing towards the portrait. The earliest surviving work is "Portrait of the mother, A. L. Venetsianova" (1802, Russian Museum).

Apart from portrait painting Venetsianov successfully engaged in graphics. During the Patriotic War of 1812, together with I. I. Terebenev and I. A. Ivanov, he published satirical leaflets of military-patriotic content, made in the technique of etching. He willingly turned to lithography, which had just been invented at that time.

Venetsianov's brush belongs to the portrait gallery of his contemporaries: the artist painted N. V. Gogol (1834), V. P. Kochubey (1830s), N. M. Karamzin (1828). For the title of academician, Venetsianov was asked to paint a portrait of the inspector of the Educational School of the Academy, K. I. Golovachevsky. A. G. Venetsianov depicted him surrounded by three boys, symbolizing the union of the “three most noble arts”: painting, sculpture and architecture.

The portrait also personified the unity of the old Academy (K. Golovachevsky, being a fellow student of A. I. Losenko, was considered the patriarch of the Academy) with the new one. However, A. G. Venetsianov was most famous for the images of peasants he painted. "The Reapers", "The Sleeping Shepherd", "Zakharka" have been attracting the viewer's attention with their freshness and sincerity for almost two centuries.

In 1808, A. Venetsianov published the Journal of Caricatures, which was soon banned. The magazine consisted of engraved sheets: "Allegorical image of twelve months", "Sledding", "Nobleman". satirical image an influential dignitary, is believed to have caused the wrath of Alexander I. Venetsianov's brushes also belonged to the images for the cathedral of all educational institutions (Smolny Cathedral), for the church of the Obukhov city hospital. In the last year of his life, the artist worked on images for the church of the boarding school for noble youth in Tver.

VENICE SCHOOL

In the 1910s, the worldview of Venetsianov was formed. He is one of the first members of the Society for the Establishment of Schools by the Method of Mutual Teaching, founded in 1818, a legal organization of the Decembrist Welfare Union. The purpose of the Society was to spread literacy among the common people.

After the success of the painting "The Barn", bought from the artist for a significant amount, he decided to use the proceeds "to train poor young people" according to a new method.

The works of his students Venetsianov exhibited along with his own at academic exhibitions. The master's students - in some cases serfs - lived and studied with him for free. The school alternately functioned in Safonkovo ​​and in St. Petersburg, receiving some support from the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. Official academic circles disapproved of Venetsianov's activities.

The pedagogical system of the master was reduced to the development in the student of the ability to see and depict the world in its immediate reality, outside of predetermined norms and canons.

Thus, the pupils of Venetsianov did not copy, like academicians, other people's originals or special tables depicting individual parts of the body. They comprehended the laws of form, perspective, color on real objects, moving from simple tasks to complex ones. During the twenty-year existence of the school, Venetsianov experienced increasing financial difficulties, unsuccessfully seeking funds for its maintenance.

The Venetsianov family came from Greece, where they were called Mihapulo-Proko or Farmaki-Proko. The artist's great-grandfather Fyodor Proko with his wife Angela and son George arrived in Russia in 1730-1740. There they received the nickname Veneziano, which later turned into the name of the Venetsianovs.

Among the students of A. G. Venetsianov was the talented painter Grigory Soroka, the serf of the landowner N. P. Milyukov, who was preparing Soroka to become a gardener. Magpie committed suicide.