TYRSA Nikolay Andreevich

May 9, 1887 (Aralykh, Erivan province) — February 10, 1942 (Vologda)

Painter, graphic artist

Nikolay Tyrsa was born to a family of officer of the Kuban Cossack army. In 1897–1905 he studied at a non-classical secondary school in Ekaterinodar. In 1905 he entered the faculty of architecture at the Higher Art School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture under the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. He studied with breaks, and that is why he did not finish the course. In 1907–1910 Tyrsa attended the Elizaveta Zvantseva School of Painting and Drawing, studied under the guidance of L. S. Bakst and M. V. Dobuzhinsky. In 1910–1911 he attended evening drawing classes at the V. V. Matai studio.

In 1909, 1911–1912 Tyrsa visited Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Rostov Veliky, Ferapontov Monastery, Romanov-Borisoglebsk, where he studied monuments of ancient art. In 1910 he participated in restoration works of frescoes of the St. Basil Cathedral in Ovruch. In 1911 he worked as an assistant of N. C. Roerich in the wall painting of the Church of Our Saviour (Spasskaya) in Talashkino.

Since 1915 Tyrsa participated in the exhibitions of the group Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”) in Petrograd and in Moscow. In 1915 he together with S. V. Chekhonin and V. M. Konashevich performed the murals of the Yusupov Palace in St. Petersburg.

In 1916 Tyrsa was called up for military service and served as a private soldier at the armour car division. He joined the Union of Youth. In 1917 he was one of the founders of the association Freedom to the Art.

After revolution, Tyrsa taught a lot. He became the professor of painting and drawing at the Higher School of Decorative Arts. In 1918 he was appointed Commissioner of the First State Free Studios of decorative arts; he was in charge of their reorganization to the Higher State Artistic and Technical Workshops (VKhUTEMAS). In the same year Tyrsa was engaged in festive decoration of Petrograd for the first anniversary of the October Revolution. He also created panels and slogans for the Nevsky Prospect. In 1920 he participated in decoration of the city for the holiday on the First May. Since 1921 he worked as a book artist, designed Comedy of King Maximilian and his rebellious son Adolf.

In 1922 Tyrsa joined the Society of new tendencies in art. Tyrsa’s works were exposed at the First Russian Art Exhibition in Berlin. Since 1924 he taught drawing and watercolor at the Institute of Civil Engineers. Since 1925 he collaborated with Leningrad department of children’s and young people’s literature at the State Publishing House. One year later he joined the society Four Arts.

In 1928 Tyrsa created a series of drawings (lampblack and sepia). In 1930 he started to work with oil painting.

Since 1931 Tyrsa taught at the Evening Engineering Institute; headed the department. In 1932 he became one of the founders-members of Leningrad Union of Artists of RSFSR (LOSKh). In 1932–1936 he headed the department of drawing and taught drawing and watercolor at the faculty of architecture at the Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture under the Russian Academy of Fine Arts. In 1933 Tyrsa tried to work in the field of lithography for the first time.

In 1936 Tyrsa participated in the first meeting on children’s literature under the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (TsK VLKSM), where he made a speech on art design of children’s book and aesthetic education. In 1936 he headed the studio of painting and drawing under Leningrad House of Architects; in 1938–1939 he worked in the workshop of monumental painting at Kiev Art Institute.

In 1939–1940 Tyrsa developed a new technique of color lithography at the experimental studio of Leningrad Union of Artists of RSFSR (LOSKh). In 1939 he was appointed head of the Art Council of Leningrad Department of the Chamber of Commerce; consulted the advertising and trade promotion sectors. In 1940 he was approved as a member of the Academic Council of the State Russian Museum.

In 1940–1941 Tyrsa together with A. A. Uspensky and V. I. Mukhina worked at the experimental workshop of art glass at Leningrad Glass Factory.

Shortly before the World War II (June 15, 1941), the first personal exhibition of the artist was held at the State Russian Museum. During the war he worked at the association Boevoy Karandash (“Fighting pencil”). On February 22, 1942 he was evacuated by Leningrad Union of Artists of RSFSR from Leningrad to Vologda. In the same year, on February 10, Nikolay Tyrsa died at Vologda hospital.

Tyrsa was one of the leaders of Leningrad School of 1920s–1930s, brilliant watercolor painter, and outstanding book artist. At the beginning of his creative work, Tyrsa worked predominately in field of drawing, but already in 1915 he was known as a master with his own concept of plastic art. Since mid 1920s his works were characterized by emotional tone, improvised style, and growth of painting element (in 1930s he was engaged in oil painting).