GE Nikolay

February 17, 1831 (Voronezh) - June 1, 1894 (kh Ivanovo Chernigov province)

painter, graphic artist, sculptor.

was born in the family of the landlord, a retired military O. Ge. In 1847-1848 he studied at the Physics and Mathematics, Department of Philosophy Faculty of St. Vladimir of Kiev University, in 1848-1850 - at the Physics and Mathematics at St. Petersburg University. The course is not finished. In 1850 joined the IAH, was engaged in the class of historical painting in PV Basin. In 1855, a program now "Achilles mourns Patroclus" was awarded a small gold medal in 1857 for the policy work "Aendorskaya magician causes the shadow of Samuel" received a gold medal, the title of class artist of degree 1 and the right of a pensioner's trips abroad. Since 1854 regularly participated in exhibitions IAH (until 1881).

in 1857-1863 as a pensioner IAH lived in Italy, until 1860 he worked in Rome and Frascati, then - in Florence and Livorno. Traveled to Germany, France and Switzerland. Summer months of 1861 held in Ukraine. In 1863, for the painting "Last Supper" was awarded the title of professor of historical painting (bypassing the existing hierarchy, on which the title of professor was preceded by the title of academician).

In 1863-1864 he lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In 1864, again went to Florence, and traveled to other cities in Italy, as well as in England, Germany and France. Eventually he returned to Russia in the spring of 1870, settled in St. Petersburg. He became one of the founders and permanent exhibitors TPHV, in 1870-1873 was a board member of the Association. In 1870, in the halls of IAH was the first personal exhibition of the artist. In 1871 traveled to the Volga, visited Tver, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov. In 1871 became a member of the Moscow Society of Art Lovers. In 1876 he settled in the village Ivanovo Chernigov province, for frequently visited Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev. In 1882 he became friends with Leo Tolstoy, has visited his estate Yasnaya Polyana. In 1884 a portrait of the writer.

In 1891 picture "What is truth? Christ and Pilate was removed from 19-th exhibition TPHV on the order of the St. Petersburg mayor, was later banned its exposure in other cities of Russia. However, the exhibition of this work have been organized in Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover (1890), Baltimore and Boston (1891). Were also banned by the censor of "Court Sanhedrin. "Guilty of death!" "," Golgotha "," Crucifixion ».

In 1895 a memorial exhibition was held in St. Petersburg Ge. Retrospective exhibitions were organized in Paris and Geneva (both - 1903), Switzerland (1937), Kiev (1956-1957, Kiev State Museum of Russian Art), Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev (The State Tretyakov Gallery, State Russian Museum, 1970-1971 ), Moscow (1981).

N. Ge - an outstanding painter of the second half of XIX century. Foremost in his work took the Gospel theme. However, many of the artist's ambiguous perceived by his contemporaries because of the peculiarities of treatment plots, which often went counter to the Gospel narrative. As aptly Alexandre Benois, the works of Gay "expressed particular, is very" Russian "attitude to the gospel - how to preach exclusively spiritual beauty, with the deliberate displacement of the outer ugliness ... These works are undeniably have a serious and rare qualities : they - bright, very exciting speech, breathing hot sincerity and lofty conviction. Important place in his paintings Kye assigned moral, didactic side, because of what the artist's style is sometimes described as "philosophical realism". Distinctive feature of his paintings is a dark gloomy color with contrasting light and shadow effects, expressive images, often naturalistic and deliberately exaggerated and sometimes repulsive.

Gay was one of the best portrait painters of his time, capable of making fine convey psychological quality of their models. He turned to the technique of etching.

Works Fe are found in many museums and private collections in Russia and abroad, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, State Russian Museum and the Kiev State Museum of Russian Art, GMII im. Pushkin, the State Hermitage Museum, National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus, Saratov State Art Museum im. Radishshev, the Museum D'Orsay in Paris, private collection of K. Bohlmann in Geneva.