KOVALEVSKI Paul Osipovich

July 23, 1843 (Kazan) - February 19, 1903 (St. Petersburg)

painter and graphic artist.

Born the son of renowned scientist Sinologist, a specialist on Tibet and Mongolia, academician of Saint-Petersburg Academy of Sciences, professor of Kazan and Warsaw Universities OM Kovalevsky. Studied at the Kazan gymnasium. From 1862 worked in IAH in St. Petersburg, first as volnoprihodyaschego, from 1868 - a permanent student in the class at the battle BP Villevalde. In 1870 was sent to the Caucasus to study the nature of national types and costumes.

During the period of study has received all of the existing academic awards: in 1863 he was awarded a small silver medal for drawing in 1865 - a small silver coin, in 1868 - a large silver medal in 1868 - a small silver medal , in 1869 - a small gold medal for the painting "The persecution of Turkish foraging linear Cossacks, in 1871 - a large gold medal for the program" The first day of the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. At the same time received the title of class artist 1-th degree and the right to a pensioner's trip.

in 1873 as a pensioner IAH went abroad. I visited in Munich, where he studied museum collections and accomplished many landscape sketches, then in Vienna. Participated in the World Exhibition in Vienna, where the work of the artist was awarded a gold medal. After a trip to Germany and Austria, he settled in Rome. End 1876 - beginning of 1877 held in France. In 1876 a painting created in Italy, "Excavations in Rome (Rome Leveling neighborhoods to build new quarters)" was awarded the title of academician. In 1878 he received for this work a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris.

the spring of 1877 in connection with the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war, called from France and sent to the headquarters of 12 Corps of the army in Bulgaria. In 1878, after returning from the theater of war settled in Warsaw. In sketches, brought to the Balkan campaign, worked on a series of paintings for the Winter Palace, devoted to war 1877-1878.

In 1881 "for works of art on the field" was awarded the title of professor. In 1889 he moved from Warsaw to Kiev. Since the late 1890's, lived in St. Petersburg, where since 1898 served as professor-head battle-painting workshop of the Higher Art School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture at IAH. In 1898 he was elected a member of the IAH.

worked in the field of book illustrations, in 1890 has created a series of illustrations for the novel of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace "(unpublished).

In 1916 in St. Petersburg hosted a retrospective exhibition of works by the artist.

Kovalevsky - one of the most important painters of the second half of the XIX century in Russia, representative of academic art. He worked primarily as a battle-painter, genre painter and animal painter, rarely turned to landscape painting and portrait. His best works tend to represent complex multi-figured compositions, which are based on a strict carefully executed drawing. Some genres work is inherent in the socio-critical tendency that unites this part of his work with the activities of the Wanderers.

Kovalevsky works are in many museum collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, State Russian Museum, the Scientific Research Museum of Russia Academy of Arts and others.