BOBROVSKY Grigory Mikhailovich

November 17, 1873 (Vitebsk) — 1942 (Leningrad)

Painter, graphic artist

In 1873–1893 Bobrovsky studied at Vitebsk Theological Seminary. In 1893 he entered the School of painting, sculpture and architecture under the Imperial Academy of Arts (IAKh), studied at the workshop of I. E. Repin. In 1900 Bobrovsky was conferred a title of an artist for his painting Evening. In 1904–1905 Bobrovsky continued his education in Paris, in the Academy of R. Julian and the Academy F. Colarossi. In the first half of 1910s Bobrovsky made a trip to Italy.

Bobrovsky lived in St. Petersburg (Petrograd, Leningrad). He worked as a portraitist, still life and landscape painter. He also worked in pastel and watercolor. Bobrovsky took part in the spring exhibitions at the halls of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1899, 1902–1905, 1907–1909), exhibitions of Moscow Society of Art Lovers (1900–1901), the New Society of Artists (1909), Moscow Association of Artists (1909–1910), exhibitions of the group Mir Iskusstva (“World of Art”, 1911), the World Exhibition in Rome (1911). At the international art exhibitions in Munich Bobrovsky was awarded gold medals for the portrait of O. A. Kondratieva in 1909 and for the portrait of A. N. Prokhorova in 1913. In 1901–1903 he was a member of the Russian Artists’ Artel. From 1911 till 1917 he was a member and exhibitor of the Union of Russian Artists.

In 1904–1919 Bobrovsky lectured at the Drawing School under the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (OPKh). In 1916 he was elected academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts (IAKh).

After the Oсtober Revolution Bobrovsky lectured at the Higher State Artistic and Technical Workshops (VKhUTEMAS) — the Higher Art Technical Institute (VKhUTEIN); in 1921–1929 he was a dean of the faculty of painting, professor. He also lectured at the Higher Artistic and Technical College (1921–1923) in Petrograd (Leningrad). Bobrovsky took part in the exhibitions of the group Obshchina khudozhnikov (“Artist community”, 1921), the group Shestnadtsat (“Sixteen”, 1922–1924, 1927), exhibitions of the Association of the artists of Revolutionary Russia (AKhRR, 1923, 1926, 1928), in the exhibition of Russian art in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles (travelling exhibition, 1924/1925) and many others. Bobrovsky was a member of the art soviet at Leningrad Department of Fine Arts (LenIZO), and chairman of the section of painting at Leningrad Organization of the Union of Artists of RSFSR (LOSKh).

Retrospective exhibitions of Bobrovsky’s works were held in Leningrad (1947) and in Perm (2001).
Bobrovsky was a prominent master of Russian (soviet) art of the first half of the 20th century. His creative works were close to the works of the Union of Russian Artists: free manner of painting, decorative expressiveness of color, attention to lighting effects, and fragmentariness of composition. There was an impact of the group Mir Iskusstva in his graphic works. Decorativeness, fine lines and silhouettes were characteristic to these works. In 1920s–1940s Bobrovsky painted in traditions of the Silver Age, but there were also works in socialist realism style, dedicated to the Revolution and life in the USSR (They build, S. M. Kirov on the construction of the park of culture and rest in Leningrad, V. I. Lenin at the political meeting).