Venetsianov Alex Gavrilivich

February 7, 1780 (Moscow) - December 4, 1847 (s Poddube Tver Province)

painter and graphic artist.

occurred from a merchant family. In the 1790's he studied at a private boarding school in Moscow. In the late 1790's - early 1800's, served as a draftsman. Painting and drawing mastered independently. In the spring of 1802 he moved to St. Petersburg for some time worked as an assistant surveyor in the Department of State Property, from 1807 was the Office of the Director of Post D. P. Troshchinsky. At the same time took private lessons from V. Borovikovsky, engaged in copying the masterpieces of old masters in the Hermitage. Engaged in the satirical magazine graphics, in 1807 published his cartoons in the magazine in 1808, consisting of several issues.

in 1811, presented to the Board of IAH "Self", for which was recognized as "designated" in academics. That fall he was elected an academician of the "Portrait of KI Golovachevskogo with three pupils of the Academy of Fine Arts. During the war of 1812 with Terebenev performed in the technique of etching satirical sheets. In 1815 the county purchased in Vyshnevolotsk Tver province Troniha small village with villages Safonkovo, Slivnevo, Maksiha and Mikashiha, where he spent the summer months. In 1817, completed forty etchings depicting "street" types "for publication" Magic Lantern ", which were subsequently made porcelain figurines at the Imperial Porcelain Factory in St. Petersburg. In 1819 Venetsianov left the service in order to devote himself entirely to painting.

Being an active member of the Society for the Promotion of artists, he founded the village Safonkovo art school, where he taught drawing and painting on his own method. He was to work directly from nature, without copying from casts and engravings, which was the initial stage of the academic program. Disciples Venetsianov were serfs and poor young people, which the artist took to its content. Among them AV Tyranov, S. Zaryanko, GK Mikhailov, AN Mokritskiy, EF Krendovsky, I. Schedrovsky, Soroca and others.

In 1824 the Council received from the IAH program for the title of professor "full-scale class of the Academy of Arts", but now is not fulfilled. In 1830 he was awarded the title of court painter. In 1837 took part in the competition for the historical picture of the epoch of Peter I on the Prize Demidov, which created the painting "Peter the Great. Of St. Petersburg. Engage in religious painting, in particular, has created the icons for Alexander's Cathedral in Warsaw, church Obukhovskoy hospitals and the Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Exhibitions of works Venetsianov passed in 1911 in St. Petersburg (from private collections), in 1947 - in Moscow, in 1980 - in Leningrad, Kalinin (Tver) and Moscow.

Venetsianov - outstanding artist of the first half of the XIX century, who developed his work in the Russian version of the Biedermeier style. He is considered one of the founders of realism in Russia. He worked mainly in the field of genre and portraiture. He turned to historical subjects and landscapes. Engaged in lithography.

most famous master paintings brought to life stories of the peasant: "Sitting shepherd" (between 1823 and 1826), "Threshing floor" (1821), "plowing", "Summer. Harvest "(early 1820)," Reapers "(second half of 1820). In them he created a poetic and idealized image of rural life. Artworks Venetsianov amaze viewers directly "live" nature of perception that was innovative for its time. Many working in the open air, the artist skillfully conveyed the effects of daylight. His palette is rather complicated, it combines the rich yellow-brown, green, bluish hues. Significant role in the paintings of landscape and interior play.

Venetsianov works are in many museum collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, State Russian Museum, Tver Regional Picture Gallery and others.