Gagarin Grigory

April 29, 1810 (St. Petersburg) - January 30, 1893 ((Chatellerault, France)

painter, graphic artist, designer, architect.

born in the family of a diplomat Prince G. Gagarin. Child and adolescent years spent in Italy. In 1825-1826 he studied at the College Ptolemy in Siena. Systematic arts education is not received. In the summer months in 1828 and 1830 studied painting and drawing under the guidance of K. Briullov in Grotta Ferrata, near Rome.

In 1829 he entered the diplomatic service, in the position of Actuary worked in the Russian Embassy in Paris. At the same time listened to the university general education course in architecture and painting.

in 1830-1832 traveled to Italy and other European countries. In 1832 he moved to St. Petersburg, in 1833 made a trip to Moscow where he became interested in the monuments of ancient Russian art. In those same years, became acquainted with Pushkin, worked on the illustrations to his works. In 1843, counted among the diplomatic mission in Constantinople. Together with K. Bryullov and VP Davydov make the sea trip from Athens to Constantinople in the brig "Themistocles».

In 1837 transferred to the diplomatic service in Munich, where he came back to St. Petersburg. Winter 1839-1840 met Lermontov; in 1840 after the exiled poet, along with members of Lermontov's "Mug of sixteen" went to the Caucasus. He took part in the hostilities. Created in the Caucasus numerous watercolors, sketches and a series of paintings dedicated to episodes of the Caucasian War.

Since 1843 most of the time he lived in Europe in 1848-1855 - in Tbilisi. Engaged in the restoration of frescoes in the cathedrals of Zion and Mtskheta, comply with the new murals in the Russian-Byzantine style. He has also worked as an architect, project Gagarin were lined up a number of staff of churches, as well as Tiflis Theater.

since 1855 lived in Petersburg, was Assistant "roving" under President IAH Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna. In 1859 he was appointed vice-president of the Academy. Organized in IAH Museum of Christian Antiquities. In 1862 he was elected a member of the Imperial Archaeological Society.

in 1856-1858 created a mural in the church of St. Nicholas in the Mariinsky Palace in St. Petersburg, in the future have repeatedly appealed to the church painting. In 1857, issued in Paris lithographic album "Scenic Caucasus».

in the 1850 - 1860 studied theater and decorative art, in particular the statement of "living pictures" in the Winter Palace. In 1872 he retired. In the same year he was awarded an honorary member of the IAH. The last years of his life devoted to the study of ancient and Byzantine art. In 1891 he traveled to the East, Egypt, Greece and Italy. In 1891-1893 he lived in France.

by memories of K. Briullov.

Retrospective exhibition of works Gagarin took place in St. Petersburg (1910), Moscow, Tbilisi (1961), Leningrad (1961, 1985).

Gagarin's visible representatives of the artistic life of his time. In the early period was influenced by Karl Brullov, his work 1830 - 1840 close to the Romantic movement. Later work involved the development of Russian-Byzantine, or neo-Byzantine, style.

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