Vitberg Lavrent'evich Alexander (Carl Magnus)

15 (26) January 1787 (St-Петербург) — 23 (24) January 1855 (St-Петербург)

Painter, architect, draughtsman, miniaturist

the Son of Swedish painter (lakirovanie at the Academy of arts) Lorenz (Lawrence) Vitberg. Studied at the Mining school (1795-1798), the guest house at the Lutheran Church of St. Anna in St. Petersburg at the Imperial Academy of arts (1802-1807) in the class of historical painting in Г. И. Угрюмова. Awarded small and big silver medals for drawings from nature (1806). In 1807 for the program "Three precious lad of the Jews Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship king delivered Navuhodonosore idol..." was awarded a small gold medal, received the certificate 1-й degree to the title of the class artist, and left by the pensioner at the Academy of arts. In the same year, becoming the winner of the competition of proposed honorary fan of the Imperial Academy of arts count С. О. Потоцким the program "the Great Prince Yaroslav, serving the people of Novgorod the scroll labeled “Русская true”" got a picture of a large gold medal from the funds Potocki. In 1808 he presented to the Council of the Imperial Academy of arts sketch program, "Martha Governor's wife, in the night comes in the desert to his grandfather Theodosius with the young Miroslav" to receive a large gold medal, but the picture did not. In 1809 for the program "Andromache mourning Hector" was awarded the Grand gold medal and became entitled to a pensioner's trip abroad. In October of the same year as a pensioner of the iakh determined by the Professor Г. И. Угрюмову. Created a scenic composition "the agony in the garden", "the appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene" for the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg (1810).

In 1813 he moved to Moscow, where she was scheduled to perform a series of portraits of heroes of the Patriotic war of 1812 года for the Empress Elizabeth Alexeyevna. In 1816, for the painting "plagued by the Apostle Peter from prison" (1806) awarded the title of academician.

Independently studied architecture. From 1813 he worked on the contest project of the Temple of Christ the Savior on Sparrow hills. After approval of the project (1816) appointed Director of the Commission on the construction of the temple and its Builder. 12 октября 1817 took place the solemn ceremony of the facilities, which was attended by Alexander I.

In 1820-е project Vitberg was built a number of houses and churches in Moscow and other Russian cities. In 1826 he was accused of abuses during the construction of the Temple, removed from office and put on trial. In 1835 banished to Vyatka with the prohibition to work in state service. Was engaged in the construction of their own projects Alexander-Невского Cathedral (1839-1864) in Vyatka, private homes, completed the project gate-решетки city garden. Closer to А. И. Герценом.

In 1840 on the petition В. А. Жуковского received permission to return to St-Петербург. Created a project of St. George Cathedral in Tbilisi, Georgia (1847), the sketch of the iconostasis of the same Church.

Worked as a historical painter, portraitist. The author of portraits of А. Е. Лабзиной (1810), Д. В. Артемьева (1820), father (1811), Н. И. Новикова (1814), А. Ф. Лабзина (1815), В. А. Артемьева (1817); pencil — "self-Portrait" (1811), Ф. В. Ростопчина (1814), Е. В. Артемьевой (1815), "self-Portrait with family" (1816), А. И. Герцена (1836), and others.

the Author of a memoir (the memoirs of academician Vitberg, the Builder of the Temple of Christ the Savior in Moscow // Russian olden time, 1872, vol. 1, January, pp. 16-32; kN. 2, February, pp. 159-192). He was buried at Volkov cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Work is represented in many Museum collections, among them — of the State Tretyakov gallery, State Museum of architecture. А. В. Щусева, State Historical Museum, State Russian Museum, Samara regional art Museum.

Sources:
1. The state Tretyakov gallery. The collection catalogue. Painting of the first half of the nineteenth century. Moscow, 2005, vol. 3. S. 80.
2. The state Tretyakov gallery. The collection catalogue. Figure XIX century. M., 2007, T. 2, kN. 1. S. 368-369.
3. Kondakov С. Н. List of Russian artists. For the anniversary directory of the Imperial Academy of arts. St. Petersburg, 1914. S. 39.
4. Artists of the peoples of the USSR. Biobibliographic dictionary. M., 1972, vol. 2. S. 287.