Picturesque scenes of battles, portraits of the military, historical paintings characterize the work of the Russian artist and traveler Vasily Vereshchagin.
Vereshchagin Vasily Vasilievich was born on October 26 (14), 1842 at the estate of a nobleman in Cherepovets. In his native city to this day there is a museum of a great artist - a realist.
Biography and creativity
Upon reaching 9 years of age, Vasily began training in the cadet naval corps. The guy’s talent as a painter showed up during his studies, when he was actively studying at the school of drawing. Therefore, after graduation, after working for a short time as a warrant officer, in 1860 he was enrolled in the Art Academy in St. Petersburg. He studied there with a short break until 1866. During this period, the artist spent some time in the Caucasus, then in France, where he studied under the painter Jerome and attended the Academy of Arts in Paris.
In 1867, Vereshchagin accepted the invitation to be an artist under General KP Kaufman and went to Samarkand. Arriving at the place, Vasily Vasilievich was besieged by the locals, but showed valor and deserved the award - the Order of St. George of the fourth degree.
In 1869, a Turkestan exhibition was held in St. Petersburg, at which the battle man showed the public the first paintings. Then Vereshchagin again visited the Turkestan region, as well as Siberia and Munich, continuing his creative work. In 1873, the Turkestan series, which consisted of 81 sketches, 13 paintings and 133 drawings, was presented in London, and a year later in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Career batalist
Since 1874, the artist went to India for two years, where about 150 studies were created. Later, while in the army during the war between Russia and Turkey, the great realist artist was badly wounded (1877-1878). After returning to France, he worked on the Balkan series, consisting of 30 paintings dedicated to episodes of the war.
The Indian and Balkan series were exhibited in 1879 in the capitals of England and France, and then in America, Russia and Europe.
In 1885-1888, exhibitions were held in Vienna, Leipzig, Berlin and New York, where 50 batalist sketches written by him during his stay in Palestine were presented. All paintings were dedicated to the biblical theme and local scenes of everyday life.
From 1887 to 1900, Vereshchagin created the famous series "1812". 17 paintings stood out in a block called "Napoleon I in Russia", and 3 paintings about the partisan war are called - "The Old Partisan".
Another 50 picturesque sketches appeared as a result of a trip in the summer of 1894 along the White Sea and the Northern Dvina. And the last series of paintings Vereshchagin devoted to the war of 1898-1899 between Spain and America.
Literary talent
Vasily also showed himself as a writer. Such memoirs are known as: "A trip to the Himalayas", "Notes, essays and memories."
Vasily Vereshchagin from 1874 was a professor at the Academy of Arts.
