Striking is the persistence of the poor Greek boy,which despite all the circumstances became the pride of Russian painting. A brief biography of Kuindzhi speaks of the extraordinary giftedness, purposefulness and generous soul of the great painter.
Surprise is already such a detail that notset the exact date of birth Kuinji. The biography begins with hesitation - either 1841, or 1842. It's not important, but it's strange. In the same unusual way, the translation of his surname, which meant a goldsmith master, will be reflected in all his activities as a painter. Arkhip early orphaned. He was brought up by poor relatives. Learning without diligence, he continually drew on all the scraps of paper that only came to hand.
Poverty and poverty forced him to graze geese,work as a brick accountant, and then as a bread trader. But there was a thirst for painting, which led him to Feodosia. 14-year-old Kuindzhi, whose biography was just beginning, dreamed of becoming a disciple of the great IK Aivazovsky. But it did not work out - he was entrusted only with rubbing paint and painting the fence. He returned to his native Mariupol and became a retoucher - not a painting, but something similar. Up to 24 years he rushed along the Black Sea coast, working all the same.
In the Academy of Arts no one waited withopen arms of Kuindzhi. Biography in St. Petersburg began with unsuccessful attempts to learn high art. He was simply not admitted to the Academy. But three years later he painted a picture, which he exhibited at the exhibition of the Academy. Here he was finally noticed, awarded the title of free artist and even allowed before passing the examinations in the specialty. The recipient of the Kuindzhi diploma enriched himself with acquaintance with the Wanderers. In 1875, he exhibited his work "Chumatsky tract in Mariupol".
He creates landscapes "On the island of Valaam""Lake Ladoga", which attract public attention. Arkhip Kuindzhi, whose biography on takeoff, can afford to marry a girl he has long loved. A year later he exhibits a picture that amazed not only the public, but even sophisticated art colleagues - "Ukrainian Night".
This is a new stage in creativity, was bornthe artist-philosopher - Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi. Biography speaks of his reflections on reality, about other ways of expressing it on the canvas. He seeks to understand the depth of the material world. Remember that it was once just a little trained, not finished with the Academy of Arts, almost a beggar orphan. Up to what peaks of spirit at talent and diligence the person can rise!
In 1881-1882, Kuindzhi organized two moreexhibitions, which shows "Birch Grove", loudly thundered among fans of painting, and "Dnepr in the morning." This work was taken very restrained. After that, the painter is almost twenty years away from public life. Explanations of the reclusion of such a famous person as the artist Kuindzhi, the biography can not give. At the zenith of fame, he disappears from the field of view of the public and criticism.
Kuindzhi works by creating new colors thatmust be stable and do not change its appearance over time and under the influence of air. He writes more and more new works, looking for another style direction. In 1886, he bought a piece of land in the Crimea, where, living with his wife and students, he worked in the warm season following the example of impressionists in the open air and wrote "View to the sea and the shore. Crimea "," Sea shore. A view of the Demerdzhi mountain. Crimea "," Crimea. Yaila "," Mountain slope. Crimea "and many other things. It's quite different Kuindzhi, filled with light, sun and salty breeze of a calm sea.
In 1888, at the invitation of one of theKuvindzhi Kuveji traveled to the Caucasus and brought back fresh impressions and sketches, which he continued to work on in Petersburg. He mirrored the majestic Caucasus by writing a series of paintings: "Elbrus in the Afternoon", "Elbrus. Moonlit Night "," Snow Peaks "," Snow Peaks. Caucasus".
In 1901, the artist comes out of seclusion andshows friends and students the work begun twenty-three years ago, "Evening in Ukraine", as well as works "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane" (1901), "Birch Grove" (1901). In general by this time the painter created about five hundred works. During these same years, he performed views of Moscow from the Vorobyovy Gory. Taking the topic, he completely develops it, and then, referring to the other, also creates a related cycle of paintings, without repeating and surprising when you look at his works in sequence. Surprisingly diverse are not only the themes, but also their coloristic decisions.
Kuindzhi-made exhibitions once again led the audienceinto an enthusiastic state, disputes and conversations began again about him, but the artist closed again. The reasons for this behavior Kuindzhi brief biography, like his contemporaries, can not provide. Perhaps the artist was tired of empty talk, because he was sixty years old. True, by our standards this is not so much, but then they considered it somewhat different.
Ten years Kuindzhi created all new canvases.Absolute masterpiece of the time - the picture "Rainbow". She is in the Russian Museum. Over this work, Kuindzhi worked for five years. Along the huge, not yet corrupted field, the road winds quaintly. Above them stretched the sky occupying two-thirds of the canvas with a sparkling rainbow. Everything is extremely simple, but such simplicity is given by great skill, observation and thought. Already written are the "Red Sunset" and "Night" (1905-1908).
Being in the summer of 1910 in the Crimea, he fell illinflammation of the lungs. This is now a formidable disease that permanently disrupts a person. And then there were no antibiotics. With the permission of the doctors, a loving, caring wife took the patient to St. Petersburg, but the efforts of the doctors did not help. He could not stand the sick heart, and he passed away in July 1910. Now his grave is on the Tikhvin Cemetery, in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Coming from the most unsecured lower classes of society,the artist, as soon as they began to allow money, began to engage in charity, giving away huge for that time money (one hundred and one hundred and fifty thousand rubles) and the Academy of Arts, and the Society of Artists. AI Kuindzhi for annual prizes. This society, he gave his estate in the Crimea. The very artist and his wife were content with the small, lived simply and modestly. After his death, she received a pension appointed by Arkhip Ivanovich, and the artist distributed all his condition between his relatives and the Society of Artists.
Arkhip Kuindzhi passed such a difficult life. A brief biography speaks about the extraordinary giftedness, purposefulness and generous soul of the great painter.
