Nikolay Pavlovich Ulyanov was born on April 19, 1875, in Yelets into the family of a district paramedic. In 1887, he graduated from the Yelets parochial school. The future painter and theater artist studied in the icon-painting workshop on First Meshchanskaya Street, as well as the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture between 1889 and 1901, and after that, he was a student in Valentin Serov’s workshop.
In 1901, Nikolay Ulyanov started teaching at the Myasnitsky state school, before that he began working for the school of the artist Elizaveta Zvantseva, where he stayed for 6 years until 1906. He also worked for Svomas (an abbreviation for “Svobodnye gosudarstvennye khudozhestvennye masterskiye”, or Free State Art Studios) from 1919 to 1920, and the Higher Art and Technical Studios of Vkhutemas between 1920 and 1921.
He was a member of the Moscow Association of Artists (1902–1912), the Union of Russian Artists (1911–1923), the World of Art (1913–1920) and the Four Arts movements. From 1943 to 1945, Nikolay Ulyanov headed the portrait department of the Moscow Art Institute.
The painter held his retrospective exhibitions in 1951, 1961, and 1971 in Moscow, and in 1978 in Leningrad. The artist’s works can be found in numerous museums and private collections. The State Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow can boast of having the vastest collections of his works.
In this 1941 portrait, Mikhail Lermontov is depicted against the backdrop of a Caucasian interior. He sits on a colorful ottoman leaning on a sofa cushion, with his left hand resting on his knees. The poet is wearing a white shirt, a black tie, and an officer’s frock coat. On the left side of the wall, Nikolay Ulyanov places a saber and a gun.
The artist put a pencil in the poet’s right hand and a notebook in his left one. It is known that Prince Vladimir Odoyevsky once lent a notebook to Lermontov so that the poet would return it with his notes in it.
Eventually, Lermontov filled it with thirteen poems, including “The Dispute”, “The Dream”, “The Cliff”, “Their Love Was So Gentle…”, “Tamara”, “The Leaf”, “No, Not with You…”, “I Go Out On The Road Alone”, “The Sea Princess”, and “Prophet”. This 19.6×12.2 cm notebook is kept in the Department of Manuscripts of the National Library of Russia.
The portrait of Mikhail Lermontov is quite realistic and creates a feeling of verisimilitude. In 1970, it was purchased by the museum from Kira Kiselyova — the artist, student, and successor of Nikolay Ulyanov.
In 1901, Nikolay Ulyanov started teaching at the Myasnitsky state school, before that he began working for the school of the artist Elizaveta Zvantseva, where he stayed for 6 years until 1906. He also worked for Svomas (an abbreviation for “Svobodnye gosudarstvennye khudozhestvennye masterskiye”, or Free State Art Studios) from 1919 to 1920, and the Higher Art and Technical Studios of Vkhutemas between 1920 and 1921.
He was a member of the Moscow Association of Artists (1902–1912), the Union of Russian Artists (1911–1923), the World of Art (1913–1920) and the Four Arts movements. From 1943 to 1945, Nikolay Ulyanov headed the portrait department of the Moscow Art Institute.
The painter held his retrospective exhibitions in 1951, 1961, and 1971 in Moscow, and in 1978 in Leningrad. The artist’s works can be found in numerous museums and private collections. The State Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow can boast of having the vastest collections of his works.
In this 1941 portrait, Mikhail Lermontov is depicted against the backdrop of a Caucasian interior. He sits on a colorful ottoman leaning on a sofa cushion, with his left hand resting on his knees. The poet is wearing a white shirt, a black tie, and an officer’s frock coat. On the left side of the wall, Nikolay Ulyanov places a saber and a gun.
The artist put a pencil in the poet’s right hand and a notebook in his left one. It is known that Prince Vladimir Odoyevsky once lent a notebook to Lermontov so that the poet would return it with his notes in it.
Eventually, Lermontov filled it with thirteen poems, including “The Dispute”, “The Dream”, “The Cliff”, “Their Love Was So Gentle…”, “Tamara”, “The Leaf”, “No, Not with You…”, “I Go Out On The Road Alone”, “The Sea Princess”, and “Prophet”. This 19.6×12.2 cm notebook is kept in the Department of Manuscripts of the National Library of Russia.
The portrait of Mikhail Lermontov is quite realistic and creates a feeling of verisimilitude. In 1970, it was purchased by the museum from Kira Kiselyova — the artist, student, and successor of Nikolay Ulyanov.
