Vasily Ivanovich Surikov was a Russian artist, a master of historical painting, the creator of “The Morning of the Streltsy Execution”, “Menshikov in Berezovo”, “Boyarina Morozova”, “The Conquest of Siberia by Yermak Timofeyevich”, “Suvorov Crossing the Alps in 1799”, and “Stepan Razin”. Surikov’s works are housed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
Vasily Surikov was born in January 1848 in Krasnoyarsk. His family descended from the Cossacks who had lived in Krasnoyarsk since the 17th century. His father, Ivan Vasilievich, died early, and the three children, Katya, Vasya and Sasha, were brought up by their mother, Praskovya Fyodorovna. The family lived poorly, renting out the second floor of their big house.
At the age of 20, Surikov went to St. Petersburg and entered the Imperial Academy of Arts thanks to the patronage of the owner of gold mines Pyotr Kuznetsov. After graduating from the Academy, the artist married Elizaveta Augustovna Charais (whose father was French), whom her family called Lilya.
The Surikovs moved to Moscow, where Vasily Ivanovich was involved in the painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and later proceeded to major historical paintings, which brought him wide fame and recognition. After ten years of a happy marriage, Surikov’s wife, his muse and mother of his beloved daughters Olga and Elena, died of a heart defect. It was a great shock for the artist, he spent a lot of time in church and the cemetery, and stopped painting.
Surikov was helped out of his creative crisis by his brother Alexander, who came to Vasily from Krasnoyarsk and encouraged him to return home. In his hometown, Vasily resumed his creative work and painted this self-portrait, which remained in the Surikovs’ home in Krasnoyarsk. The artist was 41 years old at the time.
On the advice of his brother Surikov began to work on a painting depicting the ancient Siberian Maslenitsa tradition — “The Capture of Snow Town” — which he completed in Krasnoyarsk. Having overcome the crisis, the artist returned to large-scale historical painting, living in Moscow and frequently visiting his hometown.
Vasily Ivanovich Surikov died in March 1916. In
1930, after the death of the artist’s brother, according to his will, the
self-portrait, a number of other works and Surikov’s house furnishings were
transferred to the Krasnoyarsk Regional Museum of Local Lore. Vasily Surikov
left no fewer than 14 self-portraits painted throughout his life. This
self-portrait was made during the most difficult period of Surikov’s life and
is a symbol of the artist’s return to creative work.
