The exhibition of the Ostrogozhsk Museum of History and Art features an academic drawing titled “Two Wrestlers” by the artist Nikolai Dmitriev-Orenburgsky.
The art of Nikolai Dmitriev (who adopted the pseudonym with a second surname later) is known mostly to a narrow circle of art experts. The future artist was born into a landowner’s family in Nizhny Novgorod Governorate and after a gymnasium graduated from the School of Guard Warrant Officers and Cavalry Junkers for Young Noblemen. A turning point in the life of Nikolai Dmitriev was his meeting with the artist Vasily Shebuyev. Under his influence, Dmitriev-Orenburgsky started attending classes at the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1856. The young painter quickly achieved success. His first historical paintings were distinguished with gold and silver medals of various degrees. In 1863, at the end of studying at the Academy of Arts, Nikolai Dmitriev joined the group of rebels who left their alma mater and founded the first association of painters in the Russian Empire — the St. Petersburg Artel of Artists.
Nikolai Dmitriev spent several years abroad — at first, in Germany, and later in France — but did not break off the relations with his home country. After returning to Russia, he often went to the countryside in order to work on studies. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky was known as a talented and distinguished draftsman. In 1869, he traveled across the Caucasus as part of the entourage of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia, compiling an album of 42 pencil drawings. After that, the artist devoted a lot of effort to the genre of battle pieces and depicted many scenes of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878.
Nikolai Dmitriev-Orenburgsky was not widely popular among his contemporaries, he was one among many — a professor with a strong reputation, a skillful and exuberant painter who did not claim to discover new directions in art. He had a business and creative relationship with Ivan Kramskoy who portrayed both the artist himself and later his wife Natalya Dmitrieva-Orenburgskaya as a study for the famous painting “The Mermaids”.
In 1907, the artist’s widow donated his academic drawing “Two Wrestlers” to the Ostrogozhsk Art Gallery.
The art of Nikolai Dmitriev (who adopted the pseudonym with a second surname later) is known mostly to a narrow circle of art experts. The future artist was born into a landowner’s family in Nizhny Novgorod Governorate and after a gymnasium graduated from the School of Guard Warrant Officers and Cavalry Junkers for Young Noblemen. A turning point in the life of Nikolai Dmitriev was his meeting with the artist Vasily Shebuyev. Under his influence, Dmitriev-Orenburgsky started attending classes at the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1856. The young painter quickly achieved success. His first historical paintings were distinguished with gold and silver medals of various degrees. In 1863, at the end of studying at the Academy of Arts, Nikolai Dmitriev joined the group of rebels who left their alma mater and founded the first association of painters in the Russian Empire — the St. Petersburg Artel of Artists.
Nikolai Dmitriev spent several years abroad — at first, in Germany, and later in France — but did not break off the relations with his home country. After returning to Russia, he often went to the countryside in order to work on studies. Dmitriev-Orenburgsky was known as a talented and distinguished draftsman. In 1869, he traveled across the Caucasus as part of the entourage of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia, compiling an album of 42 pencil drawings. After that, the artist devoted a lot of effort to the genre of battle pieces and depicted many scenes of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878.
Nikolai Dmitriev-Orenburgsky was not widely popular among his contemporaries, he was one among many — a professor with a strong reputation, a skillful and exuberant painter who did not claim to discover new directions in art. He had a business and creative relationship with Ivan Kramskoy who portrayed both the artist himself and later his wife Natalya Dmitrieva-Orenburgskaya as a study for the famous painting “The Mermaids”.
In 1907, the artist’s widow donated his academic drawing “Two Wrestlers” to the Ostrogozhsk Art Gallery.
