Vasily Surikov was born in Krasnoyarsk into a Cossack family. His father died early, so his mother had to rent out the second floor of their house. She was the first to notice her son’s talent for drawing. She paid for his painting lessons, even though the family’s financial situation was complicated. Nikolay Grebnev became Surikov’s first teacher: he taught drawing at the Krasnoyarsk district school. The earliest work of the young artist, which has survived to this day, was the watercolor “Rafts on the Yenisei”. Surikov painted it at the age of 14.
From 1869 to 1875, Surikov studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts under Pavel Chistyakov’s guidance. During his studies, he received four silver medals and several monetary awards for his work. The first painting, which established his reputation of a master as large-scale compositions was ‘View of the Monument to Peter I on the Senate Square in Saint Petersburg’ in 1870.
Surikov spent about three years painting one of his most famous canvases — ‘The Morning of the Streltsy Execution’. It was this work that opened the door to the world of great art for the artist. Eminent critics recognized his talent, and soon he became a member of the Society of Traveling Art Exhibitions. Other famous paintings by Surikov were ‘Boyarina Morozova, ” “The Capture of Snow Town, ” “Suvorov Crossing the Alps, ” and “Stepan Razin”.
The artist painted the study “Cossack in a Boat” while working on the canvas “Stepan Razin” in 1903. Razin was a Don Cossack, the leader of the largest uprising in the history of pre-Petrine Russia in 1670 — 1671, after the suppression of which he was executed in Moscow on Red Square. Razin’s personality and fate attracted the attention of many researchers; he became a hero of folklore and Russian folk songs.
Surikov first thought about the painting on the rebellious ataman in 1887. The master made the first sketches, but he began to actively work on the canvas only in 1900. The artist completed many preparatory sketches during his trips to Siberia, the Don and the Volga. The painting was exhibited at the 35th Traveling Exhibition in 1910 and the World Exhibition in Rome in 1911. It is currently in the collection of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, where it entered the museum in 1918 from the collection of the famous Russian collector Vasily Winterfeld.
From 1869 to 1875, Surikov studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts under Pavel Chistyakov’s guidance. During his studies, he received four silver medals and several monetary awards for his work. The first painting, which established his reputation of a master as large-scale compositions was ‘View of the Monument to Peter I on the Senate Square in Saint Petersburg’ in 1870.
Surikov spent about three years painting one of his most famous canvases — ‘The Morning of the Streltsy Execution’. It was this work that opened the door to the world of great art for the artist. Eminent critics recognized his talent, and soon he became a member of the Society of Traveling Art Exhibitions. Other famous paintings by Surikov were ‘Boyarina Morozova, ” “The Capture of Snow Town, ” “Suvorov Crossing the Alps, ” and “Stepan Razin”.
The artist painted the study “Cossack in a Boat” while working on the canvas “Stepan Razin” in 1903. Razin was a Don Cossack, the leader of the largest uprising in the history of pre-Petrine Russia in 1670 — 1671, after the suppression of which he was executed in Moscow on Red Square. Razin’s personality and fate attracted the attention of many researchers; he became a hero of folklore and Russian folk songs.
Surikov first thought about the painting on the rebellious ataman in 1887. The master made the first sketches, but he began to actively work on the canvas only in 1900. The artist completed many preparatory sketches during his trips to Siberia, the Don and the Volga. The painting was exhibited at the 35th Traveling Exhibition in 1910 and the World Exhibition in Rome in 1911. It is currently in the collection of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, where it entered the museum in 1918 from the collection of the famous Russian collector Vasily Winterfeld.
