The Ostrogozhsk Museum of History and Art houses a painting called “Novy Buyan” by the talented landscape artist, painter, draftsman, and aquafortist Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin. This painting depicts a real landscape in the village of Novy Buyan, Samara Governorate, where the artist often went to see his friends — the family of the Yelabuga merchant of the 1st guild Kapiton Ushakov. Shishkin also frequently visited the dacha of the famous artist Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy in the Saint Petersburg Governorate, where Ivan Ivanovich created several artworks.
Ivan Shishkin was one of the founders of realism in painting in the second half of the 19th century and co-founder of the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions. He was born into a merchant family in Yelabuga, Vyatka Governorate. At the age of 12, he was assigned to the First Kazan Boys’ Gymnasium. However, after entering the fifth grade, he gave up his studies and returned to his home in Yelabuga where he spent another four years. He received artistic training at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and later graduated from the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. In 1861, he received a stipend from the Academy to travel to Munich. During his journey abroad, apart from painting, Shishkin dedicated a lot of effort to mastering pen-and-ink drawing, amazing foreigners with his works. Some of the drawings were exhibited at the Düsseldorf Museum. In 1866, because of homesickness, Shishkin returned to St. Petersburg before the end of his stipend.
After the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions was established, Shishkin exhibited his pen-and-ink drawings there. In 1870, he joined the aquafortist club founded in St. Petersburg and resumed engraving with “aqua regia” which he continued until the end of his life, dedicating almost as much time to this technique as to painting. Each year, all these works continued establishing his reputation as one of the best Russian landscape painters and an unequaled aquafortist. Shishkin was among the first Russian artists to feel and capture the beauty of Russian nature.
In 1873, the Academy of Arts promoted Shishkin to the rank of professor. When the new charter of the Academy came into force in 1892, Shishkin was offered the position of head of its landscape workshop, but due to various circumstances, he did not hold this position for a long time.
Ivan Shishkin was one of the founders of realism in painting in the second half of the 19th century and co-founder of the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions. He was born into a merchant family in Yelabuga, Vyatka Governorate. At the age of 12, he was assigned to the First Kazan Boys’ Gymnasium. However, after entering the fifth grade, he gave up his studies and returned to his home in Yelabuga where he spent another four years. He received artistic training at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and later graduated from the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. In 1861, he received a stipend from the Academy to travel to Munich. During his journey abroad, apart from painting, Shishkin dedicated a lot of effort to mastering pen-and-ink drawing, amazing foreigners with his works. Some of the drawings were exhibited at the Düsseldorf Museum. In 1866, because of homesickness, Shishkin returned to St. Petersburg before the end of his stipend.
After the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions was established, Shishkin exhibited his pen-and-ink drawings there. In 1870, he joined the aquafortist club founded in St. Petersburg and resumed engraving with “aqua regia” which he continued until the end of his life, dedicating almost as much time to this technique as to painting. Each year, all these works continued establishing his reputation as one of the best Russian landscape painters and an unequaled aquafortist. Shishkin was among the first Russian artists to feel and capture the beauty of Russian nature.
In 1873, the Academy of Arts promoted Shishkin to the rank of professor. When the new charter of the Academy came into force in 1892, Shishkin was offered the position of head of its landscape workshop, but due to various circumstances, he did not hold this position for a long time.
