The Chelyabinsk State Museum of Fine houses several paintings by Ivan Shishkin. This artist was called ‘the singer of the Russian forest’, ‘the forest bogatyr-artist’.
Shishkin was born in Elabuga in a merchant family. His parents did not approve of his passion for drawing, his mother even called painting ‘dirtying paper’. Shishkin had to hide from his family and paint at night by candlelight. When Moscow painters came to Elabuga to paint the iconostasis of the local church, he seriously thought about the profession of an artist. The guests told the young artist about the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture. Shishkin just barely managed to persuade his father to let him go to Moscow.
At the school, Shishkin studied under the portrait painter Apollon Mokritsky. Already in his early paintings, he dreamed of getting closer to nature as much as possible constantly sketching views and details that were interesting to him.
In 1857, the artist continued his education at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Being just in the first year of his studies, Shishkin was awarded two minor silver medals: for the painting ‘View in the Vicinity of Saint Petersburg’ and for drawings made in the summer in Dubki. In 1858, he received a major silver medal for the study ‘Pine on Valaam’, in 1859 — a minor gold medal for the landscape ‘Gorge on Valaam’ and, finally, in 1860 — a major gold medal for two paintings of the same title ‘View on the Island Valaam. The Cucco Area.’
‘In Siverskaya’ is a small landscape that Shishkin painted in 1896. In the 19th century, the village of Siverskaya became a pilgrimage site for Russian writers and artists. Among the famous summer visitors were Goncharov, Kuprin, Mamin-Sibiryak, Kramskoy, Repin, Mayakovsky, Blok. Siverskaya was even compared to Europe as celebrities loved it so much:
Shishkin was born in Elabuga in a merchant family. His parents did not approve of his passion for drawing, his mother even called painting ‘dirtying paper’. Shishkin had to hide from his family and paint at night by candlelight. When Moscow painters came to Elabuga to paint the iconostasis of the local church, he seriously thought about the profession of an artist. The guests told the young artist about the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture. Shishkin just barely managed to persuade his father to let him go to Moscow.
At the school, Shishkin studied under the portrait painter Apollon Mokritsky. Already in his early paintings, he dreamed of getting closer to nature as much as possible constantly sketching views and details that were interesting to him.
In 1857, the artist continued his education at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Being just in the first year of his studies, Shishkin was awarded two minor silver medals: for the painting ‘View in the Vicinity of Saint Petersburg’ and for drawings made in the summer in Dubki. In 1858, he received a major silver medal for the study ‘Pine on Valaam’, in 1859 — a minor gold medal for the landscape ‘Gorge on Valaam’ and, finally, in 1860 — a major gold medal for two paintings of the same title ‘View on the Island Valaam. The Cucco Area.’
‘In Siverskaya’ is a small landscape that Shishkin painted in 1896. In the 19th century, the village of Siverskaya became a pilgrimage site for Russian writers and artists. Among the famous summer visitors were Goncharov, Kuprin, Mamin-Sibiryak, Kramskoy, Repin, Mayakovsky, Blok. Siverskaya was even compared to Europe as celebrities loved it so much:
