Kostandi, Cyriacus KONSTANTINOVICH (1852-1921), Russian artist, art, representative of Impressionism.
Born in a village near Odessa Dofinovke October 3 (21 September) in 1852 in a family of Greek immigrant K. Vasilketi whose altered name (Konstantinidi), apparently, and became the basis of family Kostandi. Nine-year-old was left without a father, worked as a barman at the grocery store and a wine cellar in Odessa. From 1868 he served as a retoucher in the photo shops. He was engaged in drawing school of the Odessa Society of Fine Arts (1870), and then the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts (1874-1882) under Pavel Chistyakov; used as advice INKramskoy and AIKuindzhi. In 1885 he returned to Odessa. He was a member of the Association of the Wanderers "(since 1897), as well as one of the founding members of the last close of the Association of South Russian Artists (from 1890 and in 1892-1919 served as chairman of the association). In 1887 traveled to several countries in Western Europe, having experienced a profound influence of French impressionists.
For years (since 1885) taught at the Odessa Art School, the talents of the teacher. After the revolution, a local expert working committee for the protection of monuments, participated in the reorganization of the school and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Kostandi died in Odessa on Oct. 31, 1921. In 1922, students and friends of the late artist (I. Brodsky, PG Volokidin, MB Greeks, AA Shovkunenko and others) founded the Society of KK Kostandi; uniting artists traditionalist and moderate- modernist orientation, the latter lasted until 1930.
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