Up to ten years, Nick was raised in the suburban estate of his grandmother, a niece of the famous Russian historian, II Golikov, author of "Acts of Peter the Great." Then he studied at the Moscow Cadet School, from which in 1862 was released as an officer in Kazan Dragoons.
But his military career is not attracted by a young officer. After serving three years, feeling the inclination to painting, NN Karazin resigns and goes as a volunteer at the Academy of Fine Arts, and then again returned to military service and participated in Bukhara march. In Turkestan, he met with the artist VV Vereshchagin, generals Chernyaev, Skobelev Stoletov, who met later during the Russian-Turkish war.
Along with military awards (including, with the golden arms with the inscription "For Bravery") Karazin brought to the capital a lot of drawings, notes, impressions - a wealth of material that served as the basis for his further creative activity.
While the main theme of his work has become Central Asia. In his drawings, paintings and stories of more than one generation has studied the mysterious East.
Nikolai Nikolaevich made as an artist and writer, almost simultaneously, then all my life properly combines these two talents. Cooperating in the best illustrated magazines of the time, NN Karazin managed to quickly gain a reputation of a good painter. "In Russia there is hardly an illustrated magazine which is not used to ever art services Nikolai Nikolaevich Karazin - the newspaper said, - for he has no such theme, which could not be treated in the figure.
Karazin was the first illustrator FM Dostoevsky also illustrated works AS Pushkin, N. Gogol, N. Nekrasov, LN Tolstoy and many other writers. He created the first picture postcards, which were released the Community of St. Catherine.
Significant place in the art NN Karazin takes landscape. Leitmotif Karazinsky landscape was also Central Asia. Great influence on the NN Karazin, both at the eastern landscape, had a scientific expedition, in which he took an active part: the Amu Darya (1874) and Samara (1879). And again, a new series of drawings, which had a huge success. In St. Petersburg, in the halls of the Russian Geographic Society organized an exhibition of his work. Then the display of works NN Karazin followed by exhibitions in Paris and London.
Based on their Asian experience, NN Karazin wrote several entertaining adventure story.
Even greater fame, NN Karazin, as an artist and writer who helped participate in the liberation of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Calling himself a soldier-artist, NN Karazin seeks to create such pictures, which would be glorified Russian weapons. In his works the artist with a special love for nature shows - "sunset", "Morning Mist", "Before the Rain", the popular genre scenes - "Ploughing," "The Reaping", "haymaking.
NN Karazin was one of the founders and for many years an active member of the Society of Russian watercolors, he was also one of the first designers engaged, as they said, "an elegant improvement industry."
In 1879 Karazin elected a member of the Russian Geographical Society, and in 1907 - a member of the Academy of Arts.
The contribution of the artist and a children's book illustration. They were written and decorated their paintings "travel memories of the old crane, which was published in 1890.
In the spring of 1907 on December 19, 1908 Nicholas lived in Gatchina. Doctors felt that the drier air over Ligovo where his cottage, alleviate the suffering from heart disease and lung cancer. He lived in house number 37 on Lyutsevskoy (now Karl Marx) street.
Nikolai Nikolaevich died in Gatchina December 19, 1908. He was buried with full military honors at the cemetery of Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Volume that created the NN Karazin in art and literature, is striking: more than 50 museums and galleries in our country keep his paintings and drawings, not to mention private collections in Russia and abroad. They were written many newspaper and magazine articles, essays and short stories. Twice were published 20-volume collection of his writings.
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