Today, 25 January, 167 years ago was born unique Kuindzhi!
Arkhip Kuinji (1842-1910) - Russian and Ukrainian artist, a master of landscape painting.
Biography
Arkhip Kuindzhi born in January 1842 in Mariupol in the family of a poor shoemaker-Greek. Early lost his parents and lived in great poverty, tending geese, served as the contractor for the construction of the church, then at hlebotorgovtsa; learned from the teacher-Greek literacy in Greek, then some time attended the town school.
From an early age Kuindzhi fond of painting and drawing at any suitable material - on walls, fences and scraps of paper. He worked as a retoucher for photographers in Mariupol, Odessa and St. Petersburg. Finally, it creates a big picture "Tatar hut in the Crimea, which was exhibited at the Academic Fair in 1868 As a result Kuindzhi becoming a volunteer academy. For now "Autumn thaw" in 1872, he received the title of the class artist. In 1873 Kuindzhi exhibited in the Society of Promotion of the Arts painting "Snow", for which in 1874 at the International Exhibition in London receives a bronze medal. Also in 1873 he exhibited in Vienna, his painting "View of the island of Valaam" in St. Petersburg - Lake Ladoga. In 1874, the exhibition of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions Kuindzhi exposes the "Forgotten Village", in 1875 - "The Steppe" and "Chumatski tract, in 1876 - the famous" Ukrainian night ".
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In 1877 Kuindzhi becomes a member of the Association of the Wanderers, in 1878, exposes the "Forest" and "Evening in the Ukraine", aroused a lot of disputes and created a lot of imitators.
In 1879, he exposes the "North", "birch grove", "After the Storm", in the same year Kuindzhi left the exhibition of the partnership. In 1880, he was satisfied with the Society of Encouragement of Arts exhibition of one of his paintings: "Night on the Dnieper; this exhibition was a huge success.
In 1881, as a "solo" mode, Kuindzhi exhibited "birch grove", which had an equally resounding success, and in 1882 introduced the Dnepr in the morning "with the Birch Grove" and "Night on the Dnieper. After this exhibition, until his death Kuindzhi anywhere else did not put their pictures, and before 1900-ies to anyone and no-shows.
From 1894 to 1897 Kuindzhi was a professor of senior art school at the Academy of Arts. In 1904 he brought a gift to the Academy of 100 000 rubles for the issuance of 24 annual awards, in 1909, sacrificed his own behalf Art Society 150 000 rubles, and his estate in Crimea, as a society to promote the Arts 11 700 rubles for the prize for landscape painting.
Arkhip Kuinji died on 11 July (July 24) in 1910 in St. Petersburg.
The illusion of the world was his god, and there was an artist equal to him in achieving this miracle of painting
- Ilya Repin
Powerful Kuindzhi was not only a great artist, but also was a great teacher of life. His private life was unusual, solitary, and only the coming of his students knew the depth of his soul. At midday he went up to the roof of his house, and as soon as the noon thunder fortress cannon, thousands of birds gathered around him. He fed them out of their hands, those of countless of his friends: pigeons, sparrows, crows, crows, swallows. It seemed that all the birds of the capital flocked to him and covered his shoulders, arms and head. He told me: "Come closer, I tell them that they were not afraid of you." Unforgettable was the sight of the gray-haired, smiling man, covered with chirping birds, it remains among the most precious memories ... One of the joys of ordinary Kuindzhi was to help the poor so that they do not know where it is a blessing. Uniquely was his whole life ...
- Nicholas Roerich, a student AIKuindzhi