Bakalovich Stepan Vladimirovich
(1857-1947)

S.V.Bakalovich was born in a family of artists. Mother - a famous actress in Warsaw. Original art education from his father at the Warsaw School of Drawing.

 In 1876 Bakalovich arrives in St. Petersburg and entered the Academy of Fine Arts. Learns brilliantly and in 1881 he graduated from the Academy of Arts large gold medal and the right to a pensioner's trip - for the painting "St. Sergius blessing Dmitry Donskoy in the battle and let him two monks." Bakalovich traveling to Krakow to Ya.Mateyko, then to Paris, visit Algeria.

 In 1883, gets to Rome, and, struck by the beauty of classical antiquities, stays here forever. Since then, the artist only interested in subjects from ancient Greco-Roman life. He studied history and archeology, a lot of time in Pompeii. In Russia the same Bakalovich regularly sends pas show their new academic painting. It is accompanied by a huge success, pictures instantly sold out (and in Russia, and Italy). He became one of the pillars of the so-called late-academic. It is compared with GI Semiradov-skim - the idol of the public.

 In 1886 Bakalovich received the title of academician of historical painting for the painting "Night Talk", "Neighbours", "The Message" and "The Roman poet Catullus reads his poems to friends." Last work for the gallery buys P.M.Tretyakov.

 Bakalovich refers to a fairly common type of artists who, having almost photographic eye tenacity and remarkable skill, have no genuine creative originality. Striving for beauty, they are only superficially technical perfection reproduce its forms that already exist in iskusstve.Bakalovich was genuinely fascinated by the beauty and integrity of ancient life and life is so expressive contrasting with the bourgeois vulgarity end of the XIX century. But, in fact, it fits antiquity to the tastes of the bourgeois public. His paintings - it's mostly more or less amusing genre scenes in ancient costumes and scenery that can be seen even by the names of "The Triumph of Pompeii", "The office of Maecenas" (both 1888), "May Night" (1889), "Gladiators before going into the arena "(1891)," Roman flower girl "(1900), etc. The dramatic scenes that require psychological development, the artist did not work (for example," Edict of Mary ", 1896).

 In 1903 Bakalovich visiting Egypt. The result - new themes, but not a new painting, "Prayer Khonsu" (1904), "Ament, the great priestess of Hathor, coming out of the inner sanctum after prayers to the goddess" (1906) and dr.V 1913 AH refused Bakalovich solo show in the device . In 1914, the last time he showed his work in St. Petersburg. Name of the painting seems to be symbolic: "The last rays." Since then, the relationship of the artist with Russia cut off.