Golovin, Alexander Yakovlevich
(1863-1930)

He was born on February 17, 1863 in the family of a priest. There has been an important event for the Russian culture in Moscow, Plyushchikha. Three years later, the boy and his family moved to the Peter-oRazumovskoe. Moving took place after the father of the artist, James Danilovicha Golovin, was appointed professor of theology at the newly founded Petrovsky Agricultural Academy (now known to everyone "Timiryazevka").

As he recalled Golovin, artistic bent it first noticed the organizer and first director of the Academy of NI Zheleznov, a prominent Russian botanist and agronomist. Not without the help of academic professors boy managed to identify the most prestigious educational institutions of Moscow.

He first studied at the Lyceum Katkovsky.
After his father's death, which happened in 1878, Alexander was transferred to the least well-known Polivanovskaya school, from the walls of which, by the way, the poets V.Bryusov, Andrew White, M. Voloshin, chess player Alexander Alekhine.
In 1881, Golovin entered the architecture department of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
Soon he realized that he made ​​a mistake with "specialization" and transferred to the painting department. In his tenure at the school Golovin met Levitan, Korovin, Arkhipov Ostroukhova, Nesterov. Korovin introduced him to Vrubel. Especially important for Golovin has emerged friendship with ED Polenova, sister, teacher, which played an enormous role in the life of our hero. In fact, she opened and developed in him the verge of his talent that led to the place that took Golovin in Russian culture of the early twentieth century.

After the death of his mother, followed in 1884, the young man was left without a livelihood. The first years after graduating from college he had to work as an apprentice decorator at A. Tomashki, painted it, in addition, to order flowers on satin panels for platen and never shied away from any "dirty" work.

In 1889, he, along with all the Polenov "cohort" went to Paris for the Exposition. The latest French painting struck him. Golovin was engaged for some time in Paris workshop Kollarossi where realized that "in his earlier work is not done what had to be done." After returning to Russia, he tried to do "something." Soon the first Glowinski pastel bought PM Tretyakov.