Clodt Michael K. (Clodt background Jurgensburg)
(1832-1902)

Prominent Russian landscape painter.
nephew Peter Karlovich Klodta - an outstanding Russian sculptor and educator.

In 1851-1858 he studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, after which he was sent to the pensioner abroad. He worked in Switzerland in the North. France.

In 1861, before the end of pensionerstva returned to Russia. In the same year was awarded the title of academician of the painting "Night view of Normandy" and "View of the River Aa."
In order to study native wildlife made ​​numerous trips to Russia. He worked 60 years in the areas of democratic traditions of Russian art.

Clodt created a realistic landscapes: "A great way to fall" (1863), "Evening view in Orel province," which in 1864 became a professor, "Sunset in the province of Orel" (1867), etc.

Klodt was a founding member of the Association of the Wanderers, a stay which helped to strengthen democracy in his art and realistic tendencies, the development of interest in the themes and images of peasant Russia.

For works Klodta characterized by meticulous realism of the image, perfect figure with a careful study of details, excellent craftsmanship promising solutions, rigor and harmony of the composition, the ability to "animate" the nature of human beings. His painting style is thorough in the foreground objects and more broad and generalizing in the image and long-term plans for the sky with clouds.

The painting "on the land" (1871), presented at the I traveling exhibition, causes involuntary association with the famous canvas A.G.Venetsianova . However, the image of nature it has acquired an unprecedented epic breadth, not only in content but also in expressive means. The elongated horizontal format, reducing the horizon, measured rhythm receding from the viewer plowed strips of land allowed the artist to create the impression of a panoramic image of boundless space. The artist managed to subtly convey the feeling of a warm spring day, bright sunlight penetrated. With Venetsianov unites him a sense of joy peasant labor, prolific nature's bounty.

Other works Klodta, along with an interest in spatial effects, in an attempt to contain the aggregated form to show originality and unique beauty of the Russian landscape, always emotionally colored by the presence of humans ("Evening view in Orel province," 1874, Far Eastern Art Museum, Khabarovsk).

In the 70-ies. 19. under the influence of creativity II Shishkin in the art of picking up Klodta epic motifs in the treatment of Russian nature ("Forest distance at Noon", 1878, etc.).

In 1879 Clodt broke with the Wanderers, having failed to take until the end of their negative attitude to the academic artistic method. After retiring from the Association of his art gradually faded away.

Since 1873 Clodt landscape class taught at the Academy.