Semiradzki Ippolitovich Henry (1843-1902)

Prominent Russian portrait painter.
Semiradzki was born in the family of the regimental doctor Pole. Childhood and adolescence spent in Kharkov. The first skill in painting was at a local high school student under the direction of K. Brullov D. I. Bezperchiya, who was later named only as their teacher.

In 1860, at the urging of his father Semiradzki entered the Kharkov University in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics in the category of Natural Sciences. Four years later, the future singer antique beauty received a degree of "reasoning" on "the instincts of insects." And then he went to St. Petersburg, where loosely defined, coming at the Academy. Soon, showing the brilliant achievements Semiradzki managed to become a student of the Academy of Arts.

In 1870 he was awarded a gold medal for the painting competition "Confidence of Alexander the Great to the doctor Philip" with the right to a six-year stay abroad. Semiradzki went to Munich - second only to Paris artistic center of Europe. Here he wrote his first major work - "Roman orgy brilliant time Caesarism" (1872). The picture was a success, it was purchased by the St. Petersburg Academy, which allowed the artist to move to Italy.

In Rome, where everyone lives and breathes art, memories of antiquity, he remained for many years in Russia and visited only occasionally. Yet Petersburg Academy of Arts awarded the title of painter all possible (and correspondence), he received a lot of official orders. At world exhibitions of his work were Russian school of painting. However Semiradsky art can not be attributed to any national art school, it internationally. The artist himself - one of the brightest representatives of the late European academic art. It is true that he made to the academic tradition of pictorial, plein-air start, no accident that most of his paintings, and sometimes dominant role played by the landscape.

Semiradzki - master of atmosphere, the atmosphere and the natural action of the atmosphere. In addition, he was able to connect them with an interesting storyline. That's why academic rhetoric, motives and posture, as well known and familiar to the public, the stamps have long been looked at it in a new way, as the artist himself seemed almost an innovator.

Circle of favorite scenes Semiradsky was quite narrow. This evangelical scenes, episodes of ancient stories and scenes of everyday life of ancient times - popular in the late XIX century. antique genre. The second big picture Semiradsky "Christ and the Sinner" (1872) brought the artist a big hit and pan-European fame. It is well visible the main features of his art: the composition as a whole is quite spectacular, but the figures themselves are banal and uninteresting as in character, and in the painting. Important landscape, helping to create the overall impression ...

In another painting, "Christ in the House of Martha and Mary" (1886) landscape already dominated. A better picture of the artist on the theme of the Gospel, "Christ and the Woman of Samaria" (1890) is almost entirely devoid of narrative. This sunlit landscape, which is masterfully written in the figure of Christ and the woman at the well. Giant (3,85 x7, 04 m), the picture is one of the two most famous historical compositions of the artist, "Lights of Christianity. Torches of Nero" (1876) was officially completed pensionerstvo Semiradsky. It depicts the final episode of the first persecution of Christians (1. N. E.). Emperor Nero with approximate watch as servants lit huge torches, which are converted into entangled in tow and smeared with tar Christian martyrs. Unfortunately, an interesting idea was hopelessly ruined execution.

Suffice chaotic composition provoked sharp criticism. Semiradsky accused of coldness and lack of expression in the image of characters. But the audience were delighted with the way written multicolored marbles, textiles and other accessories.