Crickets Zhukovsky (1817-1898)

Father NE Sverchkova came from the peasants and served as a senior coachman and groom in the stables of the court. The boy soon began drawing horses and other animals, showing keen observation and the ability to transfer the habits of his "models."

Encouraging tendency son to the arts, his parents sent him in 1827 in an educational school at the Academy of Arts. However, the weak health of the child could not stand the harsh treatment and six months later was taken out and defined in the general type of school, after which he entered at the urging of his father in the economic department of the Ministry of the Interior. Career officials did not appeal the young man who in his spare time, persevered to draw and paint.

Gradually he developed his abilities to such an extent that in 1839 dared to send to the Academic exhibition first pictures: "Self-portrait", "Rider," "Italian Girl with a Guitar" and "Portrait of girls cricket." The success was evident, and it rewarded by a free artist portraiture.

In 1840, the Crickets decided to leave the service. Dar painter of animals, the ability to be extremely truthful and freely depict scenes with horses helped Sverchkov take the place of the artist and Khrenovsky Chesmensky state stud farms, the largest in Russia. In this capacity, he created a gallery that represents thoroughbred horses. Famous for his knowledge of the species and their ability to convey especially crickets began to receive orders from well-known breeders. He traveled all over Russia from end to end, learned manners province and embodied them in the genre sketches.

On the academic exhibition in 1844 presented his painting "Rest in the field" and "on the horse fair." During this period, paid tribute to the crickets and lithographic art. In 1844, he created the lithograph "Cuirassiers", "Cossacks", "Lezghian escort", etc. Publisher Datsiaro ordered him to a series of street and road scenes "Russian Sketches" (1845). Publisher Felten released "Album Studfarmers with Portraits of stallions and mares best factories in Russia, written from nature and lithographed by the artist N. cricket" (1846-52). This cycle consisted of 25 pages and was very popular.

He proved himself an artist, and in the portrait genre, writing in the late 1840s. "Portrait of a couple in the Amazonian dress on a horse" and "Sculptor II YUSHKOV in a sleigh on the Neva River," and "Portrait of a whipper VP Voeikova Chariton." In 1852, for the painting "Landlord Three" Crickets received the title of academician "folk art scenes," and in 1855 for his film "Traffic" - a professorship.

In the life of the artist 1850s. were marked by friendship with NA Nekrasov, in which the estate of Yaroslavl, Karabikha, he spent a lot of time. Together with the poet went hunting, went to the peasant feasts, participated in the domestic literary evenings. Crickets made a series of drawings and paintings on themes of works of Nekrasov: "Frost, Red Nose," "Little man with a nail," and also wrote the equestrian portrait of AJ Panaeva. Coachmen plight of a series of paintings dedicated to the artist the late 1850s. "Troika in the steppe" (1856), "In the blizzard" (1857), etc.

Devoted much of his creativity and scenes of hunting life, "Winter Hunt", "Berkutova Hunt, a former Moscow" (both 1856), "Sketches of Hunting" (1857-58). They differ in subtle understanding of Russian landscape.

In the early 1860's. Crickets made a trip abroad, visited Paris, London, Brussels, where his exhibitions were a great success. Returning to Russia in 1864, he received an official order for a series of historical paintings, "Departure of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich to inspect the troops in 1664" (1866), "The Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich with the boyars for falconry near Moscow" (1873) and " Train Tsar Ivan the Terrible to pray "(1878).

New genre in his work were the battle scenes, the most famous of them - "Go through the Balkans Guard" (1879) - was dedicated to the events of the Russian-Turkish war. However, neither the historical nor the battle painting Crickets are not distinguished himself as a master of subtle, it was in the animal genre.