Shebuev Kozmich Vasily (1777-1855)

The creative life of the painter VK Shebuev due entirely to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. He studied and received training at the Academy of Catherine's time, when realizing some educational ideas, the Empress arranged for the school as a closed, isolated from the environment, an educational institution where students along with high professional skills have been vaccinated at least high virtues - selfless service to the Fatherland , nobility, purity of morals. Style of classicism who operated forms of ancient art, sculpture and assigned the historical painting central to the social life of the state, and in this connection the role of the artist was represented at the time exceptional.

As early as nine years Shebuev out on marks one of the first students. Teachers in E it was I. Akimov and G. I. Ugriumov , the future artist who gave a brilliant school of academic drawing and painting.

After graduating with a teaching certificate first degree and a small gold medal in the 1797 Shebuev pensioner was left at the Academy of Arts, and in 1803 he was sent to Rome, where he perfected his art by copying the originals and drawing in anatomical theaters. By the Roman period is the painting "Divination (Self-Portrait with a fortune teller)" (1805 - 07), standing in the works of the painter's historic mansion. The joy of life, confidence of the young artist's confidence and radiates this fabric, interlock, in many ways with a romantic destination in the art of the beginning of XIX century. The end of life Shebuev kept this self-portrait at home.

In 1806, the artist along with other retirees has been recalled to their homeland due to the need of the picturesque and sculptural decoration under construction in St. Petersburg, Kazan Cathedral, which has become a kind of pantheon of fame, a monument of Russian troops and at the same time, "the temple of glory Russian artists." Shebuev played there a number of compositions, including images of the Three Hierarchs - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom.

Whole future life Shebuev associated with teaching at the Academy: he began with the rank of Academician (1807), the class of historical painting, and finished - the rector of Painting and Sculpture (from 1832). During the presidency of AN Venison Shebuev worked on the preparation of textbooks of anatomy ("Anthropometry", 1830-31) for the students of Arts, created a sketch painting of the dome conference halls of Arts ("The Triumph of Olympus' 1832 painting still adorns dome of the hall), and in 1836 he performed sketches dome and iconostasis for the St. Catherine Church in the building of Arts. He worked on the design of the palace church at Tsarskoye Selo (1820-21), Izmailov (1837) and Isaac (1844-48) Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

All these works are distinguished by a magnificent composition solution, an organic relationship with the particular features of the interior, the lighting, etc. The most famous historical picture Shebuev "Feat Novgorod merchant Igolkin in the Northern War with Sweden" (1839) is written in the story of the history of the time of Peter and glorifies patriotic devotion of the Russian people.

Time of writing, painting - a period of searching for new forms in Russian history painting, when the hard canons of classicism begin to take their positions. Shebuev trying to revive dating back form the classic historical narrative - hence the deliberate gestures teatralizovannost existing characters, a sharp contrast hyperbolized furious enemies majestic tranquility of the main character. However, the color palette paintings with bright colors and contrasts of light and shade, as well as the dynamism of the action itself, deploying it in time indicate the occurrence of romantic trends in art. Realistic same trend is clearly expressed in the authentic image of the specific details of clothing, weapons.

It is easy enough realistic aspirations Shebuev evident in his later portrait work. They are characterized by a sincere goodwill to their models, the desire to accurately without idealizing it, to convey the familiar look of a man are "Portrait of a retired freight forwarder Shvykina IV" (1833), "Portrait of an Unknown Woman in a brown dress" (1837), "Portrait of a woman" ( mid-1840). Looking at them, it's safe to say that it is in the portrait genre most fully revealed the talent of the artist.