Alexey
Danilovich Kivshenko

10(22).3.1851, now the Venev district of Tula oblast — 2.10.1895, Heidelberg, Germany

Born in the family of a serf of count Sheremetev Daniil Vasilyevich. Kivshenko, a man endowed with versatile talents, including the talent of the painter, smart personality, infinitely loving art and music. After resolution of the graph medico-surgical Academy, he was assigned Manager of the count's stud in Venev uyezd, Tula province. In the house of V. D. Kivshenko children were constantly in an atmosphere of love to art, to music. The older son showed early interest in painting. In seven years, he was a very good drawing, loved to depict animals and to copy from magazines, scenes of hunting and war. Since 1860, the young artist began to study at the drawing school society for the encouragement of arts in St. Petersburg under the leadership of I. N. Kramskoy. In 1867 A. D. Kivshenko comes in the class of historical painting at the Academy of fine arts. Received medals: in 1871 - 2 and 1 silver; in 1872 two 2 silver; in 1874 - 1 silver; in 1876 - 2 gold for the program "Samson and Delilah"; in 1877 - Golden 1 programme for "the Marriage in Cana of Galilee"; in the same year received the title of class artist of 1 degree; in 1880 he was sent abroad at government expense, for the painting "Council in Fili". With great enthusiasm Kivshenko engaged in teaching activities, teaching at the Academy of fine arts and the School of Baron Stieglitz (1883-1889).

Tula land is rich in talents. With the Tula edge connected with the life and work of a number of artists of the XIX and XX century: I. V. Tropinin, O. A. Kiprensky, A. A. Popov, G. G. Myasoedov and many others. And the more time separates us from the life and work of these artists, the more interest is something new that we learn not only about their work, stay on the Tula earth, but also about the artistic life of the time.

On the Tula earth, Oneuscom County, in 1851, the birthplace of the famous artist of the second half of the XIX century Alexei Danilovich Kivshenko. All his works by A. D. Kivshenko was close to the famous artists of his time - I. M. Pryanishnikov, I. N. Kramskoy, V. V. Vereshchagin, V. I. Surikov, whose works marked the great rise of Russian art in the second half of the XIX century.

Alexey Danilovich Kivshenko was born in the family of a serf of count Sheremetev Daniil Vasilyevich. Kivshenko, a man endowed with versatile talents, including the talent of the painter, smart personality, infinitely loving art and music. After resolution of the graph medico-surgical Academy, he was assigned Manager of the count's stud in Venev uyezd, Tula province. In the house of V. D. Kivshenko children were constantly in an atmosphere of love to art, to music. The older son showed early interest in painting. In seven years, he was a very good drawing, loved to depict animals and to copy from magazines, scenes of hunting and war.

Since 1860, the young artist began to study at the drawing school society for the encouragement of arts in St. Petersburg under the leadership of I. N. Kramskoy. In 1867 A. D. Kivshenko comes in the class of historical painting at the Academy of fine arts.

Ending in 1876, the Academy, the young artist chose for his thesis the subject of the heroic past of his native country "the Military Council at Fili in 1812". The picture was a great success. He wrote it under the influence of the novel of L. N. Tolstoy's "War and peace". The artist depicted one of the most important decisive moments of the war of 1812 - the military Council that took place in the village of Fili near Moscow, in a hut of the peasant Ivan Frolov five days after the battle of Borodino. At this Council the question of the fate of Moscow and the army. Kivshenko my painting I wanted to convey the feelings of the participants in this great drama unfolding in such a humble setting. In the picture it seems that it's very simple, no external effects neither the structure of the painting, nor in light, nor in the gestures of the participants of the Council. But it is this simplicity and sense of grandeur and a deep sense of experiencing the moment.

Kivshenko, creating his painting, came to the development of the plot as a military and historical painter. He did not set ourselves the task to convey the deep dramatic experiences M. I. Kutuzov as the historical sense of the Council in Fili that Kutuzov had found the strength to bravely make the decision to leave Moscow for the sake of the army, foreseeing that in future Napoleon's army waiting for the inevitable defeat. Following the description of this event in the novel L. N. Tolstoy, the artist has depicted not the moment of making the Kutuzov his historic decision, and the time of the dispute between M. I. Kutuzov and a number of generals led by chief of staff L. L. Wenigsten made for the battle of Moscow. Within the targets of genre-psychological solutions of a large military-historical themes the artist has done everything to his painting, free from any exaggerated drama and conventions, has become a truly realistic, disarming honesty and emotional means of expression. To this impression contributes to the scenic pictures based on the combination of the warm Golden brown tones.

The picture A. D. Kivshenko "the Military Council in Fili" with all the modesty and simplicity of the solution historical themes, gives a vivid sense of the significance of the depicted event and takes pride of place in the Russian realist military-historical painting.

After finishing painting "the Military Council in Fili" Kivshenko embarks on a series of paintings on the theme of Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 for the military gallery of the Winter Palace. But before you begin any of the films "the Storming of Ardahan", "the Last battle of SHIPKA in 1877," and others, he visited Bulgaria, Turkey, Caucasus. There made many sketches in pencil and watercolor.

To this period belongs the essay "Arba" that is stored in the Tula Museum of fine arts. There are two studies "the Landscape. The herd" and "Horse", made Kivshenko in the 80-ies at home, in Oneuscom County, where he visited often. To the 80-th years is a number of his paintings, hunt scenes, "the Hunting of the hare", "0хота for a Fox" and many others.

A. D. Kivshenko was a tireless traveler. It is not just with the expeditions visited the countries East of Germany, Austria, Italy, Turkey, capturing in his watercolors of the characteristic landscapes of these countries, architecture, the life and character of the people he met on the way. In 1892, in Dresden made watercolour "the Staircase in the Zwinger", located in the Tula Museum of fine arts.

With great enthusiasm Kivshenko engaged in teaching activities, teaching at the Academy of fine arts and the School of Baron Stieglitz. All the diverse works of A. D. Kivshenko, who enjoyed during his lifetime a great fame developed in the mainstream of realism, of truthfulness, of national specificity.

(source: http://tounb.tula.net)