Nikolay
Ivanovich Tikhobrazov

Historical painter and portraitist, born in 1818, From childhood he showed an inclination for painting, but due to a lack of material resources was not possible systematically to study her. In 1835 he received a scholarship from the society for the encouragement of artists, he entered the Academy of fine arts and began to attend a painting class as volnoprihodyaschego student. Studied at the Academy under the leadership of K. P. Bryullov, his former chief mentor. It pinned great hopes, he was considered one of the best and most promising students Bryullov, the nature and dignity of painting which he later learned. During the course of the Academy T. won two silver medals, one for painting, another for painting, and in 1843 was awarded a small gold medal for executed for a given program picture "Hercules frees Prometheus". At the end of them in 1845, the year of the Academy he presented the program written for the painting "Christ drives out the merchants from the temple", which was awarded a large gold medal, received the title of artist XIV class and the right to be sent abroad at government expense. Paintings, painted So in the Academy, was the best of his works; they were given reason to believe in this outstanding ability to painting, special advantages differed the last picture. However, it has not fully met the expectations of hope, not creating in the future, nothing that could catch up with his academic work, and all his life remained an average talent, although disability he can't do reproach. In 1847 he went at government expense abroad and settled in Rome, but long to stay here, he did not have, as in 1849 he was called back to Russia due to the political unrest that took place at that time in Italy. On the academic exhibition in 1851 was his great image of the "Agony in the garden"; in 1852 it was exhibited his picture of "Albanian sewing", for which he received the title of artist. Since then T. has lived uninterruptedly in St. Petersburg, has been teaching drawing and took orders for the execution of paintings of all kinds, including portraits. From 1852 to 1861 he taught painting to the Grand Dukes, the children of the Emperor, and some time also the children of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna. In the late 50's and early 60-ies he kept in the St. Petersburg photographic establishment. His paintings are quite diverse. They were written by three of the iconostasis in 1854 for the churches of Kiev and Novgorod cadet corps and the Church of the Petersburg battalion of military cantonists, in 1857 image to one of the churches in Derbent, in 1869 — the way to house Church P. N. Ignatiev and in 1869-1870 — way for the Orthodox Cathedral in Salecah. Of the works on the wall paintings the most famous paintings that adorn the walls and ceilings of His Majesty's own dacha near Peterhof, and the same painting in the renovated halls of the Old Hermitage; then, in 1861, he had written cards and 17 decorative for drawing room in the Palace of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (now Kseninsky Institute). Of the portraits, painted T., the well-known portraits of Ms. Tihobrazov and Trenin, referring to 1855, and a portrait of Prince Pyotr Georgievich of Oldenburg, made for Law school. T. died in Petersburg, December 14, 1874 ("Picture Week", 1875, № 2 (obituary). — A. Somov)