Alexey
Egorovich Egorov

Russian painter and graphic artist, Professor of art history, as a teacher of the Academy of arts had a great influence on Russian art; under his leadership, improved Bryullov, Bassin, mark, and others.

Of his works the best known are: "the Holy Simeon the God-receiver", "Holy Family", "Torturing the Savior" (all 3 in the Russian Museum; ibid., in the collection of Princess Tenisheva, its 28 drawings — pen and pencil.

One of the most gifted masters of academic drawing, A. E. Egorov wonder got his contemporaries the name of "Russian Raphael." His whole life is connected with St. Petersburg Academy of arts. About the early life of the artist is not known almost nothing. Russian Cossacks picked up a child in the Kalmyk steppe during the military campaign. Vague childhood memories for his last wagon, the silk gown and embroidered boots. Before arriving in Petersburg, the boy lived in Moscow foster house, and in 1782 was identified in an Educational school at the Academy of arts. In academic classes Egorov studied with professors I. A. Akimov and G. I. Ugryumova. Here he quickly gained fame as the best painter, strengthened medals for drawings from nature. After graduating in 1797, OH with the right foreign travel for perfection in the art, Egorov only in 1803 along with other graduates gets to Rome. Until that time, he was left to teach drawing in academic classes - a rare honor for yesterday's graduates. About the stay of Egorova in Italy there were a lot of legends. From one we learn that at the first visit of natural class Russian artist impressed the audience with his skill, depicting the sitter very quickly and, most importantly, in a difficult perspective. Egorov drew, sitting almost at the feet of the model, because by the time he came to class more comfortable seats were occupied. Another legend tells how Egorov defended the honor of Russian art: in response to the statement by a local artist, who claimed that Russian will never draw the human figure so masterfully as Italian, Egorov took the coal and with the words: "And so, you know?" - painted on bleached wall of a man essay, starting with the big toe of the left foot. Said that after this incident a picture Egorova Italian art lovers paid as many gold coins as placed on the image surface. Egorov acquired in Italy extraordinary popularity. His talent was highly valued by the leading masters of classicism - A. Canova and B. Kamuchchini, the latter even used the sketches Egorova for her compositions. PA PA Pius VII asked him to remain in Italy as a court painter. However, the artist has not used this opportunity in the summer of 1807, at the end of pensionerstva, returned to St. Petersburg. Here he was appointed to the position of associate Professor OH, and in September recognized as an academician for the sketch composition "the entombment" for the Kazan Cathedral. Further, more than thirty years, service in OH brought him a gradual ascent to the top of academic career. In 1812 he became Professor of historical painting, in 1831-m Professor 1-St degree, and in 1832-m - distinguished Professor - the highest rank in the academic hierarchy. The greatest place in the work of Egorov is working on religious subjects. These are the icons for the St. Petersburg churches of the life guards regiment of the Transfiguration, the Trinity and the Kazan Cathedral, the Tauride Palace, to the academic Church of St. Catherine, a small Palace of Tsarskoye Selo churches, the Zion Cathedral in Tiflis. He writes and easel paintings on subjects from the Scriptures: "Madonna with Christ and Saint John" (1813), "the appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene" (1818), "the healing of the paralytic", "Rest on the flight into Egypt" (both b. G.) etc. Most famous painting Egorova - "Torturing the Savior" (1814). Numerous preparatory drawings and pictorial sketches it shows how carefully the venerable, the artist developed the composition. Contemporaries perceived the picture as a reference of academic art. Professor of anatomy I. V. Buyalsky, who loved to demonstrate to his students the anatomical errors on statues and paintings, and talked about the work of Egorova: "this is the only picture in which no single error". In 1850 the famous engraver F. Jordan appealed to the Council of the Academy to allow him to nagraviroval this picture Egorova, which was attributed to the "wonderful new creations in the art." Egorov himself, gave paramount importance to a perfect figure, a thorough modeling of forms, and built of the composition, that is, qualities that are particularly identified in the engraving, once said: "I understand when you nagraviroval my work." With drawings by Egorov in 1846, was executed wood engravings and released as an album. Much earlier, in 1814, was an album of drawings, composed and engraved by the artist pencil manner. It's 17 songs on the themes of the Scriptures, many of which repeat his paintings. In addition to the religious subjects Egorov wrote portraits (the most famous image of the Princess E. I. Golitsyna, engraver, N. I. Utkin, 1798; N. P. Buyalsky, 1824; A. Tomilov, 1831) and genre scenes ("Susanna", 1813; "bathers", b. g). Had the respect of numerous students and colleagues-artists, Egorov could not imagine what a shock awaits him in his declining years. In 1835 Nicholas I, who considered himself a connoisseur, did not like the image of the Church of the Holy Trinity Izmailovsky regiment. King declared that they are "uniformly badly written," and ordered to the record AH, reprimand those who wrote them. Among those were, and Egorov. But the real trouble came five years later, in 1840, when the enraged Nicholas I ordered the "send without delay to the Academy of arts" as not meeting the proper artistic level of the image, written Yegorov for the Church in Tsarskoye Selo. And although specially convened Council OH has stood up for honour of the artist, the Emperor "his Majesty deigned to command: as an example for others to dismiss him altogether from the service." Yegorov had to leave OH, the walls of which took almost his entire life. As a reward for the work he had been granted a pension of 1000 rubles a year, and kept 4000 in payment of the Tsarskoye Selo images. Banished from the walls OH, Egorov has not lost credibility in the eyes of his disciples, To P. Bryullov, A. T. Markov, K. M. Shamshina, etc. They came to a former Professor for guidance showed their new works, valuing his opinion. Egorov worked until the last days of his life.