Vyacheslav
Grigorievich Schwartz

Born in the family of major-General G. E. Schwartz, soon sent to serve in the foothills of the Caucasus; from 1846 the artist's mother with children lived in town or in Moscow. In 1853-1859, he studied at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, in these years actively engaged in drawing, then in the Petersburg Academy of arts (1859-1863; class painter of battle-pieces B. P. Villevalde). Visited Germany (1861) and France (1862-1864, 1867). Lived in St. Petersburg or in the family estate "White Well".

Already in the early things, showing his talent of a composer, the master of the romantic-live compositions, acted as a true reformer of the Russian historical genre. Acted as a master of literary and illustrative graphics, creating it in the form of a self-sufficient machine series.

From the age of three he fell in love with painting, and only began to hold a pencil, showed a tendency to picture the battle scenes, which is easily explained by the military atmosphere in which he grew up, being in the Caucasus with his father, the commander of the military district Paramelaconite and Lezghian cordon line. Nine-year-old boy Schwartz was enrolled in the pages to the Supreme court, but despite his desire for a military career, the parents defined it in 1853 pupils of the Alexander Lyceum in St. Petersburg. Throughout the course of the Lyceum Schwartz, thanks to its great abilities, especially of memory, was the first student in the class, although the school often amused by the drawing of different figures instead write taught. These exercises in drawing contributed to the fact that he had stuffed his hand in the techniques of working with a pen, which he loved afterwards. While in high school, he was also engaged in painting and learned to engrave "strong vodka". Brilliant course after graduating from the Lyceum in 1859 with the gold medal and the rank of a I X th grade, he decided to serve in the office of the Caucasian and Siberian Committee and held on it for three years he attended, the rights of a free student, St. Petersburg University, where he studied the Arabic language and enriched their knowledge in some subjects of history and Philology, and in addition, went to classes at the Academy of fine arts, which was listed as a student of Professor of painting battle-BP Villevalde.

In 1859, presented to the Academy a drawing of his composition "Rendezvous with Sviatoslav Tzimiskes", he was awarded a small silver medal, a year after he received a second medal for the picture "the Capture of Kazan" and in 1861 was awarded a large silver medal for the performance of the coal life-size cardboard: "Ivan the terrible near the body of the murdered son," a wonderful drama plot, excellent composition, strength of expression and archeological fidelity all the details of the scene. Thus, already in the first stages of their artistic activities Schwarz moved from battle kind of painting to the historical household, in which he soon made himself an honorable fame.

In 1861 he went to foreign lands; in Berlin, within four months, he worked with professors Schrader and Kaulbach, and then visited Dresden, Cologne, Frankfurt and Mainz. On his return from this journey he made a huge carton quantities: "Walpurgis night" (Goethe). Then was written the painting "Ivan the terrible at the body of his son" in much smaller size compared to the above-mentioned cardboard. For her Academy awarded the W. in 1863 a silver medal and the title of class artist. In the same year he left for Paris, working there under the leadership of Lefebvre and konta, to improve its color and General style of writing. In 1865, for the painting "palm Sunday in Moscow since the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich," the Academy recognized him as an academician. In 1867 she was sent to Paris for the device of the Russian art Department at the local world's fair. This trip brought the sh case to meet famous Massage, under the influence of which he further improved in the art of painting. At the exhibition, the international jury awarded him the gold medal for the painting "the Holstein ambassadors in the ambassadorial order". Around this time they performed the work: "Russian messenger of the XVI century", "Sagittarius XVI century", "Head knight", "Patriarch Nikon on a walk in the New Jerusalem" and "Spring trip Queens on a pilgrimage" and a few drawings — work stops in front of visitors academic exhibition of 1868. G., for which the Academy elevated him to your rank of honorary member. In addition to these works, a huge success in the audience had executed pen drawings sh to "the Song about merchant Kalashnikov" by Mikhail Lermontov and "the Prince Silver" count A. Tolstoy. Staged on the scene of the last tragedy "the Death of Ivan the terrible" S. took a prominent part, making drawings for her costume, throwing sketches of scenery and giving advice to the actors and the mounter of this play. The 50-year anniversary of Alexandrovsky Lyceum medal was struck under the project sh His drawings illustrated a luxurious, made by S. A. Norovyn, publishing travel Daniel the Pilgrim. In 1868, the Kursk nobility chose sh in the leaders Schigrovskogo County; went to Kursk, he suddenly died there 29 Mar 1869

Serious artistic activity sh lasted only nine years, but, despite the fact that he left a lasting memory in the history of Russian art as the most remarkable of reproducers of the Russian antiquity. Very educated, well-read and thoughtful, thoroughly-studied Russian XVI and XVII centuries, in his compositions, he like no other, put the viewer face to face with its historical and not historical figures, and introduced it in all their particular life, fully revived their manners and characters, and by their example drew many artists to the way the detailed and accurate processing of Russian historical themes. Most of the works of sh is the property of his brother, Eugene G., preserving them with reverence to his memory; from public museums owns them only the Tretyakov gallery in Moscow: there are 12 szarzewski drawings (including five scenes from "the Song about merchant Kalashnikov" and four scenes from the "Silver Prince") and five paintings, painted in oil-colours ("Ivan the terrible near the body of the murdered son", "Patriarch Nikon in the New Jerusalem", "the Vernal train Queen on a pilgrimage", "The Ambassador from the Prince Kurbsky" and "Hermit").