Mikhail
Vasilyevich Ledantyu (Le Dante)

Mikhail Le-dantyu belongs to the painters, who managed for lightning-quick life period allotted to him by fate, to fully realize your gift to become a true artist, a master.

Ensign cherdynskiy regiment Le Dante, twenty-six and a half years, died in the first world war during the crash, as eyewitnesses told, shelled train near Proskurov (now Khmelnitsky), where he was buried. Not preserved the grave of the artist as not preserved and most of his works — they are scattered around the world in a serious war and the first post-revolutionary years. The circle of surviving works is small: no more than a half dozen paintings, two or three albums with sketches and songs — that's all that remains of the once vast heritage; about eighty canvases were listed in the list compiled by friends after the death of the painter. The artistic quality of preserved things, however, so high that it becomes obvious — without examining the work Le Dante the history of Russian art would be incomplete. Such a study, followed by a, hopefully, new discoveries — in the future, as long as the artist is surrounded by moghimi secrets.

The surname Le-dantyu however, well known in Russian history. One of the dramatic, beautiful pages — the life and feat of the young Frenchwoman Camille Le Dante, followed her husband, Decembrist V. P. Ivasheva in Siberia and managed to get permission for the wedding in jail. To prison for his daughter and son-in-law, overcoming bureaucratic obstacles, came to the mother of Camille, Maria Petrovna — on Russian manners was the name of the French Marie-Cecile, nee Wable. Marie-Cecile, her first husband Varmo, Russia settled in the late 18th century, along with her second husband, Pierre Le Dante. Her eldest daughter Sidonia married Simbirsk landowner V. I. Grigorovich, was the mother of Dmitry Vasilyevich Grigorovich, the future writer. The younger son of Maria Petrovna, Eugene p. Le Dante, was the great grandfather of the artist in a straight line.

Rod Le Dante Russified already in the first half of the 19th century; father Mikhail Vasilyevich lived a heroic life of ordinary Russian intellectual-commoner: student, member of the revolutionary democratic movement, a political exile. In exile, in the village of Chizhovo, Bezhitsk uezd, Tver province, country doctor V. Le Dante son was born. Mother with the little boy returned to St. Petersburg shortly after the death of her husband, who died early while working on the cholera epidemic.

In 1908, Mikhail graduated from a real school. Passion for drawing manifested in year three or four, only one hand was able to hold a pencil, brought the young man first in the Studio of J. J. Tsionglinskogo, then Bernstein, and a year later, in the summer of 1909, he entered the Academy of fine arts. Maturing Le-dantyu as a person and as an artist is rapidly, as if in anticipation of a short life's journey. Student Le Dante closely approaches a group of artists who formed the "Union of youth", vigorously looking for new roads in art, seeking creativity, adequate the people of the 20th century. In 1911, Mikhail Vasilievich participated in the production of popular drama "King Maximilian and his rebellious son Adolf"; the element of Russian lubok long fascinated him, instilling a taste for folk art.

In January 1912, Le Dante decided to take the step and it breaks with the Academy of fine arts; went to Moscow, together with his new friends involved in the preparation of the famous, the scandalous exhibition "Donkey's tail", where young and talented rebels M. F. Larionov, N. With. Goncharov, A. V. Shevchenko, S. M. Romanovich and others make unprecedented, barbaric-bright paintings, similar in style to folk art, primitive.

At the invitation of the artist Kirill Mikhailovich Zdanevich, also a participant, on March 11, 1912, immediately after the Vernissage Le Dante goes to the parents of Zdanevich in Tiflis. A half year stay of artist in Georgia significant one outstanding event: in the walk along with Kirill Zdanevich on the picturesque streets of the old Tiflis Le Dante draws attention to the striking picture of the unknown self-taught artist, adorning the walls of the pub and restaurants, serving as a sign bit and "advertising" shops. "Man he's right genius," writes Le Dante mother and, not knowing the name of the master who buys the first picture; it was painted on oilcloth called the "Junket Musa". The artist's name is Niko Pirosmanashvili, and for the first time, "painter", his works were received with admiration the attitude of fellow professionals. While on vacation in may 1912 brother Cyril, a student of St. Petersburg University Ilya Zdanevich is included in the search of the St. Petersburg guest — brothers Zdanevich has an historical role in collecting (often salvation) and the preservation of the heritage of Pirosmani.

The Georgian cycle of works by the Le Dante was lucky more than others — in the Russian Museum, two of the five canvas and survived the "Caucasian album", only recently discovered and attributed to a well-known art historian A. A. by Strigaleva. The painting "Sazandar" occupies a Central place in the Georgian series, and in all the works of Le Dante. The Eastern figure of a musician, playing the national instrument saz, monumental and decorative front flattened, planar, with ornamental rhythm of the lines, it seemed designed for wall — finding a great monumental style will determine the entire short life Le Dante.

An unusually intense in the biography of the artist, the prewar years: he participated in exhibitions, in-depth studies of ancient and primitive arts, including the Museum of the Archaeological Institute, wrote theoretical works, lectures, and speaking at the debates. However, irregular earnings, the need to contain elderly mother forced Le Dante to enter the Nikolaevsky cavalry school; service is given to him hard, still all his thoughts in art, and soon he leaves school.

In 1914 he began to raise the challenge of translating the category of time on the two-dimensional plane of the canvas, the introduction of the "fourth dimension" in painting is the proximity to the aspirations of the futurists shows the painting "Rotation of the car" (Orel art gallery), where the speed, dynamics technical miracle of the 20th century find expression in the centripetal flying song whose rhythm creates a tactile impression of a steep turn at high speed.

Painting of cinema and cabaret, not extant but referred to friends, attest to the ongoing search of the monumental-decorative style, the dream of a "new murals".

Le Dante had a great influence on others; his talent, intelligence and dedication to the art created around him a circle of like-minded admirers — among them writer and typographer Ilia Zdanevich, artists N. F. Lapshin, V. M. Ermolaev. In the autumn of 1915 at the apartment of V. M. Ermolaeva, arranged an exhibition of almost all products Le Dante, his first and last present exhibition. That fall, Mikhail will be mobilized for military service, and after several months of training in the Vladimir school of infantry warrant officer Le Dante sent to the front, to the forefront. In the trenches of the first world war he spent the last months of his life. And in school, and on the front Le Dante works only sporadically. Friends learn about his works, from letters, from the rare trips to Petrograd; anything done in the war — icon field Church, scenery for transportable theatre, sketches and drawings have not survived.