Stepan
Dmitrievich Erzya (Nefedov)

Russia • 1876−1959

Born in the village of baevo (Alatyr district of Simbirsk province, now Mordovia) October 27 (November 8) in 1876 Mordovian peasant family. Alias took the name of one of the ethnic groups of his people. From 1890 he studied at the icon-painting workshop in Stone, painted churches in Simbirsk and Kazan provinces. Arrived in Moscow and attended the Stroganov art-industrial school (1901-1902) and the School of painting, sculpture and architecture (1902-1906), where one of his mentors was S. M. Volnukhin. In 1906-1914 he lived and worked in Italy and France, again in Moscow, 1918 – in the Urals, mostly in Ekaterinburg, and in 1921-1925 in Novorossiysk, Batum, and Baku. Then returned to Moscow.

Typical of the art Nouveau mythological themes were combined in his works with the works and ideas in the spirit of the revolutionary "monumental propaganda" (conceived in the Urals, the project of a grandiose monument to V. I. Lenin from the rock). Riding in 1926 on a trip to Paris, and remained abroad, settling in Buenos Aires (1927).

In Argentina, found a "branded" material – a very hard wood quebracho and Algarrobo for processing, which Erzya has designed a special machine. Tried stylistically to beat texture of wood, roots, and growths, sometimes leaving them in the form of "fantasies", ie purely natural fragments. He was particularly good symbolically generalized portraits and images of women (Beethoven, 1929; Daughter of the Incas, 1941; both in the Russian Museum; the Old Mordvin, 1944, a Picture gallery, Saransk). And in Latin America put forward the idea of "mountain monument" – for example, the project of the monument to the heroes of the war of independence J. de San Martin and B. OHiggins in the Andes (1940-ies), but to implement them failed.

Writing a letter to Stalin (1947), received permission to return to the USSR and to bring on a specially chartered steamer a great number of his works. Upon returning, he lived in Moscow. The most complete collection of his works are kept in the Mordovian picture gallery, Saransk. Erzya died in Moscow.

1876 - 27 Oct born in the village of Bayevo, Alatyr uyezd, Simbirsk province.

1892 - moved with his family in the city of Alatyr; student various icon-painting workshops.

1893-1897 - went to Kazan, comes in icon-painting workshop Kovalevskogo. Painted the Church of the Volga villages and towns.

1899 - returned to Alatyr ' takes the scenery for the play, 100летниму dedicated to the anniversary of the birth of Alexander Pushkin.

1902-1906 - studies at the Moscow school of painting, sculpture and architecture.

1903-1907 - participates in exhibitions of works by students of the School of painting, sculpture and architecture.

1906 - 26 participates in periodic exhibition of the Moscow society of art lovers.

1906-1914 - he lives and works in Italy and France. Creates works of "Tosca", "self-Portrait(1908)", "Prison chaplain"(1909), "the Last night"(1909), "the Stone age"(1911) and others.

1909 - involved in 8 International art exhibition in Venice and an art exhibition in Milan.

1912 - participated in the exhibition "Autumn salon" in Paris.

1914 - returned to Russia.

1918-went to Ekaterinburg. Creates monumental works "the Great blacksmith", "the Dead of the Ural Communards" and others.

1921. - moved to Novorossiysk, and then in Batumi. Creates portraits of Lenin, Marx, Engels, and cultural figures of Georgia.

1923 - lives and works in Baku. Carries out the monumental design of the House of unions of miners.

1926 - participated in exhibitions of Moscow, was elected a full member of Orsa.

1926-27 - went to France with the exhibition of their works. Participates in exhibitions in the gallery of Jean Charpentier, 9 the exhibition "Art world", the "Salon of independents".

Personal exhibition in the premises of the Union of fine arts.

1927-1950 - lives and works in Buenos Aires. Participates in various art exhibitions. Organized personal exhibitions. Creates a "Portrait of Lenin"(1928), "Moses" (1932), "Portrait of Leo Tolstoy" (1930), "Medusa" (1938), "Portrait of Beethoven" (1929) and others.

1950 - returned Home.

1954 - personal exhibition of works in Moscow.

1957 - decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR awarded the order of Labor red banner for long-term activity in the field of fine arts.

1959 - Died in Moscow, buried in Saransk.

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