Firsov Ivan Ivanovich
(1733-1785)
His father and grandfather were artists. At the age of fifteen, by imperial decree, he went, together with carpenters, carvers and gilders, to Petersburg to participate in decorating the city on the occasion of the marriage of the heir to the throne - the future Peter III with the German princess - the future Catherine II. Firsov performed "gold works", but quickly attracted the attention of artists.
In 1747, he was already in the "picturesque team" of the Chancellery from buildings and worked under the direction of I. Ya. Vishnyakova and D. Valeriani.
In 1759, Firsov became the court painter of the heir to Peter Fedorovich, went to Oranienbaum, painted scenery for opera productions and designed some of the palace interiors.
In 1762, Firsov was enrolled in the department of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters, with which he would be connected until the end of his career.
His talent was noted, and on the personal instructions of Catherine II, being already one of the famous Russian artists, he was sent "to foreign lands for two years for the best painting and theatrical science education."
In 1765, the artist found himself in Paris, in an atmosphere of freedom, independence, and respect that struck him. There he wrote his only reliable work - this famous painting"Young painter" (1760s), one of the first in the Russian everyday genre.
Judging by the faces, costumes, environment - the French are depicted. A boy painter in front of a large easel paints a portrait of a little girl who is tired of long posing. The young woman standing next to her is probably trying to persuade her to sit a little longer. Firsov remarkably conveys the naturalness of postures and movements.
The workshop is flooded with even sunlight. There are paintings on the walls, a marble bust of a woman, several books and a papier-mâché mannequin depicting a human figure on the table.
In Russian painting of that time it is difficult to find such a naturally, freely transmitted space. The color of the picture is pink-gray, silver. Of course, Firsov was familiar with the painting of J.-B.-S. Chardin, however, did not simply become an imitator. He borrowed the chief artistic principle- to see the poetry of everyday life and capture, stop life at the moment of its greatest spirituality.
Firsov stayed in Paris for only a little over two years. He often endured "extreme need", since money from Russia to France came with long delays.
The fate of the artist upon his return to Russia was difficult. The work of a theatrical decorator - for a meager salary, without days off and holidays, under the supervision of third-rate foreign artists - completely exhausted his health. In 1784, he fell ill with a severe mental disorder, and no information about his subsequent fate has been preserved.
The fate of the painter Ivan Firsov resembles the fate of Lefty from the story of N. S. Leskov. His father and grandfather were artists. At the age of fifteen, by imperial decree, he went, together with carpenters, carvers and gilders, to Petersburg to participate in decorating the city on the occasion of the marriage of the heir to the throne - the future Peter III with the German princess - the future Catherine II. Firsov performed "golden work", but quickly attracted the attention of artists. In 1747, he was already in the “picturesque team of the Office of Buildings” and worked under the guidance of I. Ya. Vishnyakova and D. Valeriani. In 1759, Firsov became the court painter of the heir to Peter Fedorovich, went to Oranienbaum, painted scenery for opera productions and designed some of the palace interiors. In 1762, Firsov was enrolled in the department of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters, with which he would be connected until the end of his career.
In 1765, the artist found himself in Paris, in an atmosphere of freedom, independence, and respect that struck him. There he wrote his only reliable work - this is the famous painting "Young Painter", one of the first in the Russian everyday genre.
Judging by the faces, costumes, environment - the French are depicted. The artist skillfully conveys the relaxed naturalness of postures and movements. With apt observation, the calm and affectionate severity of the mother, the cunning and impatience of the little model, the selfless passion of the young painter are depicted. Firsov remarkably conveys the naturalness of postures and movements. The workshop is flooded with even sunlight. There are paintings on the walls, a marble bust of a woman, several books and a papier-mâché mannequin depicting a human figure on the table. In Russian painting of that time it is difficult to find such a naturally, freely transmitted space. The color of the picture is pink-gray, silver.
Of course, Firsov was familiar with the painting of J.-B.-S. Chardin, however, did not simply become an imitator. He borrowed the main artistic principle - to see the poetry of everyday life and capture, stop life at the moment of its greatest spirituality.
Alas, Firsov stayed in Paris for only a little over two years. He often suffered "extreme need", as money from Russia to France came with long delays.
In the 19th century, The Young Painter was considered the work of A. Losenko and even had his fake signature “A. Losenko 1756". True, already at the beginning of the 20th century, it was quite clear to art historians that the picture had nothing to do with the work of Losenko. But her authorship remained conjectural. Various assumptions were made, tending to the fact that the author of this picture should be sought among Western European masters. The name of the famous German engraver and painter D. Khodovetsky was even named. Not all the names of Russian painters have survived to our time. Ivan Ivanovich Firsov, to some extent, was lucky. His authorship of the only painting that has come down to us was finally confirmed only at the beginning of the 20th century.
In 1913, at the initiative of I. Grabar, Losenko's signature was removed and under it was found a genuine, written in French “I. Firsove".
It is also known that in 1771 Firsov made a number of icons and decorative paintings that have not reached us. "Young painter", remains alone in the work of a remarkable Russian master. Apparently, Firsov was most gifted precisely in that area of art, which could find so little application in Russian reality in the second half of the 18th century.
The fate of the artist upon his return to Russia was difficult. The work of a theatrical decorator - for a meager salary, without days off and holidays, under the supervision of third-rate foreign artists - completely exhausted his health. In 1784, he fell ill with a severe mental disorder, and no information about his subsequent fate has been preserved.
Wonderful canvases. L., 1966
Second half of the 1760s Canvas, oil. 67 X 55. The State Tretyakov Gallery.www.art-catalog.ru
Firsov Ivan Ivanovich (circa 1733 - after 1785), painter. From the end of the 1750s. court painter. painted icons, theatrical scenery, decorative panels.
Not all the names of Russian painters, especially the beginning of the formation of the national visual arts have come down to our time. Ivan Ivanovich Firsov, an artist of the middle of the 18th century, was lucky to some extent. His authorship of the only painting that has come down to us was finally confirmed only at the beginning of the 20th century.
I. Firsov's ability to draw was hereditary - his grandfather and father painted, worked as wood carvers and were goldsmiths. Having skills in artistic crafts, Ivan Firsov Jr. was sent from Moscow to St. Petersburg to decorate the city and the imperial palaces. His talent was noted, and on the personal instructions of Catherine II, he left for Paris in 1765, where he improved his skills at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Apparently, Chardin, the leading master of genre scenes in France of the 18th century, turned out to be the most consonant artist for I. Firsov. The painting by I. Firsov, executed in the Chardin style, in no way detracts from the skill of the artist. Everything is extremely balanced in it and everything, even objects, as they say, is at work.
Ivan Firsov's painting "Young Painter" is one of the earliest, but already perfect designs Russian household genre.
The plot of this picture is simple. In a spacious studio filled with even light, a boy artist sits in front of an easel and enthusiastically paints a portrait of a girl. An adult woman, mother or older sister, persuades the little model to sit still and maintain a pose. At the feet of the artist stands an open box of paints, on the table are the usual props of a painting studio: a marble bust, several books, a papier-mâché mannequin depicting a human figure.
The scene written by Firsov seems snatched from life. The artist skillfully conveys the relaxed naturalness of postures and movements.
The calm and affectionate strictness of the mother, the cunning and impatience of the little model, the selfless passion of the young painter are depicted with apt observation, characteristic of a true realist. The true fidelity of the characters creates that sense of poetic charm that permeates the whole picture.
In terms of artistic skill, Firsov's painting is one of the most perfect works of Russian art. painting XVIII century. It is quite obvious that Firsov is a first-class artist, impeccably mastering the means of pictorial expression. His drawing is distinguished by freedom and precision; the space in which the scene unfolds is built with impeccable skill, no deliberate scheme is felt in the composition, it is natural and at the same time rhythmic. The coloring of the picture, with its pink-gray, silver scale, so well conveys the spiritual atmosphere of Firsov's heroes, is endowed with special poetic expressiveness.
In terms of content, intent and pictorial form The "Young Painter" does not find analogies in Russian art of the 18th century.
Development genre painting In the 18th century, things progressed at a slow pace. She had almost no demand among customers and did not enjoy the patronage of the Academy of Arts. Among the Russian artists were specialists in portraiture, history painting, there were decorators and landscape painters appeared by the end of the century, but there was not a single master who would devote himself entirely to the everyday genre.
This state of affairs is, of course, by no means accidental. Disregard for everyday subjects is typical for the court and noble culture. It is known that Louis XIV ordered to remove the paintings of the great Dutch genre painters from the walls of the Palace of Versailles, calling them "freaks". The successes of the everyday genre in the world art of the 18th century are directly related to the development of bourgeois ideology and the rise of the social and political role of the third estate. In the Russian reality of the Elizabethan and Catherine's times, there were no conditions for the flourishing of genre painting, since the leadership cultural life The country was completely in the hands of the nobility. Everyday themes, addressed to living modernity, contradicted the official artistic guidelines with their demand for "sublime" and "heroic" in art.
Even the portrait, which was so necessary in the life of the nobility and developed despite official non-recognition, was not ranked as “high” art. BUT household painting occupied the very last, lowest place in the hierarchy of genres developed by academic theorists.
This explains the extreme paucity of everyday paintings in Russian art of the 18th century. It is noteworthy, however, that the quantitative deficiency is fully compensated for by the unusually high artistic quality of what was done by Russian masters in the field of the genre. What is the reason for this amazing phenomenon? Is it not that works on everyday topics despised by the noble society were created by artists “for themselves”, with all the sincerity arising from the inner need for creativity, without regard to the tastes of the customer and the official requirements of the Academy?
A short list of Russian artists of the 18th century who worked in the field of everyday genre includes, in addition to Firsov, the portrait painter M. Shibanov with paintings “ Peasant lunch”and“ The Celebration of the Wedding Agreement ”and the historical painter I. Ermenev, the author of an amazingly powerful watercolor series, dedicated to the image Russian peasants.
Firsov with his "Young Painter" takes chronologically the first place in this list. Almost no information has come down to us about the fate and further work of the artist. The name of this master appeared in the history of Russian art and took an honorable place in it, in fact, quite recently.
In the 19th century, The Young Painter was considered the work of A. Losenko and even had his fake signature “A. Losenko 1756". True, already at the beginning of the 20th century, it was quite clear to art historians that the picture had nothing to do with the work of Losenko. But her authorship remained conjectural. Various assumptions were made, tending to the fact that the author of this picture should be sought among Western European masters. The name of the famous German engraver and painter D. Khodovetsky was even named. But in 1913, at the initiative of I. Grabar, Losenko's signature was removed and under it was found - a genuine one, written in French “I. Firsove".
Archival documents testify that the Russian artist Ivan Firsov, decorator of the imperial theaters, lived and worked in Paris in the mid-1760s. It can be assumed that The Young Painter was also painted in Paris: this is indicated, in particular, by the non-Russian appearance of the characters in the picture.
One more work, signed by Ivan Firsov, has been preserved - decorative panel"Flowers and Fruits", dated 1754 and once adorned the Catherine Palace. But in this work, rough and student-like, it is difficult to find a resemblance to the virtuoso painting of The Young Painter. It is also known that in 1771 Firsov made a number of icons and decorative paintings that have not reached us. The "Young Painter" remains alone in the work of the remarkable Russian master. Apparently, Firsov was most gifted precisely in that area of art, which could find so little application in Russian reality in the second half of the 18th century.
IVAN FIRSOV
In the State Tretyakov Gallery stored unusual picture"Young Painter" It arrived at the beginning of our century from private collection and immediately drew the attention of such venerable scientists as A. N. Benois and I. E. Grabar. Igor Emmanuilovich admired her as " a scene snatched from life, with realistic painting, subtle powers of observation and coloristic talent". I considered her one of the best works Russian painting of the 18th century. Therefore, he took a great part in the further study and restoration of the painting. It was he who managed to decipher many of her riddles.
First of all, I found the true creator of this extraordinary work. It came to the Tretyakov Gallery by no means anonymous; the signature of an authoritative master, professor of the Academy of Arts A. Losenko was on the canvas. But even then Grabar could not believe that this living,sincere, soulful painting belongs to this particular master. Yes, and Losenko's signature is not very similar, and the year of the painting's creation - 1756, which stood next to the author's signature on the canvas, was an obvious absurdity, because the artist, being still a 19-year-old boy, had just begun to study "art".
No, Losenko did not paint the picture. Igor Emmanuilovich's doubts were confirmed. When the canvas was examined, they found that the signature was fake. Moreover, the original word Pgzoue, smeared with paint, was hiding under it, which caused Grabar great bewilderment.
"What the strange name? - he thought. - What kind of language? Neither in Italian, nor in French, nor in English does Pgzoue mean anything...
I did not sleep at night, thinking about the failure that had befallen me, combining the word in every way, adding all kinds of endings to it, but nothing came of it. One night I jumped up as if stung - a thought suddenly dawned on me: Firsov, just a Russian Firsov, probably some Ivan Firsov, a Russian artist who worked in Paris ... "
This was how the hitherto unknown in the history of Russian fine arts was discovered. Art XVIII century the name of a talented, original author. Moreover, “The Young Painter” is the only significant painting by I. Firsov; only a few of his decorative works have come down to us.
The discovery caused big interest. Scientific articles appeared about Firsov. And cautious assumptions - after all, almost no documentary evidence of the artist was found. And hypotheses, sometimes excluding each other, and conjectures, sometimes fantastic. Moreover, Firsov is a common surname in Russia, and several Firsov artists were found in the archives of that time. And about each of them, biographical data is extremely scarce, so with equal success it was possible for anyone to assign the authorship of the "Young Painter" or, conversely, to deny it ... So which of the Firsovs was the author?
Art historian T. Alekseeva, on the basis of indisputable archival documents previously unknown to specialists, which she found, approved the only true biography of the artist. Thanks to her many years of painstaking research, I. Firsov received recognition from his descendants, rightfully entered the Bolshoi Soviet Encyclopedia and in the multi-volume History of Russian Art.
Ivan Ivanovich Firsov, a man of difficult, tragic fate, was born in 1733 into the family of a Moscow merchant. Became a 14 year oldwork as a decorator in the Chancellery from the buildings, then, from 1762 until the end of his days, in the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters. He painted scenery and landscapes. He was an undoubted talent, so in the second half of the 1750s he gained a reputation as an experienced painter. In 1765 he was sent as a pupil of the Academy of Arts to Paris. It was here that he created the famous "Young Painter", which only after almost two centuries was fairly appreciated and brought the creator the well-deserved fame.
Firsov returned to his homeland in 1768 and again found himself in the position of a disenfranchised apprentice decorator who received an insignificant reward. The artist ended his days tragically. He fell seriously ill in 1784 and, as the doctor reported, “ from madness in a strait house of hope in it to a cure ... is not foreseen". No one was interested in the artist anymore. Therefore, there are no official documents left in the archives.
Now about another find, which seemed to have nothing to do with Firsov. In the early 1960s, he entered the State Central Art Scientific and Restoration Workshop named after academician I. E. Grabar from local history museum of the city of Istra "Portrait of a young man in a green caftan" by an unknown author. The painting was done incold bluish graytones, her picturesque manner restrained and delicate. When did the restorers clear the darkvarnish , then they saw on the painting the signature of the artist who created the portrait: “I. Loktev. Who is he? They didn't know anything about him.
Only after a long search, art historians came to the conclusion that the author is one of the students of the outstandingmasters Fyodor Rokotov. Moreover, it would seem that experts have determined the name of the young man depicted by Loktev. Fedor Grigoryevich Orlov was named - one of the brothers of Catherine's nobleman Grigory Orlov.
And suddenly two different finds in the most unexpected way became involved in each other. T. Alekseeva, having carefully studiedportrait and archival information about its creator, put forward an unexpected and interesting hypothesis: the portrait of F. G. Orlov is actually ... a portrait of Ivan Firsov! Yes, yes, the author of The Young Painter!
And she proved her assumption on the basis of new documents she found. One of them says that Firsov at the end of 1750 performs picturesque and decorative works in Oranienbaum at the court of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, the future Peter III. Here he has four "picturesque pupils". One of them is Ivan Loktev! And the portrait was painted by him, as T. Alekseeva clarifies, at the very beginning of the 1760s, when Firsov and Loktev worked together.
It is difficult to agree, according to Alekseeva, that the cold ambitious Orlov would have resembled the modest young man depicted on the canvas with a somewhat long, “duck” nose and kind, attentive eyes. The portrait was painted lovingly, diligently, with the author's undisguised sympathy for a close, dear person. Naturally, Loktev could not portray the arrogant, alien nobleman in this way.
Clothing also contradicts the previously accepted definition of the person being portrayed. Loktev's model has a simple cloth caftan, but not the military uniform of a participant in the Seven Years' War, not the attire of the prosecutor of the Senate, which Orlov later becomes, and not even the homely velvet caftan of a retired courtier. By the way, the dress of the person portrayed is very similar to the clothes listed in one of the found lists of Alekseeva's clothes, made specifically for Firsov. And the age of the person depicted also corresponds more to the age of Firsov - in 1761 he was a little over thirty.
It was believed that the picture was created by Loktev in the manner of Rokotov. Upon closer examination, it turned out that the subtlety of painting, the beauty of its cold tones are related to the more restrained manner of the author of The Young Painter. And Rokotov's zigzag stroke, which was considered almost the main argument in identifying Loktev as Rokotov's student, was not found in the portrait.
These considerations testify in favor of the portrait depicting Ivan Firsov.
So, Ivan Firsov?..
Evgraf END
The painter's contemporaries claim that most of the works made by Ivan Ivanovich Firsov were made available to churches, cathedrals and theaters. Often the panels of this artist could be found in the interiors of houses of wealthy families. However, literally a few of his works have survived to our times, one of which is the painting “Young Painter”. Moreover, several interesting and mysterious events are connected with its history, as well as with the life of the creator himself.
I. I. Firsov: biography
The exact date of Firsov's birth is not known, but he was born around 1733 in Moscow, in a merchant family. Both father and grandfather of Ivan Ivanovich were directly related to art - they were engaged in artistic woodcarving and jewelry. It was from them that the talent in the field of painting passed to the heir.
As soon as it turned out that young Firsov had a very clear predisposition to this species activity, at the family council it was decided to send him to work in St. Petersburg. Upon arrival, the future artist was assigned to finishing work, where he was engaged in decorating buildings and palaces.
At the age of 14 (precisely at this age), Firsov entered the service in the Office of Buildings, while learning and developing his talent as a painter. Ivan Ivanovich's talent could not go unnoticed - his work delighted Catherine II herself, and she insisted on his further education, and not just anywhere, but abroad, in France.
In 1756, Firsov entered Paris and already there was largely inspired by the works of French painters. Chardin had the greatest influence on him, painting canvases depicting genre scenes: Ivan Firsov's painting "The Young Painter" is most consonant with the work of this Parisian realist.
Upon his return from France (period 1758-1760), I. I. Firsov became a court painter. He gained fame mainly as a result of decorative design with his own hand-painted panels for various performances and productions. A little later, Ivan Ivanovich becomes one of the main employees of the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters.
Unfortunately, about recent years Very little is known about the painter's life. In this regard, comparing some historical data and the dates of the mention of Firsov, experts claim that he died after 1785. According to some facts, the artist could well have ended his days in an insane asylum, since at the end of his life he suffered from some mental disorders.
Ivan Ivanovich performed a sufficient number of works both by order of the leadership and for the nobles. However, little has survived to our times. The painting “Young Painter” at the same time tells about the talent Firsov possessed, and in the same way does not allow you to deeply feel all that his creations were imbued with. Undoubtedly, the only thing: this is a real masterpiece in the field of genre painting.
Description of the artwork «Young painter»
The composition on the canvas is simple and at the same time interesting with its everydayness. Three figures are in the center of attention: the youngest painter, a little girl and her mother. A boy in a blue uniform sits on a chair, putting one foot on an easel, and draws a portrait of a baby opposite him. Despite the apparent relaxed posture, he is focused and passionate about his occupation.
As for the youngest model, dressed in a bright bonnet, she looks ready to run away to do more interesting things. Such a trait as shyness also shows through in her pose - she pressed herself against her mother, who affectionately hugged her daughter by the head. The woman herself with one hand simultaneously holds and calms the little fidget, and the other shakes her finger instructively. However, there is not even a shadow of tension here - the seeming severity of the mother is not at all serious.
In addition to the people themselves, in a room filled with soft light, there are also some items inherent in the workshop of each artist: a bust, a mannequin, a box of brushes and paints, a couple of paintings on the wall.
Pastel colors that have not lost their freshness over time, the atmosphere of a cozy and calm everyday life - this is how you can complete the description of the painting “Young Painter”. Its plot is conveyed with incredible cordiality, as evidenced by the fact that the painting was not written to order, but “for the soul”, under the influence of certain feelings.
History of the painting
The painting "Young Painter" was completed around 1768 in Paris. This canvas opens a subsequent series of works in a similar genre. At the time of the writing of The Young Painter, in addition to Firsov, some paintings by Shibanov and Eremenev, telling about the life of peasants, can be considered similar works.
By the way, until the beginning of the 20th century, it was believed that this canvas was not created by Firsov at all. "Young painter" - a painting by the artist A. Losenko, as the signature of the same name on the front side tried to testify. However, art critics did not calm down until, in 1913, during the examination, a decision was made to eliminate the above-mentioned surname, under which the name of I. I. Firsov was discovered.
On the this moment The painting "Young Painter" is stored in the Tretyakov Gallery, where it got thanks to the founder of the museum - a merchant who bought the canvas from a certain collector named Bykov in 1883.
Household painting as a genre and attitude to it
Russian Academy of Arts at the time of Firsov's writing famous work, one might say, did not fully recognize the genre of everyday life as a kind of painting, considering it base. Perhaps this fact is also the reason why the work spent a long time in the workshop where Ivan Firsov worked.
The painting “The Young Painter”, despite this, nevertheless saw the light and is now considered the most striking example of the everyday genre of the 18th century, and its value only increases from this.
Painting in Russian painting
The main difference of the canvas lies in its some absent-mindedness. It is written with love, not obeying any generally recognized laws of the classics. The image of a scene from ordinary life, without embellishment, excessive rigor and observance of the canons - this is what art historians characterize the painting "Young Painter". People do not pose, they are charming in their simplicity, which was not at all typical for Russian fine art of that time.
That is why for a long time no one had associations with the fact that this work could be made by the hand of our compatriot. Experts in the field of painting confirm that the painted picture is so unrelated to the events in Russia in the 18th century. in spirit, which creates a vivid impression of atypicality and spontaneity.
Other paintings by I. I. Firsov
However, the work in question is not all that Firsov left us as a legacy. “The Young Painter” is a painting by this master in its genre, one might say, lonely, but there is one more surviving canvas. It is called "Flowers and Fruits" and represents the previously posted in Both works were written in a completely different style, but nevertheless they belong to the brush of Ivan Ivanovich, testifying to the versatility and originality of his talent.