Ivan Shishkin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Ivan Shishkin
Иван Иванович Шишкин

Born	(1832-01-25)25 January 1832 Yelabuga, Vyatka Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	20 March 1898(1898-03-20) (aged 66) St. Petersburg, Russian Empire
Nationality	Russian
Education	Member Academy of Arts (1865) Professor by rank (1873)
Alma mater	Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture; Imperial Academy of Arts (1860)
Known for	Painting
Notable work	Morning in a Pine Forest (with Konstantin Savitsky, 1878) A Rye Field (1878)
Movement	Realism, Peredvizhniki
Awards	Silver Medal (1858) Minor Golden Medal (1859) Grand Golden Medal (1860)

Patron(s)	Pavel Tretyakov

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (Russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Ши́шкин; January 25, 1832 – March 20, 1898) was a famous Russian artist. He was known for painting beautiful landscapes, especially forests. Shishkin was part of a group of artists called the Peredvizhniki, who wanted to show real life in their art.

About Ivan Shishkin
Gallery of His Works
See also

About Ivan Shishkin

Portrait of Shishkin by Ivan Kramskoi (1873)

Russian stamps with the portrait of Shishkin

Ivan Shishkin was born in Yelabuga, a town in Russia. His family were merchants. He went to school in Kazan before starting his art studies.

His Art Education

Shishkin first studied art for four years at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. After that, he went to the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. He studied there from 1856 to 1860. He was a very talented student and graduated with the highest honors, even winning a gold medal. This medal also gave him a special scholarship to study art in Europe.

Becoming a Professor

Five years later, Shishkin became a member of the Imperial Academy in St. Petersburg. From 1873 to 1898, he worked as a professor of painting there. He also led the landscape painting class at the Advanced Art School in St. Petersburg.

For some time, Shishkin lived and worked in Switzerland and Germany. He was there thanks to his scholarship from the Academy. When he returned to Russia, he joined the "Itinerants" (also known as the Peredvizhniki). This was a group of artists who traveled around Russia to show their art to more people. He also joined the Society of Russian Etchers. An etcher is someone who makes art by carving designs into metal plates.

Shishkin's Art Style

Shishkin took part in many art shows. These included exhibitions at the Academy of Arts and big shows in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod. His art was also shown at World Fairs in Paris and Vienna.

Ivan Shishkin was famous for his forest paintings. He studied nature very closely to make his art realistic. He was also a great draftsman (someone who makes detailed drawings) and a printmaker.

Shishkin owned a country house called a dacha in Vyra, near St. Petersburg. He painted some of his best landscapes there. His paintings often show the different seasons in the woods. They also show wild nature, animals, and birds.

In 1891, he became a professor and director of the landscape class at the Academy's Advanced Art School. He finished his painting The Pine Grove in 1898. He died on March 20, 1898, in St. Petersburg, while working on a new painting.

A small planet, 3558 Shishkin, is named after him. It was discovered in 1978 by a Soviet astronomer named Lyudmila Zhuravleva.