Mikhail Nesterov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mikhail Vasilyevich Nesterov
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Portrait by Viktor Vasnetsov (1926)
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| Born | 31 May 1862 |
| Died | 18 October 1942 (aged 80) |
| Education | Member Academy of Arts (1899) Full Member Academy of Arts (1910) |
| Alma mater | Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture Imperial Academy of Arts |
| Known for | Painter |
| Movement | Russian Symbolism |
| Patron(s) | Savva Mamontov |
Mikhail Vasilyevich Nesterov (born May 31, 1862 – died October 18, 1942) was a famous Russian painter. He was known for his beautiful paintings, especially those with religious or symbolic meanings. He was part of art groups like the Peredvizhniki and Mir Iskusstva. Nesterov was one of the first artists in Russia to use Symbolism in his art.
Contents
Mikhail Nesterov's Life Story
Mikhail Nesterov was born into a family of merchants. His father sold fabrics and small sewing items. But his father also loved history and books. Because of this, he understood Mikhail's wish to become an artist.
However, his father wanted him to learn practical skills first. So, in 1874, Mikhail was sent to Moscow. There, he joined the Voskresensky Realschule.
Becoming an Artist
In 1877, his teachers suggested he move to the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. He studied there with artists like Pavel Sorokin and Vasily Perov. Perov was his favorite teacher. By 1879, Mikhail started showing his paintings in school exhibitions.
Two years later, he went to the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. He worked with Pavel Chistyakov there. But he didn't like the teaching style. So, he went back to Moscow. Sadly, his favorite teacher Perov was very ill and passed away. Mikhail then took lessons from Alexei Savrasov.
After a short visit to his hometown, Ufa, he met his future wife, Maria. He then returned to Moscow and studied with Vladimir Makovsky. To earn money, he drew pictures for magazines and books. He illustrated fairy tales by Pushkin.
In 1885, he earned the title "Free Artist." He also got married, even though his parents didn't approve. The next year, his wife died after giving birth to their daughter, Olga. Some of his paintings from this time show his wife's face.
Early Success and Famous Works
Nesterov's first big success was his painting, "The Hermit." This painting was shown in 1889. A famous art collector, Pavel Tretyakov, bought it. The money allowed Nesterov to travel to Europe. He visited Austria, Germany, France, and Italy.
When he came back, he showed "The Vision to the Youth Bartholomew." This was the first painting in a series about the life of Saint Sergius. Tretyakov also bought this painting. Nesterov would work on this series for fifty years. It would include fifteen large paintings.
Creating Religious Art
In 1890, a person named Adrian Prakhov saw Nesterov's paintings. Prakhov was in charge of work at St Volodymyr's Cathedral. He asked Nesterov to paint murals and icons there. Nesterov agreed after thinking about it. He traveled to Rome and Istanbul to learn about Byzantine art.
This big project took twenty-two years to finish. It made him very popular. But Nesterov felt that some of the required images were too common. He wanted to make them more special. So, he sometimes added new ideas, like placing saints in real-life landscapes.
Even with these feelings, he took on other religious art jobs. In 1898, Grand Duke George Alexandrovich asked him to work at a church in Abastumani. Nesterov spent six years there, painting 50 small murals and the iconostasis. He was not happy with these results.
He was much happier with his later work at the Marfo-Mariinsky Convent. He refused to work on a church in Warsaw. He didn't think an Orthodox church should be built in a city that was mostly Catholic.
In 1901, he wanted to understand monastic life better. So, he spent time at the Solovetsky Monastery by the White Sea. He painted many works there. His visit influenced his paintings for many years. He was also inspired by books about the Old Believers in the Volga Region. In 1902, he married Ekaterina Vasilyeva. He had met her at an art exhibition.
Later Years and Portraits
In 1905, a big change happened in Russia with the start of the Revolution. Nesterov joined a group that supported the Tsar. Because of this, he faced some danger after the October Revolution in 1917.
In 1918, he moved to Armavir. He became ill there and couldn't paint. He returned to Moscow in 1920. He had to stop painting religious art. But he secretly continued his Saint Sergius series. From then until he died, he mostly painted portraits. He painted famous people like Ivan Pavlov and Vera Mukhina.
In 1938, during a difficult time in Russia, his son-in-law was wrongly accused and shot. His daughter was sent to a prison camp. She was questioned harshly before being set free. Nesterov himself was arrested and held for two weeks.
In 1941, he received the Stalin State Prize for his portrait of Pavlov. This was one of the first times an artist received this award. Soon after, he got another award, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. As World War II continued, his health and money problems grew worse. He had a stroke while painting and passed away in a hospital.
His unfinished memories, which he started in 1926, were published later that year. In 1962, he was honored with a postage stamp. In 1996, his picture was on a banknote. In 2015, a statue of him was put up in Ufa.
Images for kids
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The Hermit
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The Annunciation, Marfo-Mariinsky Convent.
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Portrait of Ivan Pavlov, 1935
Gallery
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Holy Rus, 1901–06
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Taking the Veil, 1897–98
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The Love Potion, 1888
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The Vision to the Youth Bartholomew, 1889-1890
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Beyond the Volga, 1905
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Philosophers, 1917 (Pavel Florensky and Sergei Bulgakov)
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Tolstoy, 1906 (Leo Tolstoy)
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Three old men with a fox, 1914
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In Rus. The Soul of the People, 1916. This was the last religious symbolic painting Nesterov made before the revolution. It shows the Russian people following a young boy. An old holy fool stays aside, praying, and might be giving a warning.
See also
In Spanish: Mijaíl Nésterov para niños
