Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (1806–1858) was a famous painter from Russia linking the gap between hard Neoclassicism and primitive Russian Realism. He dedicated a long time to creating his most remarkable monumental masterpiece, The Appearance of Christ Before the People. Ivanov was born into an artistic family in St. Petersburg and worked on art, searching for an event that could show the moment which changed the way people live. His creative road is characterized by a harsh and systematic way of working, painting nature (plein-air) as well as a deep understanding of the human mind. Ivanov’s experience of playing with light, landscape, and showing people made a solid basis for the subsequent generations of Russian painters. He was not recognized in the times of his work but, nevertheless, is considered to be a phenomenal pioneer of art nowadays.
Early Life
The date of birth of Alexander Ivanov was July 28, 1806, and he was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in a family of artists. His father’s name was Andrei Ivanov, and he was a renowned painter and senior member of the Imperial Academy of Arts, which greatly influenced Alexander’s career decision at a very young age of his life.
The young talent entered the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg to begin his artistic career as early as 1817 at merely 11 years of age. Under the strict guidance of his father, he learnt the classic techniques of academic art, drawing, anatomy and historical narrative.
During his schooling years, he produced his important piece of historical-biblical art, Joseph Interprets Wine Carrier’s and Baker’s Dream (1827). His successful work earned him the prestigious golden medal and scholarship for his studies in Italy.
Influences
In the year 1830, Ivanov relocated to Rome, Italy, an important cultural center where he would spend almost 28 years of his life. It was in Rome that Ivanov studied the works of the Italian Renaissance masters, including Michelangelo and his magnificent frescoes, and developed years of deep friendship with writers, including Nikolai Gogol, and with the so-called Nazarenes, a group of German romantic painters who embraced a new religious painting movement in their art. He spent his time far from the rules of the St. Petersburg Academy and formed his own ideology in art. For him, art was not just art, but a spiritual mission aimed at good and moral improvement.
Artistic Journey
Ivanov began working on his monumental canvas, The Appearance of Christ Before the People (also called The Appearance of the Messiah), in 1837. The painting shows the instant when John the Baptist indicates the coming of Jesus, but not the exact moment when Jesus points at himself for the people. For two decades (1837-1857), Ivanov spent his life practically on this art piece. He invented more than 300 working sketches, portraits, oil sketches of landscapes, and detailed plans of how to depict different textures, sunlight effects, and human emotions.
Instead of painting ideal figures, Ivanov studied living models and worked with people of different social and economic backgrounds and ages, expressing different temperaments and emotional reactions.
Return
May 1858 was a significant month for Ivanov when he returned to St. Petersburg with his great work and preliminary studies to show it to the Russian society and royal family. Although the grand piece was received with ambivalence by conservative academic critics who were used to old-school classic art forms, the piece made a strong impact on young experimental Russian artists and writers. Unfortunately, only two months after the artist’s return to Russia, he contracted cholera and died on July 15, 1858, at the age of 51.
Today, The Appearance of Christ Before the People is exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and Ivanov is remembered as the initiator of Russian landscape art and a great influence on movements such as Peredvizhniki.