Semiradsky Henryk Ippolitovich

Henryk Ippolitovich Semiradsky (Henryk Hector Semiradsky) is a Polish and Russian artist, one of the largest representatives of late academicism. He is known for his monumental paintings based on subjects from the history of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as works in the genre of chamber idyll, landscape and portrait. He was engaged in the design of theaters and private interiors.

Biography

He was born in the settlement of Novo-Belgorod (now the village of Pechenegi), Kharkov province, in the family of an officer of the dragoon regiment, Ippolit Eulevteryevich Semiradsky (a Pole by birth) and Mikhalina Prushinskaya. In his early years, the family moved to Kharkov, where Semiradsky received his first artistic skills under the guidance of Dmitry Ivanovich Bezperchy, a student of Karl Bryullov.

In 1860, at the insistence of his father, Semiradsky entered the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Kharkov University, from which he graduated in 1864 with a PhD, having defended his work on the topic "On insect instincts." In the same year, he went to St. Petersburg and entered the Imperial Academy of Arts, first as a volunteer and later as a student. During his studies, he repeatedly received medals and rewards for success.

In 1870, Semiradsky received a large gold medal and the title of class artist for the composition "Alexander the Great's Trust in Doctor Philip", after which, as a pensioner of the Academy, he lived and worked in Italy and Germany. He studied in Munich with Karl von Piloty until 1871, and moved to Rome in 1873.

In 1873, Semiradsky married his cousin Maria Pruszynska at St. Anthony's Church in Warsaw. Three sons were born in the family — Boleslav, Kazimir (died at an early age) and Leon, as well as a daughter, Wanda.

Semiradsky spent most of his active creative life in Rome. In the early 1880s, he built a villa there on via Gaeta, where his workshop was located.

In 1901, the artist became seriously ill and, together with his family, decided to return to Poland, to the Strzalkovo estate. He died in 1902. Semiradsky was buried in Krakow in the church "On the Rolling Pin", where many famous Poles rest.

Creation

Semiradsky remained a proponent of academic classicism, although in the second half of the 19th century, fine art actively developed in a variety of directions. His favorite subjects were subjects of ancient history and early Christianity. The artist gravitated towards monumentalism, the versatility of compositions, the play of colors and chiaroscuro.

With his work, Semiradsky actively contributed to the process of modernizing academic doctrine through the "inoculation" of realism, impressionism and symbolism. In his works, the classical form was organically combined with everyday content, forming a stylistic hybrid that critics ironically called "bourgeois classicism."

Semiradsky also participated in the painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. He was commissioned to perform four scenes from the life of St. Alexander Nevsky in the choirs of the northern chapel of the church. After completing the work, the artist returned to Italy. Many of Semiradsky's works are lost, including the paintings of the temple.

Titles and awards

Semiradsky was an academician and professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts, the Academies of Painting in Berlin, Stockholm, Rome, Turin, and a corresponding member of the French Academy of Fine Arts.

His awards include the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd degree, the Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd Degree, the Grand Gold Medal of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1870), the Legion of Honor (France), the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, and the Order of the Crown of Italy.

In 1873, Semiradsky received the title of academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts, in 1877 — the title of professor, in 1878 — the grand gold medal of the World Exhibition in Paris.