Background

Alexander Ivanov was born on July 28, 1806, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He was the son of a historical painter Andrey Ivanovich Ivanov.

Education

Alexander Ivanov owned his initial training in drawing and painting to his father, who also greatly influenced his further development as an artist. In 1817, he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg (now, Russian Academy of Arts), and studied there together with Karl Briullov under his father who was an instructor there. Ivanov graduated from the Academy in 1828.

Career

After his graduation from the Academy of the Arts, St. Petersburg, he set out on a scholarship trip to Rome (1830). From 1831 to 1858 he constantly lived in Italy. There he met the Russian writer of short stories, Nikolai Gogol, beginning a life-long friendship.

In Rome, he painted portraits and proved himself quite adept at capturing facial expressions and character.The feat of his life was the twenty years of work on the huge masterpiece The Appearance of Christ before the People (1837 - 1857, kept in the Tretyakov Gallery). Creation of the grandiose canvass (40 sq.m.) was preceded by enormous preparatory work.

During his many years in Rome, Ivanov completed other religious scenes such as the unfinished "Cleansing of the Temple" and a surrealistic "Dream of Joseph".

Achievements

• Alexander Ivanov was an outstanding painter. He made more than six hundred etudes and sketches, including drawings. His most famous painting, The Appearance of Christ to the People, also known as The Appearance of the Messiah.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • The foot of Vikovary on the road from Tivoli in Subiaco

  • Moses before the God

    1850

  • Study for the painting, "Apollo, Hyacinth and Cypress"

  • Angel rolled the stone from the tomb

  • Prophet Elijah in the desert

  • A Tree Branch

    1850

  • The Calling of Abraham

  • Nikolai Gogol

    1847

  • Head of John the Baptist

    1845

  • Samuel anoints David to the kingdom

  • Via Appia

    1845

  • Annunciation

    1824

  • Jesus and Nicodemus

    1855

  • Four nude boys

    1824

  • Chigi Palace on the Park

    1847

  • Seven Boys in Colourful Clothes

    1845

  • Ave Maria

    1839

  • Traveller

  • Pharaoh asked Moses to bring jewish people out of Egypt

  • Expulsion of merchants from the temple

    1824

  • The Calling of David

  • Walking on Water (Christ saves Peter began to sink)

    1855

  • Artist's Workshop in Rome.

    1830

  • White horse. Study.

    1820

  • Italian Landscape

    1850

  • Monticelli, near Tivoli

    1843

  • Stones on a River Shore

    1846

  • People gather manna

  • Archangel Gabriel struck Zechariah mute

    1824

  • Priam asking Achilles for Hector's body

    1824

  • Three nude boys

  • Transformation

  • The multiplication of breads

  • Head of John the Evangelist

    1840

  • Sketch of a Man

    1845

  • Head of a man. Study of the figure of paralytic for the painting "The Appearance of Christ to the People".

  • Pontian swamps

    1835

  • Landscape in Albano

  • Olive trees

    1825

  • Head of a Man

    1840

  • Portrait of Vittoria Marini

  • Dream of Joseph

    1855

  • Bathsheba

  • Flagellation of Christ

  • Untitled. From the biblical sketches.

  • Festival in Rome in October. Scene in the Loggia (Asking to Dance)

    1842

  • Preaching of Christ on the Mount of Olives about the second coming

    1840

  • Naked boy

    1855

  • Exit from the Last Supper

  • Joseph's Brothers Find the Silver Goblet in Benjamin's Pack

    1833

  • Sarah breast-feeding Isaac

  • Appearance of Christ to the People

    1857

  • View of Naples from the road in Pozilippe

  • Preaching of of the Apostle Paul in the Roman prison

  • Water and stones under Palaccuolo

  • Sermon of Saint John the Baptist

  • The Prophet Elijah and the widow sareptana

  • Adorarion of Golden Calf

  • Christ's sermon in the temple

  • The Last Supper

    1824

  • The Bay of Naples Near Castellmare

    1846

  • The Appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene

    1835

  • Christ in Gethsemane. The Angel.

    1850

  • Entombment of Christ

    1855

  • A Head of a Young Man

    1845

  • On the shore of the Bay of Naples

  • Three pilgrim announce Abraham the birth of Isaac

  • The Mocking of Christ. From the biblical sketches.

  • Adoration of the shepherds

  • Italian scene

    1838

  • Dream of Jacob

  • The Virgin, Christ's disciples and the women, following him, watching from afar, to be crucified

  • Olive trees by the cemetery in Albano. New Moon.

    1824

  • Moses doubted God's promise to satisfy people with meat

  • Bellerophon is sent to the campaign against the Chimera

    1829

  • Via Appia at Sunset

    1845

  • Torre del Greco near Pompea and Naples

    1846

  • A girl from Albano standing in the doorway

  • Joseph interpreting dreams to butler and baker, concluded with him in prison

    1827

  • Apollo, Hyacinthus and Cyparis singing and playing

    1834

  • N. V. Gogol

    1841

  • The Appearance of Christ to the People (detail)

    1845

  • A Tree over Water in the Vicinity of Castel Gandolfo

    1850

  • Transformation

    1824

  • A Bridegroom Buying a Ring for His Fiancee

    1839

  • Joseph's dream

    1855

  • Jacob not let to go an angel struggling with him

Personality

Alexander Ivanov was a single-minded person and inveterate idealist.

Connections

Father:

Andrey Ivanovich Ivanov

Andrey Ivanovich Ivanov was a Russian painter. He was best known for his historical scenes.

Friend:

Nikolai Gogol

References

• 87 Color Paintings of Alexander Ivanov Alexander Ivanov book includes 87 high quality reproductions of his greatest masterpieces with title and date. Warning: Male Nudity.
• The Art of Liberation: Alexander A. Ivanov Art and Biography
  1987
• Aleksandr Andreevich Ivanov: Ego Zhizn' I Perpepiska, 1806-1858 (Russian Edition) This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.
  2010