- Date of birth: 15 may 1848
- Date of death: 23 Jun 1926
- Country: Russia
Biography:
Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov was born in 1848 may 15 in the village with a funny name Lopal. Vasnetsov’s father was a priest, like his grandfather and great-grandfather. In 1850, Mikhail took the family to the village of Ryabovo. It was related to his service. Victor Vasnetsov had 5 brothers, one of whom also became famous artists, his name was Apollinaris.
Vasnetsov’s talent was evident from childhood, but a very bad cash position in the family left options how to give the Victor in the Vyatka religious school in 1858. Already at the age of 14 Viktor Vasnetsov studied at the Vyatka theological Seminary. The children of the priests there took free.
Never having graduated from the Seminary in 1867 Vasnetsov went to St. Petersburg to enter the Academy of arts. Money he had very little, and Victor put up for “auction” 2 his paintings – “the Milkmaid” and “Reaper.” Prior to departure he never received the money. 60 rubles for these two pictures he got a few months later, already in St. Petersburg. Arriving in the capital, the young artist was only 10 rubles.
Vasnetsov did a great exam for drawing and was enrolled in the Academy. About a year he was engaged in the Drawing school, where he met with his teacher Ivan Kramskoi.
Classes at the Academy of art Vasnetsov began in 1868. At this time he became friends with Repin, and even one time they lived in the same apartment.
Though Vasnetsov and liked at the Academy, but he never finished, left for Paris in 1876, where he lived for more than a year. At this time, there was Repin on a business trip. They also maintained friendly relations.
After returning to Moscow, Vasnetsov immediately accepted into the Association of traveling art exhibitions. By this time, the drawing style of the artist varies considerably, and not only the style, the Vasnetsov moved to live to Moscow, where moving closer to the Tretyakov and Mamontov. It was in Moscow, Vasnetsov was revealed. He liked to be in this city, he felt at ease, and performed a variety of creative work.
More than 10 years Vasnetsov designed the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev. In this he was helped by M. Nesterov. After the end of this work, Vasnetsov can rightly be called a great Russian icon painter.
1899 was the peak of popularity of the artist. At his exhibition Vasnetsov presented to the public “Three heroes”.
After the revolution, Vasnetsov became to live not in Russia and in the Soviet Union that it was seriously depressing. People destroyed his paintings were disrespectful to the artist. But for the rest of his life Viktor was true to his job – he painted. He died 23 Jul 1926 in Moscow, and not having finished the portrait of his friend and disciple by M. Nesterova.