Alexey Bogolyubov

Alexey Bogolyubov was born in 1824 in the village of Pomeranie, Novgorod Governorate, Russia. His father was a retired colonel and his mother was the granddaughter of Alexander Radishchev, a famous writer and social critic. He showed an early talent for drawing and painting, and was admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1846, where he studied under Maxim Vorobiev, a renowned landscape painter. He also served in the Imperial Russian Navy and traveled with the fleet to many countries, such as Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and England. He painted many views of the ports, coasts, and ships he saw during his voyages. He was greatly influenced by Ivan Aivazovsky, a master of marine painting, and became his friend and collaborator. He also admired the works of the Barbizon School, a group of French painters who painted realistic landscapes in the open air. He won several medals and awards for his paintings, such as "The Jewish Tailor" (1846), "The Miser" (1847), "The Judas Kiss" (1848), and "Christ Before the People" (1856). He became an academician in 1853 and a professor in 1860. He retired from the navy in 1860 and devoted himself to painting. He traveled extensively in Europe and Asia, painting the landscapes and seascapes of different countries and regions. He also painted some historical and religious scenes, such as "The Battle of Sinop" (1853), "The Coronation of Alexander II" (1856), and "The Resurrection of Christ" (1862). He was one of the founders of the World of Art movement, along with Sergei Diaghilev, Leon Bakst, and others. The World of Art aimed to promote the aesthetic values and individuality of the artists, and to revive the traditions of the Russian art. Bogolyubov also wrote some books and articles on art history and criticism, such as "The History of Russian Painting in the 19th Century" (1873) and "The Art of the 18th Century in France and Russia" (1886). He was a curator of the Hermitage Museum and the Imperial Theatres, and a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He moved to Paris in 1885, where he continued his artistic and scholarly activities. He died in Paris in 1896, at the age of 71. He is regarded as one of the most influential and versatile Russian painters of the 19th century.