Gay Nikolaï

Nicolaï Nicolaievitch Gay (in Russian: НиколайНиколаевичГе) (born the February 27th 1831 with Voronej - † April 13rd 1894 with Liwanowsk Churor) was a Russian painter realistic of the generation of the Ambulants. It was famous for its work with the historical and religious topics. It was neither believing nor orthodoxe practitioner but its works were deeply marked by morals and Christian spirituality. Under the influence of the writer progressist Leon Tolstoï, it devoted the last years of its life to a series on the Passion of Christ.

Biography

Nikolaï Gay was born with Voronezh within a Russian noble family of French origin. His/her grandfather emigrated in Russia at the 18th century. His/her parents died when he was still child. Nikolai was raised by the Serf male nurse of the family. It finished its studies with the Gymnasium of Kiev and followed studies to the department of mathematics and physics of the Université of Saint-Pétersbourg and Université of Kiev.

In 1850 it renonça with a scientific career and entered to the imperial Académie of the fine arts of Saint-Pétersbourg. He studied with the academy while following the teaching of the historical painter Pyotr Basin until in 1857. He completed his studies with the academy in 1857 rewarded for a gold medal for his painting of " The Witch of Endor calling the Spirit of the Prophet Samuel " . According to Gay Nikolaï itself, during this period it was strongly influenced by Karl Briullov.

Its gold medal allowed to him to obtain a purse and to follow studies abroad. He visited the Germany, the Suisse, the France and in 1860 settled in Italy. With Rome, it met Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov which also strongly influenced it. In 1861 Nicolaï paints the Cène; in 1863 it carried painting with him with Saint-Pétersbourg. Gay gave his own interpretation of a traditional subject - Its painting went against the traditional pictorial vision developed by the artists. Painting (bought by the Tsar Alexandre II of Russia) so strongly made impression that Nicolaï Gay was named professor with the Imperial Academy of Arts.

In 1864, it went to Florence where he became the friend of important Russian the Pro-Westerner author and thinker, Alexandre Herzen of which he paints the portrait. The same year, it paints also the Messagers of the Résurrection and the first version of the Christ on the Mount of Olives . These new religious paintings were not in this time a sharp success and the Imperial Academy refused to expose them at the time of its annual exposure.

In 1870 Nicolaï turned over to Saint-Petersburg it changed his subject of work to be interested in the Russian history. Painting Pierre the Large one questions Tsarevich Alexey in Peterhof (1871) known a great success, but of other historical paintings were regarded as without interest.

Nicolaï lived the fact very badly that its artistic works are received also coldly. He wrote that a man was to be intended for the agricultural work and that art should not be a subject of goods. He bought small a Khutor (a farm) in Chernigov gubernia (currently the Ukraine) then left it. He became acquainted with Leon Tolstoï of which he became a exalté disciple of his philosophy.

To the beginning of the year 1880, it turned over to religious paintings and the portraits. He declared that each one had the right to have a portrait. Also, it agreed to carry out portraits on any subject which pourraît to be modestly allowed to pay it. Among the famous portraits of his time, one finds that of famous the Leon Tolstoï, the portrait of Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin and much of others.

Its last paintings are subjects having milked with the New Testament. They were rented by the critics liberal of this period like Vladimir Stasov and criticized by the Conservateur S like Ernest Renan. They were prohibited by the authorities for Blasphème. Quod Veritas? The Christ and Pilate ( 1890 ) was returned exposures; the Judgment of Sanhedrin: It is Coupable! (1892) was not allowed with the annual Academy of exposure of Arts; The Tsar Alexandre III required that the Calvaire (Golgotha) or Crucifixion (realized towards 1893), judged shocking and blasphématoire be prohibited and is withdrawn from the 22e exposure of the Ambulants where it was presented for the first time.

Nicolaï Gay died in its farm in 1894. His/her oldest son, who was also called Nicolaï inherits most of work. At the end of its life, Nicolaï Gay (wire) bequeathed the entirety of work of his/her father to his Swiss bienfaitrice Beatrice de Wattville (in Russian: БеатрисадеВаттвилль, владелицазамкаЖэнжэнвкантонеВовШвейцарии) in exchange of a revenue until the end of its life. She died in 1952, but nobody was able to find works in his castle. Drafts of principal works of Gay NR, as well as the illustrations carried out for works of L. Tolstoï were found by a collector of art in a secondhand trade of Geneva 1974.

Thus, the destiny of much of its works remains a mystery.

Some works

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