Skip to content

Celebrating the Life and Work of Russian Artist Vasili-Ivanovich-Surikov

Vasili-Ivanovich-Surikov is one of the most famous Russian artists of the 19th century. He is most renowned for his historical paintings, which portrayed dramatic scenes from Russian history and folklore. His most famous works include The Morning of the Execution of Streltsy, Boyarynya Morozova, and The Cossack Mamay.

Vasili-Ivanovich-Surikov was born in 1848 in the town of Kramatorsk in the Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire. He was the son of a craftsman and received his earliest art training from his father. He studied painting at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg from 1864 to 1871, and was awarded the Academy's gold medal in 1869. Surikov's paintings typically depict dramatic scenes from Russian history and folklore.

He was particularly known for his vivid depictions of 16th and 17th century life in Russia, such as in his famous painting The Morning of the Execution of Streltsy, which depicts a group of Streltsy (Russian soldiers) about to be executed by Tsar Peter I. His other works include Boyarynya Morozova, which portrays a legendary 16th century Russian noblewoman being tortured, and The Cossack Mamay, which portrays a legendary Cossack hero. Surikov was also a prolific draftsman and portrait painter. He produced numerous drawings, sketches, and watercolors of historical and folk figures, as well as of individuals from his own time.

His portrait paintings, such as his portrait of Russian writer Vladimir Dahl, were also highly praised. Surikov was an influential figure in the development of Russian art in the 19th century. His paintings were widely admired, and many of his works are now housed in major museums around the world. He is remembered as one of the most important Russian painters of the 19th century, and his works continue to be admired and studied today.