Shishkin, Ivan Ivanovich (13 (25) .01.1832 – 08.03.1898) – one of the most talented Russian landscape painters, painter, draftsman, and engraver, akvafortist, son of a merchant, was born in Yelabuga (Vyatka Province.) Twelve years of age was defined as a pupil the first of the Kazan school, but when he came in her 5 th grade, he left her and entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. After graduating from the course of this institution, since 1857 he continued his education at the Academy of Fine Arts, where the number of students prof. S. Vorobyov. Not satisfied with studies in the academy, Shishkin at this time diligently drew and painted studies from nature in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, and on the island of Valaam, through which acquired greater and greater familiarity with its forms and the ability to accurately transfer it to a pencil and brush. In the first year of his stay at the academy were awarded to him two small silver medal for the cool image and appearance in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. In 1858 he received a large silver medal for the view of the Valaam in 1859 – a small gold medal for the landscape from the vicinity of St. Petersburg. and, finally, in 1860 – a gold medal for the two types of terrain Kukk, on Valaam. Having got together with that remaining award, the right to travel abroad as a pensioner of the Academy, he went in 1861 in Munich, attended workshops where well-known artists, among other shops and Beno Francis Adams, enjoyed great popularity, and then, in 1863 city, he moved to Zurich, where, under the supervision of prof. Koller, reputed as one of the best painter of animals, sketch, and wrote the latter with nature. In Zurich Shishkin tried first engrave strong vodka. From there he made a trip to Geneva to study the work of Dide and Kalama, then moved to Dusseldorf and wrote a commissioned Bykov Type in the vicinity of the city "- a picture that is being sent to St. Petersburg., Gave the artist the title of academician . Abroad, in addition to painting, he was busy line drawings, works it in this way led to the astonishment of foreigners, and some were placed in Düsseldorf museum next to the pictures first class of European craftsmen. Yearn for the fatherland, Shishkin, in 1866, returned to St. Petersburg. before the expiration of his pensionerstva. Since then he has made often travels with the artistic view of Russia, almost every year to exhibit his works first in the academy, and then, after a partnership was established a mobile exhibitions at these shows produced line drawings, and in 1870, joining the educated in St. Petersburg. mug akvafortistov, started again for engraving strong vodka, which did not leave until the end of his life, devoting him almost as much time as painting. All these works each year to increase his reputation as one of the best Russian artists of the landscape and incomparable in its kind, akvafortista. In 1873, Academy erected its in the title of professor of acquired her studio painting "Backwoods". After the entry into force of the new charter academy in 1892, Shishkin was invited to direct its educational landscape workshop, but for various reasons, performed the post for long. He died suddenly, March 8, 1898
Among the Russian landscape Shishkin place undoubtedly belongs to the most powerful painter. In all his works, he is an amazing connoisseur of plant forms, reproducing them with a good understanding of both general and distinguishing features of the smallest of all trees, shrubs and grasses. Whether it was taken for the image of pine or fir forests, some pine and spruce, the same way as their totality, he got his real face, without any embellishment or ubavok – the kind with those particulars, which is fully explained and are subject to soil and climate, where the artist made them grow. Whether he represented the oaks or birches, they took him utterly true form in the leaves, branches, trunks, roots and all the details. Most area under the trees – rocks, sand or clay, uneven ground, overgrown with ferns and other wild grasses, dry leaves, twigs, fallen trees, etc. – has received in the paintings and drawings of Shishkin type of a perfect reality. But this realism is often harmful to his landscapes: many of them, it pushes the general mood, told them the nature of art, conceived not to bring in the audience one thing or another sense, as random, although the excellent sketches.It should also be noted that the Shishkin repetition of what happens with almost every draftsman particularly strong: the science of forms was given to him in damages for the coloring, which, although not in his weak and not harmonious, yet is not on a par with a masterful picture . Thus talent is much brighter Shishkina sometimes showed in his one-color drawings and etchings, as in such works, in which he used many colors. Paintings and drawings by him are so numerous that even an indication of the most important of them would take up too much space, especially a lot of them sold out between the lovers of art when arranged in 1891 a retrospective exhibition of works by the artist's forty years of its operations and sales, after his death that remained in his studio. Suffice it to mention Shyshkins'kyi works that are in public collections. Total richer than their Moscow Tretyakov Gallery. It has a picture: "Tree Felling", "Afternoon in the vicinity of Moscow", "Pine Forest", "Gorely Forest", "Rye", "Brie", "Apiary", "Fir Forest" and "Morning in a Pine Forest" and, in addition, 17 workshops drawings. Imperial Museum. Alexander III owns the paintings: "Ship Grove", "clearing with pines," "Backwoods" and "Glade," five etudes and the two figures. In the Moscow Public Museum recently received, bequest K. Soldatenkova, painting, View in the suburbs of Moscow, and one picture. All versions Shishkin etchings DA Rovinsky has hundreds, he points out, moreover, on 68 original lithographs and 15 Zincography experiments of this wizard. A. Beggrov, in 1884 – 85 years., Issued in two series of the collection of 24 images phototype with coal drawings, executed for him Shishkin. In 1886 the artist released the album of their favorite prints in the number 25. Subsequently, the impressions of the boards, which served for this album, retouched and some reworked, were issued with the addition of a number of other etchings in the form of a new album, Marx. – Avg. Bulgakov, "Album of Russian painting. Paintings and drawings by Ivan Shishkin." (St. Petersburg,. 1892); A. Palchikov, "List of printed sheets of Ivan Shishkin." (St. Petersburg, 1885) and J. Rovinsky, "A detailed dictionary of Russian engravers XVI – XIX century." (Vol. II, St. Petersburg., 1885).