Nikolai Ge
Nikolai Ge | |
|---|---|
 Self-portrait, 1892 | |
| Born | 27 February [O.S. 15 February] 1831 Voronezh, Voronezh Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 13 June [O.S. 1 June] 1894 (aged 63) Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Known for | Painting |
| Style | Symbolism, history painting |
Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge (Russian: Николай Николаевич Ге; 27 February [O.S. 15 February] 1831 – 13 June [O.S. 1 June] 1894) was a Russian painter famous for his works on historical and religious subjects.
Biography
Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge was born on 27 February [O.S. 15 February] 1831 in Voronezh. His grandfather, who was a French nobleman, immigrated to Russia during the 18th century.
Nikolai Ge started studying physics and mathematics at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, but then gave up his career in science and enrolled in the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg and became influenced by Karl Briullov.
When he studied in Italy, Ge met Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov in Rome, who became a strong influence to Ge's future works.
In 1861, Ge painted The Last Supper using a photograph of progressive Russian writer and journalist Aleksandr Ivanovich Herzen as an image for his figure of Christ.
The painting Peter the Great Interrogates Tsarevich Alexey at Peterhof (1871) was a big success. After that, Ge bought a small farm in Chernigov gubernia and moved there. Ge became acquainted with Leo Tolstoy and became a follower of his philosophy.
In the 1880s, he returned to religious subjects and portraits, portraying Tolstoy, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin, the biblical Judas, The Judgment of the Sanhedrin: He is Guilty! (1892), The Calvary (Golgotha) (1893), The Crucifixion (1894) - now in the Musée d'Orsay.
Selected paintings
Carrara marble
Peter the Great Interrogating the Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich at Peterhof, 1871
What is truth? Christ and Pilate, 1890
The Last Supper, 1863
The Judgment of the Sanhedrin - He is Guilty!
Maria, sister of Lazarus, meets Jesus who is going to their house
Further readings
- С. Н. Кондаков (1915). Юбилейный справочник Императорской Академии художеств. 1764-1914 (in Russian). Vol. 2. p. 46.
- "Nikolai Ge: A Chronicle of the Artist's Life and Work | The Tretyakov Gallery Magazine". www.tretyakovgallerymagazine.com. 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
- Biography (in Russian)