Benois famous paintings. Russian modern

Author - Parashutov. This is a quote from this post.

ZhZL (ALEXANDER BENOIS DI STETTO. UNKNOWN NAME FROM THE BENOIS DYNASTY.)

In 2006, a large art project “Alexander Benois di Stetto. Return to Russia”, organized by the St. Petersburg Public Foundation for the Promotion of Culture and Art. More than thirty museums of the country have already taken part in this project, where retrospectives of the artist were held - the Russian Museum (2006), the Tretyakov Gallery (2007), the provincial museums of Tyumen and Kazan (2008), Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Kursk, Tula, Rostov the Great, Kostroma, Novgorod (2011), Pskov, Kolomna and other cities. It was then, in 2006, that the name of a new member of the Benois dynasty was discovered by many admirers of fine art (and experts, probably, if they knew about the existence of this artist, they were in no hurry to share all this knowledge with them). At the same time, after the start of the exhibition tour, many museum Internet resources wrote about the Swiss Benois. After "sifting" the information repeated everywhere, I tried to compile a biographical material. So, get acquainted!

Alexander Siegfried Benois di Stetto
Alexandre Siegfried Benois di Stetto

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Self-portrait. 1943

Swiss painter of Russian origin, graphic artist, stage designer, designer. Representative of the famous numerous dynasty of artists and architects Benois. He painted portraits, landscapes, still lifes, was an animal painter, created architectural and plastic compositions and objects of arts and crafts.

Parents

Alexander's father was a well-known architect of Jewish origin Grigory (Siegfried) Yakovlevich Levy (1850 - after 1923), who was born in Switzerland. Siegfried graduated from the Munich Polytechnic School and in 1878 came to St. Petersburg. Here he began to collaborate with the architect Leonty Nikolaevich Benois(11 (23) August 1856 - February 8, 1928).

Leonty Nikolaevich Benois

Together they designed tenement houses and industrial buildings in St. Petersburg. In the 1900s, according to the project of Siegfried Levi and Konstantin Niemann, for example, an apartment building was built for the pharmacist Pel. In 1912, according to Levy's design, the Glich printing house was built on Rimsky-Korsakov Street. The architect owns projects and buildings in St. Petersburg on Bolshaya Morskaya Street (1898-1899), Kronverksky Prospekt (1879-1882) and on the 7th line of Vasilievsky Island (1907-1910).
Siegfried's leader, L.N. Benois, was the brother of the famous artist Alexander Nikolaevich Benois and merchant Alexander Leontievich Benois (1817-1875). Since June 1860, Alexander Leontyevich lived with his wife in Hamburg, where he kept a stationery store, which he inherited after the death of his wife's parents, the German Maria Faxen. And where his children were born - the eldest son Alexander and the youngest daughter Clara-Alice.
Here on the daughter of Alexander Leontievich - Clara-Alice (1867-?), Siegfried Levi, who became Gregory in Russia, married. One of the descendants of Benois, great-nephew of Klara Alexandrovna G.G. Benois, in his memoirs, expressed the idea that “this marriage did not cause much enthusiasm in the Benois family”, arguing that “even in the memoirs of Alexander Nikolaevich Benois, who wrote in detail and with love about all relatives, his cousin Clara is mentioned a couple of times” .
Clara gave Siegfried two sons - Alexander and Eugene (1898-?). Alexander was born, like the younger Eugene, in St. Petersburg, his uncle Leonty Benois became his godfather.
In his autobiography, Schura (that was the name of the artist at home) wrote "I entered the twentieth century at the age of four and, along with the new century, experienced the most important events in the history of art, participating in them."
Already at an early age, the boy showed an interest in drawing. This did not surprise anyone, because his father was an architect, his own uncle Alexander Alexandrovich Benois - Konsky(June 22, 1852 - August 3, 1928) and cousin Albert (1888 - 1960) were artists.

Alexander Alexandrovich Benois (Konsky)

In addition, Alexander was the grandson of Alexander Leontyevich Benois, the nephew of the artist Alexander Nikolaevich Benois and the architect Leonty Nikolaevich Benois, and also the second cousin of Evgeny Lansere and Zinaida Serebryakova. As Serebryakova said, "all Benois boys were born with a pencil in their hands." Therefore, it was necessary to keep the “brand” of the dynasty, which, of course, played a big role in shaping the artistic worldview of the future artist.

Studies

Shura received his initial art education at home, fortunately, there were more than enough teachers-relatives.
In 1912, Alexander entered the drawing school of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, which he led Nicholas Roerich(September 27 (October 9), 1874 - December 13, 1947). The teachers at the School were also excellent: he taught graphics Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin(4 (16) August 1876 - February 7, 1942), composition - Roerich himself, engraving - Vasily Vasilievich Mate(February 23 (March 6), 1856 - April 9 (22), 1917).

Alexander Golovin Portrait of the artist Nicholas Roerich. 1907
Ivan Bilibin

Valentin Serov Mate Vasily Vasilyevich (engraving)
P.I. Neradovsky Portrait of Arkady Alexandrovich Rylov. 1924

Animalistic class and drawing composition led Arkady Alexandrovich Rylov(January 17 (29), 1870 - June 22, 1939). Historians write that Rylov preferred to work only with living models in his classes. “Twice a week, in the morning, he went to the Shchukin market or to zoological shops, traded some animal or bird for rent, and delivered it to the School in a cab by one in the afternoon. At first, students drew sedentary animals - a rabbit, an eagle, an owl, then more restless ones - cats, dogs, monkeys ... ".
Alexander Levy graduated from school in 1916. In the summer of the same year, the young man, together with his brother Zhenya, went "to the open air" in the Belgorod district of the Kursk province in the Neskuchnoye estate to his second cousin Zinaida Serebryakova (December 12, 1884 - September 19, 1967). Zinaida Evgenievna by that time was already a married woman and a famous artist, as historians write, "her work was in its heyday." In the same 1916, the artist received an order to paint the Kazansky railway station in Moscow, since 1911 she was already a member of the World of Art Society.
In the Neskuchnoye estate thirty miles from Kharkov, where there was an old house of Catherine's times, a large garden and the Muromka River, Alexander painted all summer, he not only watched Serebryakova's work, but also used her advice and tips. Several sheets with watercolor sketches depicting peasant women have survived, for example, “A Girl from the Village of Neskuchnoye” (1916). Let me remind you that during these years Serebryakova painted a series of paintings on the themes of peasant work and life in the village (“Whitening of the Canvas”, 1917). A relative, moreover, painted portraits of Sasha and Zhenya Levy.

Zinaida Serebryakova Alexander Levy-Benoit di Stetto. 1916

Zinaida Serebryakova Evgeny Levy-Benoit. 1916

Zinaida's mother wrote in a letter to her husband on June 8, 1916: “The children are cheerful and healthy. Zinok draws Mashutka, as well as the Levy brothers, who are very nice, well-mannered people, and the children love them.

The following year, the Russian Empire turned into a young country of Soviets.
In 1918, Alexander Levy, following a family tradition, entered the architectural department of the Petrograd State Free Art Workshops (PGSHM). That is how the Higher Art School at the Imperial Academy of Arts, abolished in 1918, began to be called. In 1921, these workshops will be renamed Vkhutemas (Higher Artistic and Technical Workshops).
Alexander's brother, Evgeny, studied at the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology from 1915 to 1921 and received the title of process engineer.
In PGSHM Alexander studied in the workshop of his uncle and godfather - Leonty Nikolaevich Benois. Benois set complex compositional tasks for his students, which were aimed at the ability to link an architectural object to the environment. However, the interests of the student Levy were diverse, in addition to software architecture, he was interested in painting, mastered various graphic techniques - charcoal, watercolor and sanguine.

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Academic drawing.

When the reorganization of the academic school took place in 1918, Leonty Nikolayevich expressed his opinion that this would undoubtedly lead to chaos. But, true to his students, he continued to teach. Three years later, the professor and academician remembered his words. In March 1920, Leonty Benois, along with his wife and children, was arrested. Historians write that one of the reasons could be the fact that his youngest daughter Nadya Benois married a German citizen Ion von Ustinov (and this was after the world war that had just ended, where the Germans were our enemies!) And in the same 1920 moved to England. In general, “the authorities figured everything out” and in June the professor and his family were released. But for Alexander, however, as for all relatives, this arrest was a shock.
If an elderly person, an honored academician and an experienced teacher are arrested for no reason, then what can others expect from the new government? I will make a reservation that L.N. Benois was able to “make friends” with the Soviets, and in 1927 he was even awarded the title of “Honored Artist of the RSFSR”.
At the family council, a decision was made - in order to “remain a free person and freely do what they love”, the sons need to leave the country.

Emigration

In 1921, Alexander left Russia with his brother Yevgeny. Then they did not yet know that they were no longer destined to return to their homeland, and that long months of wandering and deprivation lay ahead of them. Illegally, the Levy brothers first moved to Finland. Even in Petrograd, my father advised me to go to his homeland - to Switzerland.
The Swiss consul in Helsinki helped the brothers with the paperwork, as their father was a Swiss citizen. The issued documents certify this citizenship and contained a request to “freely and unimpededly pass the Swiss citizen Alexander Siegfried Burchard Levy, who is leaving Terijoki through Helsinki to Germany, and from there to Switzerland.”
In 1922, the brothers went to Switzerland through Germany, where, most likely, the paths of Alexander and Eugene parted ways. Looking ahead and in order not to return to the fate of Eugene, I will inform you that since 1926 Alexander's brother worked at the Ford automobile plant in Switzerland. In 1927, from the factory, he was sent to work in Turkey, then in Tehran. During 1934-1937, Eugene Benois-Levy traveled all over the Middle East. In 1937 he was appointed director of the Ford branch in Switzerland. Eugene Benois-Levy lived in Lausanne until his death with his large family - he had two sons and two daughters.

Switzerland

Alexander arrived in Switzerland and settled in the Alpine village of Stetten, where about a thousand people lived, and where the ancestors of Siegfried Levi, the artist's father, were born. Surprisingly, in almost all sources this village is called Stetten (?). After all, since the official language of Switzerland is German, the name Stetten is translated precisely as Stetten. The village was located in the canton of Aargau, which was famous for its picturesque valley, as well as for the Lindenberg and Wasserflue mountains. Beauty, and more!

Alexandre Benois di Stetto In the mountains. 1935

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Mountain Peaks 1937

It is clear why landscape became one of the main genres in Alexander's work in the first years of emigration. But his paintings did not meet with understanding among the local population, and in order to somehow feed himself, the artist had to work in a cowshed.
Life in the village was calm, but boring and uninteresting. Not wanting to put up with creative isolation, the artist decided to move to Bern. In the capital, Alexander very quickly got acquainted with the society of local artists. As a result, in the very first year of his stay in Bern, the artist managed to win the city competition for an official order - a portrait of the President of the Swiss Confederation, the leader of the Catholic Conservative Party, and since 1920 the head of the Political Department (Foreign Minister) Giuseppe Motta (1871-1940) .
The first major official order brought Alexander a substantial fee, and the portrait turned out to be successful. It was from the portrait of Mott that Levy's fame began in a foreign land, he began to receive orders for portraits, participate in city exhibitions, and newspapers began to write about him.

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Clarence.

The artist believed in himself as a portrait painter. It was this genre that allowed Alexander to declare himself as a professional painter. He painted portraits of both pharmacists and shopkeepers, as well as lawyers and intellectuals of Bern. But, as historians write, "the representativeness and monumentality of these portraits sometimes prevailed over the depth of figurative characteristics."

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Children's portrait.

At the same time, the artist took Swiss citizenship and received new documents with a new surname. Alexander took his mother's maiden name, because he had long dreamed of it and was proud of belonging to the Benois clan. And in order to differ from his eminent uncle, who was also Alexandre Benois, the newly-minted Swiss added to his surname in the Italian way the name of Stetten's father's native village - di Stetto.

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Self-portrait.

In one of the archival documents dated April 15, 1923, the artist is named Swiss citizen Alexandre Benois di Stetto. Under this name, he entered the history of European art of the twentieth century. After living for a couple of years in Bern, the artist decided to go to the city where all the artists of the world aspired to go - to Paris. Where he also wanted to go.

Paris - mon amour!

In 1924 Alexander came to Paris. In France, the artist made a living with portraits. In 1924 he painted a portrait of the famous Danish violinist Camille Singer. A passionate romance broke out between the young people, and in the same year Kama (as Alexander lovingly called her) became Mrs. Benois.

Alexander Benois di Stetto Portrait of Kama.

I note that the couple lived together for more than fifty years. For the sake of her husband, Kama sacrificed her musical career; during the Second World War, when life was not at all easy even in neutral Switzerland, Kama sold her Guarneri violin, which belonged to her ancestors. Art historians note that it was after this that “the violin began to appear frequently on many of the artist’s still lifes.”
Benoît di Stetto painted his wife very often, Cama remained his favorite model for many years. And no matter how the artist portrays his wife - with a cat, doing needlework, against the background of the attributes of art - in all the paintings he demonstrates his tenderness, creating lyrical female images.

Alexander Benois di Stetto Portrait of Kama. 1940

Alexander Benois di Stetto Alexander Benois di Stetto. Portrait of Kama in a white boa. 1945

If we compare Kama's portraits with Alexander's self-portraits, we can see that the artist contrasts Kama's lyrics with his own outbursts of emotions and energy of character.

Historians have calculated that self-portraits and portraits of Kama, along with numerous landscapes, make up a significant part of the creative heritage of Benoit di Stetto. I will add that Alexander fascinated his wife with painting. Kama created still lifes, and the experts who saw these works spoke of her extraordinary abilities.
In Paris, in addition to painting, Alexander made his debut as a theater decorator.

Close distant relatives

I note that in the mid-1920s, other representatives of the Benois dynasty began to gather in Paris.
In the autumn of 1924, having received an order for a large decorative panel, Zinaida Serebryakova arrived in Paris. She failed to return to Russia, and the artist found herself cut off from the children left behind in her homeland. In 1947, she received French citizenship, was able to bring her two younger children to her, continued to work fruitfully and died in Paris at the age of 82 in 1967.

Zinaida Serebryakova Self-portrait. 1938
Sergei Ivanov Benois Alexander Nikolaevich. 1944

A year later, in 1925, Alexander Nikolaevich Benois, the "chief world of art" artist, arrived in Paris for the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. In 1926, the artist again came to France for his solo exhibition.
He will no longer return to his homeland, although Benoit had no plans to emigrate. After all, in Russia he
In 1918 he headed the art gallery of the Hermitage, publishing its complete catalogue, worked on the design of BDT performances and as a book illustrator.
This is a separate story, why Benoit, trying to return to his homeland, could not get there.
At first, the master even shunned the emigrant environment, he worked as a consultant on artistic issues at the Soviet embassy, ​​in 1929 he even lectured at the Russian Art Academy in Paris. “It's very nice here, as far as the decorative side of life is concerned - but, oh! how uncomfortable. How I would like to be back on the banks of the Neva as soon as possible, ”the artist wrote in 1928.
At the end of 1930, Benois was expelled from the Hermitage, and the last hope of returning collapsed.
“My health does not allow me to return to my dear homeland, to my real business, but here, whatever you take on, you immediately recognize vanity and meaninglessness in everything,” the artist wrote later. Benoit makes himself look courageous in front of his family, but he has become old and sick, and in Paris he has no close friends. “Not being an emigrant by conviction, I drag out a dull emigrant existence,” Alexander Nikolayevich summed up in his memoirs. In Paris, the artist worked mainly on sketches of theatrical scenery and costumes for Diaghilev's ballet entreprise. He died on February 9, 1960.
I am writing all this in order to state: having lived in Paris for four years, the Swiss Benoit, in my opinion, did not communicate with his relatives. As historians wrote, "he did not send letters to any address from his Russian notebook."

Berlin

In 1926, the artist was invited to work in Berlin. The invitation came from the director of the Berlin "New Theater" (Deutsches Theater), a well-known German innovative director Max Reinhardt(Max Reinhardt, September 9, 1873 - October 31, 1943).

Max Reinhardt

Reinhardt headed this famous drama theater in Berlin from 1905, he was the head of the theater until the outbreak of the First World War, and later with several interruptions until 1933. After the Nazis came to power, the director was forced to emigrate from the country to the United States.
In 1924-1926, Bertolt Brecht worked as a playwright in the theater, and a theater school was founded at the theater. The repertoire of the "New Theater" included German classics, a lot of Shakespeare, ancient and Russian dramaturgy. In the 1920s, the so-called Theater Trust was organized, that is, a forced temporary financial unification of the German Theater with other Berlin theaters was carried out. Therefore, Benoit di Stetto was invited to the drama theater to stage Mozart's opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio" based on the play by K. F. Bretzner "Belmont and Constanze".

Deutsches Theater

In the work on the performance, Alexander's talent was revealed as an experimental theatrical artist who created grandiose scenery, saturated with the latest technical ideas. Reinhardt himself also liked to use new means of theatrical technology; for example, he was one of the first to use a rotating stage. Therefore, the cooperation of the two talents was fruitful.
In the same 1926, Benois di Stetto received the Grand Prix of the city festival of arts "for the design of an opera performance."
In the same place, in Berlin, the artist created a series of animal studies from life. In the Berlin Zoo, he painted predators (leopard, jaguar, lion), monkeys and other animals with sanguine.

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Leopard ready to jump. 1927

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Black Panther. 1927

Geneva

In 1929, Alexander and his wife Kama finally returned to Switzerland and settled in Geneva, where he spent the rest of his life.
The artist worked fruitfully, performed monumental and decorative paintings of public buildings, was engaged in industrial design, created sketches for carpets, developed body sketches and car interior trim for wealthy clients, including crowned persons. I assume that the artist carried out these automotive orders at the Ford plant and on the recommendation of his brother Eugene. However, in the first place he always had painting.

After a personal exhibition in the Swiss town of Olten, Benois di Stetto was recognized by the artistic community of the country. The artist began to actively exhibit in Geneva, participated in collective exhibitions in Germany and France.

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Self-portrait. 1930s

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Still Life.

Alexandre Benois di Stetto Untitled.

Together with his wife, Alexander traveled extensively in Europe, visited Munich, Barcelona, ​​Copenhagen and Gothenburg, again visited Bern, Paris and Berlin. While traveling, the artist created many landscape and architectural sketches of these old European cities. In these works, the color inherent in these places is clearly expressed.

Alexandre Benois di Stetto City fountain.

Self-portrait. 1896 (paper, ink, pen)

Benois Alexander Nikolaevich

Marquise bath. 1906

Carnival-on-Fontanka.

Italian comedy. "Love note". 1907.

Summer garden under Peter the Great. 1902

Pavilion. 1906

Oranienbaum. Japanese Hall 1901

Quay Rey in Basel in the rain. 1902

Masquerade under Louis 14. 1898

Parade under Pavel 1. 1907

Wedding walk. 1906

Paris. Carruzel. 1927

Peterhof. Flower beds under the Grand Palace. 1918

Peterhof. The lower fountain at the Cascade. 1942

Peterhof. main fountain. 1942

Peterhof. Big cascade. 1901-17

Biography of Alexandre Benois.

Benois Alexander Nikolaevich(1870-1960) graphic artist, painter, theater artist, publisher, writer, one of the authors of the modern image of the book. Representative of Russian modernity.

A. N. Benois was born into the family of a famous architect and grew up in an atmosphere of reverence for art, but did not receive an art education. He studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University (1890-94), but at the same time independently studied the history of art and was engaged in drawing and painting (mainly watercolor). He did this so thoroughly that he managed to write a chapter on Russian art for the third volume of "The History of Painting in the 19th Century" by R. Muther, published in 1894.

They immediately started talking about him as a talented art critic who turned over the established ideas about the development of domestic art. In 1897, based on impressions from trips to France, he created the first serious work - a series of watercolors "The Last Walks of Louis XIV", showing himself in it as an original artist.

Repeated trips to Italy and France and copying artistic treasures there, studying the writings of Saint-Simon, Western literature of the 17th-19th centuries, and interest in ancient engravings formed the foundation of his artistic education. In 1893, Benois acted as a landscape painter, creating watercolors of the environs of St. Petersburg. In 1897-1898 he paints in watercolor and gouache a series of landscape paintings of the Versailles parks, recreating in them the spirit and atmosphere of antiquity.

By the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Benois again returned to the landscapes of Peterhof, Oranienbaum, Pavlovsk. It glorifies the beauty and grandeur of 18th century architecture. Nature interests the artist mainly in its connection with history. Possessing a pedagogical gift and erudition, he at the end of the 19th century. organized the "World of Art" association, becoming its theorist and inspirer. He worked a lot in book graphics. He often appeared in the press and every week published his "Artistic Letters" (1908-16) in the newspaper "Rech".

He worked no less fruitfully as an art historian: he published in two editions (1901, 1902) the widely known book Russian Painting in the 19th Century, substantially reworking his earlier essay for it; began to publish serial publications "Russian School of Painting" and "History of Painting of All Times and Peoples" (1910-17; the publication was interrupted with the beginning of the revolution) and the magazine "Art Treasures of Russia"; created a wonderful "Guide to the Hermitage Art Gallery" (1911).

After the revolution of 1917, Benois took an active part in the work of various organizations, mainly related to the protection of monuments of art and antiquity, and from 1918 he also took up museum work - he became in charge of the Hermitage Art Gallery. He developed and successfully implemented a completely new plan for the general exposition of the museum, which contributed to the most expressive demonstration of each work.

At the beginning of the XX century. Benois illustrates the works of Pushkin A.S. Acts as a critic and art historian. In the 1910s, people came to the center of the artist's interests. Such is his painting "Peter I on a walk in the Summer Garden", where in a multi-figured scene the appearance of a past life seen through the eyes of a contemporary is recreated.

In the work of Benois the artist, history decisively prevailed. Two topics invariably attracted his attention: "Petersburg in the 18th - early 19th centuries." and "The France of Louis XIV". He addressed them primarily in his historical compositions - in two "Versailles series" (1897, 1905-06), in the well-known paintings "Parade under Paul I" (1907), "Exit of Catherine II in Tsarskoye Selo Palace" (1907 ) and others, reproducing a long-gone life with deep knowledge and a subtle sense of style. The same themes, in essence, were devoted to his numerous natural landscapes, which he usually performed either in St. Petersburg and its suburbs, or in Versailles (Benoit regularly traveled to France and lived there for a long time). The artist entered the history of Russian book graphics with his book "The Alphabet in the Pictures of Alexander Benois" (1905) and illustrations for "The Queen of Spades" by A. S. Pushkin, performed in two versions (1899, 1910), as well as wonderful illustrations for "The Bronze Horseman" ", to the three variants of which he devoted almost twenty years of work (1903-22).

In the same years, he took part in the design of the "Russian Seasons", organized by Diaghilev S.P. in Paris, which included in their program not only opera and ballet performances, but also symphony concerts.

Benois designed R. Wagner's opera The Death of the Gods on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater and then performed sketches for the scenery for N. N. Tcherepnin's ballet The Pavilion of Armida (1903), the libretto of which he composed himself. The passion for ballet turned out to be so strong that on the initiative of Benois and with his direct participation, a private ballet troupe was organized, which began triumphant performances in Paris in 1909 - "Russian Seasons". Benois, who took the post of artistic director in the troupe, performed the design for several performances.

One of his highest achievements was the scenery for I. F. Stravinsky's ballet "Petrushka" (1911). Soon, Benois began working with the Moscow Art Theater, where he successfully designed two performances based on the plays of J.-B. Moliere (1913) and for some time even participated in the management of the theater along with K. S. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko.

From 1926 he lived in Paris, where he died. The main works of the artist: "The Walk of the King" (1906), "Fantasy on the Versailles theme" (1906), "Italian comedy" (1906), illustrations for the Bronze Horseman by Pushkin A.S. (1903) and others

(Click on the picture to see the description of the book)

Working on a painting in the studio, creating sketches for theatrical costumes and scenery, preparing for the publication of another article about art... Such was an ordinary day for Alexandre Benois - an artist, critic, art critic and theater figure.

From the Benois dynasty

Alexander Benois was born in St. Petersburg in the family of architect Nikolai Benois and his wife Camilla. Among the relatives of Alexander Benois was Albert Cavos, the creator of the Mariinsky Theater project, the actor Peter Ustinov, the artist Zinaida Serebryakova. Almost half of the representatives of the culture of the Silver Age were somehow connected with the Benois family.

In his memoirs, the artist emphasized that his artistic and aesthetic views formed two categories of experiences. The first and strongest is theater. Alexandre Benois forever connected the concept of "artistry" with the concept of "theatricality". It is on the stage, in his opinion, that it is possible to achieve the highest goal of art - the synthesis of arts. The second category of experiences is impressions from acquaintance with the St. Petersburg royal residences and suburbs.

“From these diverse Peterhof impressions ... probably, my entire further cult of Peterhof, Tsarskoe Selo, Versailles originated.”

Alexander Benois

“To cover the subject as broadly as possible and to study as deeply as possible”

Alexander Benois studied at the private Karl May Gymnasium in St. Petersburg. Here he became close to Sergei Diaghilev and other members of the future "World of Art". For some time he attended evening classes at the Academy of Arts. He was taught basic painting skills by his brother Albert.

Alexandre Benois believed that only through self-education can excellence be achieved in one's profession. Throughout his life he studied fine arts, became a brilliant art critic. Among his works is a chapter on Russian artists for the German collection The History of Painting of the 19th Century, The History of Painting of All Times and Peoples, one of the best guides to the Hermitage, and much more.

"To the simplest and truest images of reality"

“In me, “passeism” began to appear as something completely natural in early childhood. ... Much in the past seems to me well and long familiar, perhaps even more familiar than the present.<...>I also have a more tender, more loving attitude towards the past than towards the present.

Alexander Benois

Especially often, Benois paints Tsarist Petersburg and its palace and park ensembles, scenes from the life of historical figures, landscapes of France and Versailles parks.

Benois wrote The ABC in Pictures and created illustrations for The Bronze Horseman and The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin, which entered the history of book graphics.

Theater occupies a special place in his work. Benois created scenery for productions, developed sketches of costumes. He helped design several performances for the Russian Seasons in Paris.

Alexandre Benois in the Gorky Commission

Alexandre Benois fought for the preservation of cultural heritage. Immediately after the October Revolution, he worked closely with Maxim Gorky in the Commission for the Protection of Art Monuments. The artist was one of the first to visit the Winter Palace after it was stormed and described it in his memoirs.

Benois helped restore the activities of the Russian Museum and compile a new exhibition of art of the 18th-20th centuries. Later, the artist became the head of the art gallery in the State Hermitage Museum, and at the same time carried out research work.

He also worked on the preservation of the architectural monuments of St. Petersburg and its suburbs, and he covered the results of his work in a series of articles.

“This is the people's property, this is our good, and everything in our power must be done so that the people realize this and so that they come into possession of what belongs to them by right. The very idea of ​​the nationality of any art, of everything in which people from the people invested their ideals of beauty, this idea should now be revealed and come to life with special force.

Alexander Benois

Aesthetic views of the "World of Art"

The World of Art circle (like his magazine) became, according to Benois, "a practical necessity." There was a crisis in the society of the Wanderers, and the artists needed a new vector of movement. The magazine introduced the audience to Western classics and modern, Russian art and architecture.

At various times, the association included Valentin Serov, Isaac Levitan, Mikhail Nesterov, Mikhail Vrubel, Lev Bakst, Konstantin Somov and, of course, Sergei Diaghilev. Shared the views of Miriskuniki and Ilya Repin.

“We were guided not so much by considerations of an “ideological” order, as by considerations of practical necessity. A number of young artists had nowhere to go.”

Alexander Benois

"World of Art" declared beauty the main goal of creativity. The subjectivity of this goal gave the artists complete freedom - both in choosing a theme and in choosing artistic means.

Self-portrait 1896 (paper, ink, pen)

Biography of Alexandre Benois

Benois Alexander Nikolaevich(1870-1960) graphic artist, painter, theater artist, publisher, writer, one of the authors of the modern image of the book. Representative of Russian modernity.

A. N. Benois was born into the family of a famous architect and grew up in an atmosphere of reverence for art, but did not receive an art education. He studied at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University (1890-94), but at the same time independently studied the history of art and was engaged in drawing and painting (mainly watercolor). He did this so thoroughly that he managed to write a chapter on Russian art for the third volume of "The History of Painting in the 19th Century" by R. Muther, published in 1894.

They immediately started talking about him as a talented art critic who turned over the established ideas about the development of domestic art. In 1897, based on impressions from trips to France, he created the first serious work - a series of watercolors "The Last Walks of Louis XIV", showing himself in it as an original artist.

Born April 21 (May 3), 1870 in St. Petersburg, in the family of architect Nikolai Leontyevich Benois and his wife Camilla, daughter of architect A.K. Kavos. He received his primary education at the Gymnasium of the Humanitarian Society, graduated from the Maya Gymnasium. For some time he studied at the Academy of Arts, also studied fine art on his own and under the guidance of his older brother Albert. In 1894 he graduated from the law faculty of St. Petersburg University. In 1894 he began his career as a theorist and art historian, writing a chapter on Russian artists for the German collection History of Painting of the 19th Century. In 1896-1898 and 1905-1907 he worked in France. He became one of the organizers and ideologists of the artistic association "World of Art", founded the magazine of the same name. In 1916-1918, the artist created illustrations for A. S. Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman" . In 1918, Benois headed the Art Gallery of the Hermitage and published its new catalogue. He continued to work as a book and theater artist and director, in particular, he worked on staging and designing performances of the Petrograd Bolshoi Drama Theater. In 1925, he took part in the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. In 1926, A. N. Benois left the USSR. He lived in Paris, where he worked on sketches of theatrical scenery and costumes. Participated in S. Diaghilev's ballet entreprise "Ballets Russes" as an artist and director of performances. He died on February 9, 1960 in Paris. In recent years, he worked on detailed memoirs.

Born April 21 (May 3), 1870 in St. Petersburg, in the family of architect Nikolai Leontyevich Benois and his wife Camilla, daughter of architect A.K. Kavos. He received his primary education at the Gymnasium of the Humanitarian Society, graduated from the Maya Gymnasium. For some time he studied at the Academy of Arts, also studied fine art on his own and under the guidance of his older brother Albert. In 1894 he graduated from the law faculty of St. Petersburg University. In 1894 he began his career as a theorist and art historian, writing a chapter on Russian artists for the German collection History of Painting of the 19th Century. In 1896-1898 and 1905-1907 he worked in France. He became one of the organizers and ideologists of the artistic association "World of Art", founded the magazine of the same name. In 1916-1918, the artist created illustrations for A. S. Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman" . In 1918, Benois headed the Art Gallery of the Hermitage and published its new catalogue. He continued to work as a book and theater artist and director, in particular, he worked on staging and designing performances of the Petrograd Bolshoi Drama Theater. In 1925, he took part in the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. In 1926, A. N. Benois left the USSR. He lived in Paris, where he worked on sketches of theatrical scenery and costumes. Participated in S. Diaghilev's ballet entreprise "Ballets Russes" as an artist and director of performances. He died on February 9, 1960 in Paris. In recent years, he worked on detailed memoirs. Save