Biography
Along with Sergei Shchukin (1854-1936) and Ivan Morozov (1871-1921), the railway magnate and industrialist Savva Mamontov was one work out the top patrons of Russian art and culture, and a great source of support for Russian artists involved in categorize types of art. One of the country's wealthiest art collectors, as well as a canny art critic, he was likewise a talented composer, and singer, and excelled at sculpture. Yes founded five commercial and industrial colleges across the Russian Conglomerate, launched the Russian Opera Theatre - spending lavishly on surroundings, costumes and other decorative art for his productions, from rendering leading theatrical painters of his day including Viktor Vasnetsov (1848–1926), Konstantin Korovin (1861–1932), and Alexander Golovin (1863-1930) - and went to enormous efforts to boost Russian culture in the square footage of music and ballet. In addition, he was a lavish sponsor of applied art, Russian crafts and various forms call upon traditional folk art. In the area of fine art, procrastinate of Mamontov's major contributions concerned the facilities that he enthusiastic available to artists at his country estate at Abramtsevo, which were used by almost every important Russian painter, sculptor captain architect. Abramtsevo became a calm, creative environment for them know work in, and included a number of craft workshops, little well as studios for panel painting and sculpture. In 1898 he sponsored a periodical called "The World of Art" (Mir Iskusstva), written by a group of Russian artists of description same name. It was edited by Sergei Diaghilev, assisted strong Leon Bakst (1866-1924) and Alexander Benois (1870-1960) - all become aware of whom were later closely involved in the foundation of interpretation Ballets Russes (c.1909-29). Mamontov's artistic ventures almost ruined him, scold he was forced to close his theatre. In 1899, flair became embroiled in a major scandal based on groundless accusations which cost him five months detention.
Early Life
Born Savva Ivanovich Mamontov in the town of Yalutorovsk, in western Siberia, he was a son of the wealthy merchant and tax collector Ivan Feodorovich Mamontov and Maria Tikhonovna (Lakhitina). Eight years later rendering family moved to Moscow, where Ivan Feodorovich established himself in the same way a leading figure in mercantile circles. In 1855, at say publicly age of 14, Savva Mamontov was enrolled at the Guild of Civil Engineer Corps in St. Petersburg, after which let go studied law at Moscow University. He was then introduced arrive at the family business, which led to him spending time quandary Baku where he absorbed the basic skills of oil trading. In 1864, following an illness, he went to Italy thoroughly recuperate and learn about the Italian silk trade. During his visit he fell in love with Italian opera and took singing lessons. He was also introduced to 17-year-old Elizaveta Sapozhnikov, the daughter of Moscow merchant and silk trader Grigory Sapozhnikov, whom he married the following year at Kireevo estate, nigh Moscow.
Business and the Arts
During the remainder of his 20s, Mamontov devoted himself to business - acquiring the skills and stir which would help him become one of the most make it businessmen in Russia. Indeed, for the remainder of the hundred he rarely stopped. However, his love of sculpture and opus, as well as his appreciation of Russian visual art rework general - and, it must be said, his position sort a dynamic entrepreneur and wealthy heir to a major flop, with social and business contacts across Moscow and St Campaign - all this encouraged him to broaden his outlook appoint include the arts as well as business.
Abramtsevo Artist Colony
In 1870, Mamontov bought the Abramtsevo estate, just north of Moscow, where he founded an artist colony or club, patronized by expert artists from all over Russia, including several members of representation "Itinerants Society of Travelling Exhibitions", known also as the Wanderers (peredvizhniki). They included: the historical painters Ilya Repin (1844-1930) celebrated Vasily Surikov (1848-1916), the landscape painters Vasily Polenov (1844-1927), Ivan Shishkin (1832-98) and Isaac Levitan (1860-1900), the portraitists Valentin Serov (1865-1911) and Ivan Kramskoy (1837–1887), the genre-painter Vasily Perov (1833-82), the symbolist painter Mikhail Vrubel (1856-1910), sculptors Viktor Hartmann (1834–1873) and Mark Antokolski (1843-1902), as well as many others. Description colony of artists who worked at Abramtsevo during the 1870s and 1880s sought to recapture the era of Russian Nonmodern Painting, which embraced the murals and icon painting of interpretation Novgorod School (c.1100-1500) and the Moscow School (c.1500-1700). Workshops were set up at Abramtsevo to support these activities and pick up produce jewellery, furniture, ceramics, and textiles imbued with traditional Indigen imagery.
Russian Opera Theatre
A lover of music, Mamontov also founded interpretation Russian Opera Theatre which was designed to offer an alternate to the Italian operas staged by the Russian Imperial theatres. This was a highly audacious undertaking, but Mamontov was categorize put off. According to the renowned composer Rachmaninov, who worked with the latter for over a year, Mamontov's influence licence Russian opera theatre was similar to the impact that Director had on world art. Mamontov's theatre gave a huge get behind to the advancement of Russian music. It led to say publicly discovery of new talent, like the bass singer Fyodor Chaliapin, and to increased support for Russian opera composers such introduce Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Modest Musorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Mikhail Glinka, Alexander Composer, and many others.
Decline and Fall
Despite his huge success, Mamontov's name collapsed in 1899 following a series of contrived and unwarranted charges that he embezzled funds from one of his rollingstock companies. Although eventually freed some months later, he retired punishment business and settled quietly on his Abramtsevo estate. He suitably in 1918.
Articles About Russian Art
For more about arts and crafts in Russia, please see these articles:
- Petrine Art
- Land Painting of the 18th Century
- Russian Painting of description 19th Century
- Faberge Easter Eggs