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Nikolay
Nikolayevich Gay, a Russian artist, was born into a noble family of French
origin: his great-grandfather emigrated from France at the end of the 18th
century during the Great French Revolution. The parents of Gay died when
he was still a child. He was brought up by his serf nurse, who taught him,
as he later said, compassion for the humiliated and insulted, a keen sense
of other people’s sorrows.
Gay entered
the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1850, after having studied physics
and math in a University for some time. In the Academy he studied in the
class of professor Piotr Basin, a painter of historical subjects and portraits.
But, according to Gay himself, he was mainly influenced by Karl
Brulloff. This influence can be traced in Gay’s student works, such
as Leila and Khadji-Abrek (1852),
The
Judgment of King Solomon (1854) and Achilles
Lamenting the Death of Patroclus (1855). All works, though
rather romantic, are fulfilled in accordance with the demanding principles
of the classicism of the Academy. He graduated from the Academy in 1857
with a Major Gold Medal for his picture The Witch of Endor Calling
Up the Spirit of the Prophet Samuel. During the next 6 years of
studies abroad he visited Germany, Switzerland, France and in 1860 settled
in Italy. His interest lay in historical genre and portraiture.
In 1863, he returned to St. Petersburg with the picture Last
Supper (1863), which gave rise to much interest. Many painters
turned to this subject, with Leonardo
da Vinci and Tintoretto among them. Gay found his own interpretation:
he emphasized the theme of discord among those who had formerly shared
the same views. So the feelings of the participants in this tragic conflict
became especially prominent in his work. Gay put aside the canons of classicism,
but his success was so great (Emperor Alexander II himself bought the picture),
that the Academy of Arts had to award the artist a title of professor.
Next year Gay left for Italy again and spent several years there, continuing
to work on Bible subjects, landscapes and portraits. He painted the portraits
of Alexander Herzen (1867), his favorite
Russian writer, and of the latter’s friends. Upon his return to St.
Petersburg in 1870, he became one of the founders and leaders of the Society
of Traveling Art Exhibitions.
He turned to Russian history. The canvas Peter
the Great Interrogates Tsarevich Alexey at Peterhof (1871)
again brought him success. Again the subject of the picture is a real historical
conflict of father and son, each of whom had his own truth. His other historical
pictures were not successful with spectators and critics. Gay took his
fiasco very hard, failing to believe in his own talent. In 1876, he bought
an estate and moved there; he stopped painting and went into farming and
agriculture. Some time later he got acquainted with Leo
Tolstoy and became apologist of his philosophy.
In early 1880, he returned into art. Now the Bible subjects prevailed.
He made exceptions only for portraits; he painted a lot of them even for
very low commissions, believing that portraits must be available to everyone.
Among his portraits the most famous are those of author Saltykov-Shchedrin,
poet
N. Nekrasov (both 1872), Leo Tolstoy
and members of his family.
His latest paintings on Bible subjects: Quod
Est Veritas? Christ and Pilate (1890) was expelled from the
exhibition for blasphemy; The Judgment of the Sanhedrin: He is Guilty!
(1892) was not admitted to the annual Academy of Arts exhibition; The
Calvary (Golgotha) (1893) remained unfinished; The Crucifixion
(1894) was banned by Alexander III.
The artist died abruptly in March 1894 in his estate.
Bibliography:
Nikolai Nikolaevich Gay. by N. Zograf. Leningrad. 1968. (in Russian)
Nikolai Gay. by V. Porudominsky. Moscow. 1970. (in Russian)
Gay. by A.Verezhagina. Russian Painters of the XIX century.
Moscow. 1988. (in Russian)
The
Art and Architecture of Russia (Pelican History Art) by George
Heard Hamilton. Yale Univ Pr, 1992.
A
Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Artists 1420-1970 by John
Milner. Antique Collectors' Club, 1993.