Nikolay Gay at Artprice. To look at auction records, find Gay's works in upcoming auctions, check price levels and indexes for his works, read his biography and view his signature, access the Artprice database.
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.
Notes
Likhacheva Yelena – writer and public
figure, fought for equal rights of men and women.
See: Nikolay Gay. Portrait of Yelena Likhachova.
Kostychev Pavel Andreevich (1845-1895)
– scientist, one of the founders of the present soil science.
See: Nikolay Gay. Portrait of Pavel Kostychev.
Kostomarov Nikolay Ivanovich (1817-1885),
historian, writer, associate member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Science
(1876). One of the leaders of Cyrill-Methodius society (1846), which stood
for the creation of the federation of Slav peoples with Ukraine as the
head. In 1847, he was arrested and sent to exile in Saratov. 1859-62, he
was professor of the St. Petersburg University. Author of a number of works
on the social, political and economical history of Russia and Ukraine.
Compiled a collection of Ukrainian folklore, poems, fiction, both in Russian
and Ukrainian.
See: Nikolay Gay. Portrait of the Historian
Nikolay Kostomarov.
Herzen Alexander Ivanovich (1812-1870) revolutionary,
writer, philosopher. In 1834, he was arrested and spent 6 years in exile.
Since 1847, was in immigration in Europe, where he wrote and published
his works on the theory of revolution, philosophy and fiction.
See: Nikolay Gay. Portrait of the Author
Alexander Herzen.
Joseph Daumangé – participant in
the French Revolution of 1848, tutor of Herzen’s children.
See: Nikolay Gay. Portrait of Joseph Daumangé.
Moriz Schiff – doctor, physiologist, a friend
of A. Herzen.
See: Nikolay Gay. Portrait of the Physiologist
Moriz Schiff.
Saltykov Mikhail Evgrafovich (pen-name
N. Shchedrin 1826-1889). Russian writer and satirist. He was exiled (1848-1856)
because of his satirical story Contradictions (1847), but later
became a provincial vice-governor of Ryazan (1858-60) and Tver (1860-64).
He edited with N. Nekrasov the radical Notes of the Fatherland,
and of his many books The Golovlyov Family (1876) and the Fables
were translated into English.
See also Ivan Kramskoy. Portrait
of the Author Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin.
Tolstaya Sofia Andreyevna (née Behrs,
1844-1919), daughter of a court physician A.E. Behrs, wife of Count Leo
Tolstoy, his confidant, critic, advisor, secretary, biographer and curator
of his manuscripts.
See: Nikolay Gay. Portrait of Sophia Tolstaya,
Leo Tolstoy's Wife, with Their Daughter Alexandra Tolstaya.
Tolstaya Tatyana Lvovna daughter of Count
Leo Tolstoy; she was an artist and took lessons from Gay.
See: Nikolay Gay. Portrait of Tatyana Tolstaya,
Leo Tolstoy's Daughter.
Tsarevich Alexey (1690-1718) son of Emperor
Peter
the Great by his first wife Evdokiya Lopukhina (1669-1731). Their marriage
was arranged by Peter’s mother without his consent. This led to immediate
disagreement between Peter and Evdokiya. Alexey was brought up by his mother
and her supporters, who were against Peter’s reforms, Alexey hated his
father and his revolutionary activities. Gradually he became a leader and
the hope of reactionary forces, who plotted against Peter. On June 26,
1718 the Supreme Court sentenced the prince to death for treason.
See: Nikolay Gay. Peter the Great Interrogating
the Tsarevich Alexey Petrovich at Peterhof.
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.