Konstantin Bogaevsky
Konstantin Bogaevsky was a Russian artist who lived from 1872 to 1943. He is most known for his associations with the Symbolism art movement and his notable contributions to the Russian Silver Age. Bogaevsky was born in Feodosia in Eastern Crimea in 1872, which was part of the Russian Empire. He took his first art lessons with the well-known and very talented Russian Romantic artist, Ivan Aivazovsky. Aivazovsky was also from Feodosia and had established a studio and gallery locally in his home.
Between 1891 and 1897, Bogaevsky took formal art training at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg, Russia, under Arkhip Kuindzhi. Kuindzhi was a Greek-Russian realism artist associated with the Peredvizhniki art movement. Bogaevsky was almost expelled from art school for his stylistic differences, which was regarded by the Academy as a lack of talent. Kuindzhi protected Bogaevsky and enabled him to finish his studies. In 1898, Bogaevsky traveled to Italy and France to study the masters. He was heavily inspired by the landscapes of the French Baroque landscape artist, Claude Lorrain. Lorrain was one of the first western artists to depict the sun in his work, a feature that Bogaevsky took to. Bogaevsky returned home later that year and had his first art exhibition.
The Symbolism art movement had a profound and culturally expanded place in Russian history during the period that is known as the Russian “Silver Age”. Between the mid-1890s and the onset of WWI, there was a burst of artistic creativity and talent in Russia across all art mediums by women as well as men. Inspired by the period of modernity, many artists had an optimistic and elevated vision of humanity. They sought to either recreate the rich folklore and mythology of the past, heavy with mysticism, or create idyllic visions based on new philosophical thoughts.
After returning home to Feodosia in 1898, Bogaevsky’s art transitioned. He started painting imaginary landscapes inspired after his visions seen in dreams that were heavily imbued with Symbolism and influenced by the Crimean landscapes. His work started to garner more attention and he had several solo art shows and exhibitions in the early 1900s in Russia and in cities across Europe. Bogaevsky’s main subject and muse were the landscapes around his home in Feodosia. He spent the majority of his life there. In 1906, he got married and established an art studio in Feodosia, painting the landscapes around Crimea.
Between 1908 and 1909, Bogaevsky again traveled to Europe, where he spent time studying the Italian and German Renaissance masters and the ancient Greek artists. Andrea Mantegna became another inspiration for his art, whose influence could be seen in the landscapes he created after his return home. After the October Revolution in 1917, the cultural values had moved on. Bogaevsky and his art ideals became less popular, though he continued to paint for the rest of his life. In 1932, he painted the highly regarded “Port of an Imaginary City”. In 1933, he was honored with the title Honored Artist of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
In 1941, Feodosia was invaded by the Nazis during World War II, and Bogaevsky lived for several years under Nazi occupation. In 1943, Feodosia was bombed by the Soviets and Bogaevsky was lost for several days in the rubble. Konstantin Bogaevsky died in 1943 at 71 years old. He is buried at the city cemetery in his beloved Feodosia. In 1971, a Soviet astronomer named a planet after him; 3839 Bogaevskij.
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