Alexandre Jacovleff
Encyclopedia
Alexandre Yevgenievich Jacovleff (also spelt Iacovleff or Yakovlev, ; - 12 May 1938) was a Russia
n neoclassicist painter, draughtsman, designer and etcher.
, where he was born. Between 1905 and 1913 he studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts
under Kardovsky. While a student he enjoyed drawing and worked for the art magazines Apollon, Satiricon, Niva
, New Satiricon. After 1912, Jacovleff was a member of Mir Iskusstva
. Jacovleff's large group portrait On Academic Dacha
was exhibited at the Baltic Exhibition in Malmö
in 1912, and received praise from the critics present, including Alexandre Benois
.
During his student days he befriended another Academy student, Vladimir Shukhaev. They were almost inseparable, and received the nickname of The Twins.
In 1913, Jackovleff received the rank of an Artist and a scholarship to study abroad for his paintings Bathing (Купание) and In Banya
. He went to Italy
and Spain
together with Shukhaev. There they painted their double self-portrait as Harlequin
and Pierrot
. Another important work of that period was Violinist painted in 1915. At that time Jacovleff attempted to integrate Renaissance
art with Primitivism
, particularly the Russian Lubok
.
In 1915, Jacovleff returned to Petrograd
. The same year his works were shown at a Mir Iskusstva exhibition and caused mixed reactions. While some critics praised them, the Academy of Arts rejected them. Jackovleff painted a lot of Sanguine
drawings including the Shalyapin portrait. He fresco
ed Firsanov's mansion in Moscow
, and the artistic cabaret
Prival Komediantov in Petrograd. He also lectured on Women's Architect Courses and organized his own (together with Shukhaev, Radlov and Kardovsky) artistic movement: St. Luke
Guild of Painters (Цех Живописцев имени Святого Луки).
In the summer of 1917, Jacovleff received a scholarship to study in the Far East. He traveled to Mongolia
, China
and Japan
(1917–1919). Subsequently he settled in Paris
and obtained French Citizenship. Between 1924 and 1925 he took part in an expedition to the Sahara
desert and Equatorial Africa
organized by Citroën
(Croisi-24re Noire). His African paintings were a big success and as a result Jacovleff was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1926. In 1928, Jacovleff organized a large personal exhibition in Moscow
.
Between 1931 and 1932, he was the Artistic Adviser of another Citroën expedition, this time across Asia
. He travelled through Syria
, Iran
, Afghanistan
, Mongolia
and China
, and created a number of exotic paintings.
From 1934 to 1937, Jackovleff was the Director of the Painting Department of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts
, Boston, Massachusetts. He spent the last months of his life in Paris and Capri
. He died in Paris in 1938, after an unsuccessful surgery.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n neoclassicist painter, draughtsman, designer and etcher.
Biography
Alexandre was the son of a naval officer from Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, where he was born. Between 1905 and 1913 he studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
under Kardovsky. While a student he enjoyed drawing and worked for the art magazines Apollon, Satiricon, Niva
Niva (magazine)
Niva was the most popular magazine of late-nineteenth-century Russia; it lasted from 1870 to 1918, and defined itself on its masthead as "an illustrated weekly journal of literature, politics and modern life."...
, New Satiricon. After 1912, Jacovleff was a member of Mir Iskusstva
Mir iskusstva
Mir iskusstva was a Russian magazine and the artistic movement it inspired and embodied, which was a major influence on the Russians who helped revolutionize European art during the first decade of the 20th century. From 1909, many of the miriskusniki also contributed to the Ballets Russes...
. Jacovleff's large group portrait On Academic Dacha
Dacha
Dacha is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes often located in the exurbs of Soviet and post-Soviet cities. Cottages or shacks serving as family's main or only home are not considered dachas, although many purpose-built dachas are recently being converted for year-round residence...
was exhibited at the Baltic Exhibition in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
in 1912, and received praise from the critics present, including Alexandre Benois
Alexandre Benois
Alexandre Nikolayevich Benois , an influential artist, art critic, historian, preservationist, and founding member of Mir iskusstva , an art movement and magazine...
.
During his student days he befriended another Academy student, Vladimir Shukhaev. They were almost inseparable, and received the nickname of The Twins.
Banya (sauna)
Banya in Russian can refer to any kind of steam bath, but usually to the Russian type of sauna. In Bulgarian, banya usually refers to a bath and bathing...
. He went to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
together with Shukhaev. There they painted their double self-portrait as Harlequin
Harlequin
Harlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade.-Origins:...
and Pierrot
Pierrot
Pierrot is a stock character of pantomime and Commedia dell'Arte whose origins are in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne; the name is a hypocorism of Pierre , via the suffix -ot. His character in postmodern popular culture—in...
. Another important work of that period was Violinist painted in 1915. At that time Jacovleff attempted to integrate Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
art with Primitivism
Primitivism
Primitivism is a Western art movement that borrows visual forms from non-Western or prehistoric peoples, such as Paul Gauguin's inclusion of Tahitian motifs in paintings and ceramics...
, particularly the Russian Lubok
Lubok
A lubok is a Russian popular print, characterized by simple graphics and narratives derived from literature, religious stories and popular tales. Lubki prints were used as decoration in houses and inns...
.
In 1915, Jacovleff returned to Petrograd
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. The same year his works were shown at a Mir Iskusstva exhibition and caused mixed reactions. While some critics praised them, the Academy of Arts rejected them. Jackovleff painted a lot of Sanguine
Sanguine
Sanguine is chalk of a reddish color, often called the true colour of blood. tending to brown, used in drawing, The word also describes any drawing done in sanguine.-Technique:...
drawings including the Shalyapin portrait. He fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
ed Firsanov's mansion in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and the artistic cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
Prival Komediantov in Petrograd. He also lectured on Women's Architect Courses and organized his own (together with Shukhaev, Radlov and Kardovsky) artistic movement: St. Luke
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
Guild of Painters (Цех Живописцев имени Святого Луки).
In the summer of 1917, Jacovleff received a scholarship to study in the Far East. He traveled to Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1917–1919). Subsequently he settled in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and obtained French Citizenship. Between 1924 and 1925 he took part in an expedition to the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
desert and Equatorial Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
organized by Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
(Croisi-24re Noire). His African paintings were a big success and as a result Jacovleff was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government in 1926. In 1928, Jacovleff organized a large personal exhibition in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Between 1931 and 1932, he was the Artistic Adviser of another Citroën expedition, this time across Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. He travelled through Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and created a number of exotic paintings.
From 1934 to 1937, Jackovleff was the Director of the Painting Department of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
, Boston, Massachusetts. He spent the last months of his life in Paris and Capri
Capri
Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...
. He died in Paris in 1938, after an unsuccessful surgery.