Eugene Lanceray
Encyclopedia
Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Lansere , also spelled Eugene Lanceray (23 August 1875 – 13 September 1946), was a Russia
n graphic artist, painter, sculptor, mosaic
ist, and illustrator, associated stylistically with Mir iskusstva (the World of Art
).
. He came from a prominent Russian artistic family. His father was a sculptor. His grandfather Nicholas Benois
, and his uncle Leon Benois
, were celebrated architects. Another uncle, Alexandre Benois
, was a respected artist, art critic, historian and preservationist. His great-grandfather was the Venetian-born Russian composer Catterino Cavos
. Lanceray's siblings were also heirs to this artistic tradition. His sister, Zinaida Serebriakova
, was a painter, while his brother Nikolai was an architect.
Lanceray took his first lessons at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in St. Petersburg, 1892–1896. He then traveled to Paris
, where he continued his studies at the Académie Colarossi
and Académie Julian
between 1896 and 1899.
of the same name, founded in 1899, in Saint Petersburg. Other prominent members of Mir iskusstva included Lanceray's uncle Alexandre Benois
, Konstantin Somov
, Walter Nouvel
, Léon Bakst
, and Dmitry Filosofov.
Like other members of Mir iskusstva, he was fascinated with the "sparkling dust" of Rococo
art, and often turned to 18th century Russian history and art for inspiration.
Lanceray left Saint Petersburg in 1917, and spent three years living in Dagestan
, where he became infatuated with Oriental themes. His interest increased during journeys made in the early 1920s to Japan
and Ankara
, Turkey
. In 1920, he moved to Tbilisi
, Georgia
. During his stay in Georgia, he lectured at the (Tiflis) Tbilisi State Academy of Arts
(1922-1934) and illustrated the Caucasian novellas of Leo Tolstoy
.
Lanceray left Georgia in 1934, settling in Moscow
, where he became involved with decoration of the Kazan Railway Station and the Hotel Moskva
. During this same period, Lanceray also worked as a theatrical designer. Three years before his death, he was honored with the Stalin Prize. He died in Moscow at age 71.
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 graphic artist, painter, sculptor, mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
ist, and illustrator, associated stylistically with Mir iskusstva (the World of Art
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...
).
Early life and education
Lanceray was born in Pavlovsk, Russia, a suburb of 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...
. He came from a prominent Russian artistic family. His father was a sculptor. His grandfather Nicholas Benois
Nicholas Benois
Nicholas Benois was a Russian architect who worked in Peterhof and other suburbs of St Petersburg.Benois was born of French parents in Russia and studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts from 1827 to 1836...
, and his uncle Leon Benois
Leon Benois
Leon Benois was a Russian architect. He was the son of architect Nicholas Benois, the brother of artists Alexandre Benois and Albert Benois, and the grandfather of the actor Sir Peter Ustinov...
, were celebrated architects. Another uncle, 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...
, was a respected artist, art critic, historian and preservationist. His great-grandfather was the Venetian-born Russian composer Catterino Cavos
Catterino Cavos
Catterino Albertovich Cavos , born Catarino Camillo Cavos, was an Italian composer, organist and conductor settled in Russia...
. Lanceray's siblings were also heirs to this artistic tradition. His sister, Zinaida Serebriakova
Zinaida Serebriakova
Zinaida Yevgenyevna Serebriakova was among the first female Russian painters of distinction.-Family:Zinaida Serebriakova was born on the estate of Neskuchnoye near Kharkov into one of Russia's most refined and artistic families.She belonged to the artistic Benois family...
, was a painter, while his brother Nikolai was an architect.
Lanceray took his first lessons at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in St. Petersburg, 1892–1896. He then traveled to 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...
, where he continued his studies at the Académie Colarossi
Académie Colarossi
The Académie Colarossi is an art school founded by the Italian sculptor Filippo Colarossi. First located on the Île de la Cité, it moved in the 1870s to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, France....
and Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
between 1896 and 1899.
Career before the revolution
After returning to Russia, Lanceray joined Mir iskusstva, an influential Russian art movement inspired by an artistic journalLiterary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
of the same name, founded in 1899, in Saint Petersburg. Other prominent members of Mir iskusstva included Lanceray's uncle 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...
, Konstantin Somov
Konstantin Somov
Konstantin Andreyevich Somov was a Russian artist associated with the Mir iskusstva. Born into a family of a major art historian and Hermitage Museum curator, he became interested in the 18th century art and music at an early age.Somov studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts under Ilya Repin from...
, Walter Nouvel
Walter Nouvel
Walter Feodorovich Nouvel was a Russian émigré art-lover and writer. He co-wrote with Arnold Haskell a biography of Sergei Pavlovitch Diaghilev Walter Feodorovich Nouvel (1871–1949) was a Russian émigré art-lover and writer. He co-wrote with Arnold Haskell a biography of Sergei Pavlovitch...
, Léon Bakst
Léon Bakst
Léon Samoilovitch Bakst was a Russian painter and scene- and costume designer. He was a member of the Sergei Diaghilev circle and the Ballets Russes, for which he designed exotic, richly coloured sets and costumes...
, and Dmitry Filosofov.
Like other members of Mir iskusstva, he was fascinated with the "sparkling dust" of Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
art, and often turned to 18th century Russian history and art for inspiration.
Life after the revolution
Lanceray was the only prominent member of Mir iskusstva to remain in Russia after the Revolution of 1917. Even his sister found the revolutionary milieu alien to her art and, in 1924, she fled to Paris.Lanceray left Saint Petersburg in 1917, and spent three years living in Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
, where he became infatuated with Oriental themes. His interest increased during journeys made in the early 1920s to 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...
and Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. In 1920, he moved to Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. During his stay in Georgia, he lectured at the (Tiflis) Tbilisi State Academy of Arts
Tbilisi State Academy of Arts
The Tbilisi State Academy of Arts is one of the oldest universities in Georgia, Caucasus. It's located in the Tbilisi City near the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre on Rustaveli avenue ....
(1922-1934) and illustrated the Caucasian novellas of Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
.
Lanceray left Georgia in 1934, settling 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...
, where he became involved with decoration of the Kazan Railway Station and the Hotel Moskva
Hotel Moskva (Moscow)
The Hotel Moskva name has been used for two identical buildings on the same spot in Moscow, Russia located near Red Square in close proximity to the old City Hall. The first Hotel Moskva was originally constructed from 1932 until 1938, it opened as a hotel in December 1935...
. During this same period, Lanceray also worked as a theatrical designer. Three years before his death, he was honored with the Stalin Prize. He died in Moscow at age 71.